Course Description

A course in journalistic writing and media management; the course will place an emphasis on career exploration in the communications industry. Students will learn and practice the fundamentals of journalistic writing styles for multiple applications.

The course will emphasize journalistic writing for newspapers and broadcast media. Students who achieve a high level of competence will be encouraged to submit their work (s) on a freelance basis to area publications, or to be showcased on the Peninsula High School website. Frequently, student work will be showcased on the Peninsula High School radio station, KGHP-FM.

Students will be exposed to real world work expectations relative to the media. Deadlines for assignments will be stressed as will attendance and tardiness. Work that is received late, regardless of its quality, will receive no credit.

As a culminating project, students will create and submit a comprehensive portfolio of accomplished works.

Competencies:

Students will explore, understand and recognize various styles of journalistic writing. Such styles will include:

1)      Hard news (AP style)
2)      Features (Magazine style)
3)      Sports
4)      Editorials
5)      Columns and reviews
6)      Headlines and photographic cutlines.
7)      Broadcast news writing.
8)      Script-writing for video and television arts. 

·        Students will be exposed to the basic vocabulary and terms used in the journalism and publishing.

·        Students will become familiar with the wide variety of career options and higher educational programs within the journalism/communications industry.

·        Students will learn of the much recent technological advancement in the communications industry.

·        Students will understand the importance of achieving deadlines.

·        Students will understand and be able to distinguish between objective and subjective writing styles.

·        Students will acquire knowledge about news writing and of methods to gather information for the media.

·        Students will learn of the special access to events in our world that is afforded to members of the media.

·        Students will learn of the responsibility of being a competent journalist.

·        Students will learn of the economic factors that influence the media in a free market society.

Units      

Unit 1 – Hard news writing for print or internet.

Topics would include objectivity, 5-w’s, inverted pyramid style, role of the Associated Press, lead writing, quote management.

 Unit 2 – Hard news writing for broadcast. Style differences, present tense, quote
                   management, numbers and conventions. 

Unit 3 – Feature writing (More details to come)

 Unit 4 – Editorial and opinion writing (More details to come)

 Unit 5 – Writing for public relations use

 Unit 6 – Headline and cutline writing

 Unit 7 – Sports writing

 Unit 8 – Writing for video and television arts.