Introduction to journalism (2 days)

Duration:
2 days.

Course objectives:
To give you a head start in the techniques and skills appropriate to working in various journalistic media. Sessions cover the writing of news stories, features and press releases, conducting interviews, proofreading, and the role of style and structure and how to improve it. It also introduces the important legal issues that journalists need to be aware of.

The course is designed for the busy professional. It is short and intensive, combining lecture, demonstration and hands-on instruction.

Who should attend?
• People who are new to journalism, or are looking to pursue a career in journalism.
• Anyone who wants a better understanding of journalism, such as press officers, editorial assistants, writers and others

Delegates should be familiar with Microsoft Word and have basic word processing techniques. No other knowledge is necessary.

Courseware and certification:
Delegates receive comprehensive courseware to refer to throughout the course, and to use as a refresher following the course. Delegates are issued with a certificate confirming they have attended and successfully completed Introduction to Adobe RoboHelp training.

Other journalism training:
Introduction to feature writing (2 days), Effective writing for journalism (1 day), Writing press releases (1 day). Please contact us for further details.

After course support:
Following Journalism training, delegates are entitled to 30 days email support from Armada to help with any post-training issues.

Course outline:

Introduction
• What is news and what role does it play in society.

News reporting
• The main characteristics of news stories.
• Where to find ideas and how to write good copy.
• Discussion of some ethical issues in news reporting.

The art of interviewing
• The pros and cons of doing interviews on the phone, face-to-face and by e-mail.
• Preparing for an interview, getting the most out of an interview, and dealing with difficult situations.
• Tips for interviewing celebrities and reluctant interviewees.

Writing press releases
• How to write a good press release, one that will stand out and be noticed.
• What to include and what to leave out, when to send it and when to follow up.
• Examples of good and bad press releases, and individual help with your organisation’s press coverage.

Feature writing for your audience
• Learn about the different types of features.
• Lessons on how to structure your feature, and keep your reader interested.
• Practical exercises in writing for different audiences.
• Ideas for writing eye-catching introductions and memorable endings.

Sub-editing and proofing
• How to edit your own work, and tips when proofreading.
• Some grammatical errors you should try and avoid.
• The characteristics of good writing.
• What makes a good headline, and how to write them.

Essential law for journalists
• An introduction to the main legal issues, with examples, and how they might affect you as a journalist: defamation, copyright, contempt of court, and the PCC’s Code of Conduct.