CREATIVE REPORTING & NEWS PRESENTATION

What You Will Learn in This Course

Welcome to this course that aims to introduce you to the essential requirements of writing, reporting, and presenting news in a modern media organization. Through this course, you will be trained to become proficient in crafting publishable news articles while adhering to strict deadlines. Additionally, you will develop a deeper understanding of the fundamental principles of news, its structure, and its presentation in the various journalistic formats.

This course will also provide you with insights into the unique techniques required for writing, reporting & presentation for print and broadcast media, as well as the specialized skills needed for advanced and specialized writing in modern journalism. Moreover, you will get acquainted with the essential qualities of a news writer, reporter, and presenter, which are integral to the practice of journalism.

In this course, you will learn about the elements of good quality journalism, the general rules of news writing, the art of conducting news interviews, and the different components that make up a news story. You will also gain an understanding of the legal and ethical requirements of maintaining a healthy career in the media industry. By the end of this course, you will be fully equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills to succeed in the field of journalism.

Course Aims

This course is designed to equip you with the essential skills and knowledge required for news writing, reporting, and news presentation. It aims to introduce you to the basics of writing and reporting for both print and broadcast media. In addition to this, the course also focuses on developing your specialized and advanced writing and reporting skills that are specifically required for the print media industry.

However, the significance of this course doesn't end there. Apart from the primary objectives, it also has a secondary but crucial aim of providing you with an overview of the legal and ethical requirements that are essential for a successful career in the media industry, particularly in Bangladesh. This course will help you develop a thorough understanding of the preliminary legal and ethical norms that need to be followed for a healthy and prosperous career in the media industry.

Course Objectives

Upon completion of this course, you will have gained the ability to:

• Define news and recognize its key components and values

• Evaluate the qualities of an effective news writer or reporter

• Outline the motivations behind news reporting and identify the essential elements of a news story

• Understand the general rules and guidelines for news writing and reporting

• Identify the elements of high-quality journalism and the criteria for selecting news stories

• Define various types of news interviews and conduct them with confidence

• Explain the significance of the lead in news writing and how to craft an effective one

• Recognize the dos and don'ts of print and broadcast news copies

• Write publishable copies suitable for metropolitan media

• Discuss standard news-gathering techniques and conduct interviews using media gadgets

• Identify and explore specialized beats, along with the skills required to write or report on them.

Course Module: This course is structured with 20 class units.

Module 1          General Introduction

• ·       Class Procedures, Safety Attendance, Grading, Syllabus

• ·       What is News? /Elements of News Values and News Virtues

• ·       Qualities of a News Reporter

• ·       What Motivates a News, Reporter? 

• ·       General Rules for News Writing

• ·       Intrinsic factors that determine news value

• ·       External factors that affect news presentation

Module 2        Characteristics of Good News Reporting & Presentation

• ·       Elements of Good Writing/ What Makes for Poor Writing

• ·       Accuracy, Clarity & Fairness

• ·       Conducting Interviews

• ·       News Gathering and Sources 

• ·       Journalese

Module 3         Basic Principles of News Writing

• ·       Associated Press Stylebook Standards

• ·       Writing the Lead For a News Story

• ·       Writing the Body of a News Story

• ·       Libel and ethics in news reporting

• ·       Interviewing skills

A.       Preparing for the interview

B.       Asking appropriate questions

C.       Taking notes

D.      Verifying information & Following up

Module 4         News Writing and Reporting for the Print Media

• ·       The Lead

• ·       The Story Structure/Components of the Story

• ·       Types of News Stories

• ·   The Qualities of a Good News Story 

• ·       Reporter’s Checklist

Module 5         News Writing and Reporting for the Broadcast Media

• ·       Criteria for Selecting Broadcast Stories 

• ·       Style

• ·       Features/Structure of a Broadcast News Story 

• ·       Writing a Broadcast Copy

Module 6        Advanced Reporting

• ·       Science and Technology Reporting 

• ·       Reporting Sports

• ·       Political Reporting

• ·       Economy and Business Reporting

• ·       Reporting Crime, Accidents, and the Courts

Module 7        The Reporter, The Law and Ethical Issues

• ·       Press Freedom

• ·       Basic Press Laws

• ·       Ethical Issues in Media Practice

Module 9        Career Development & Employment

• ·       Employment Resources

• ·       Career paths and opportunities

• ·       Job Portfolio

A.        Resume

B.         Project samples

C.        Letters of recommendations

• ·       Professional organizations

• ·       Goal Setting

  
  

Module 10        Voice and Speech Development

• ·       Resonance and voice

• ·       Speech vocabulary

• ·       Qualities of a good speaking voice

• ·       The importance of vowel resonance

• ·       Diction and articulation

• ·       Diction and pronunciation

• ·       Stress and phrasing

• ·       The announcer

• ·       Front, middle, and back vowels

Module 11        Commercial Announcing and Copywriting

• ·       Commercial type

• ·       Commercial announcing

• ·       The importance of selling when announcing commercials

• ·       Know what you are selling

• ·       Understanding your copy

• ·       Script breakdown

• ·       Know the audience

• ·       Interpretation of the script

• ·       Commercial delivery for announcers

• ·       Commercial style guide

• ·       Effective selling types

• ·       Basic commercial structure

• ·       Exact timing

• ·       Commercials with jingles

• ·       Production

•  

Module 12          Voice Overs

• ·       Copy outline

• ·       Union or non-union guilds

• ·       Delivery styles

• ·       Looping and mixing

• ·       Sound effects library, Digital Editing

• ·       The final voice-over mix

Module 13        Talk Show Host

• ·       The straight announcer

• ·       The musicologist

• ·       The comic

• ·       The man on the street 

• ·       Successful personality trait

A.      Originality

B.         Learn   to   be   you 

• ·       Your broadcasting personality

• ·       Developing your on-air-skill

• ·       Producer

• ·       Producing your show

• ·       Selecting your music

• ·       Ad-libbing

• ·       Developing topics for use on-the-air

• ·       Interview format

• ·       Original concept ideas

• ·       Show timing

• ·       Program formats

• ·       Interviewing

•  

Module 14      News Broadcasting and Writing

• ·       News policy and procedures

• ·       Announcing the news

• ·       Responsibility

• ·       News sources 

• ·       Investigative reporting

• ·       News conferences

• ·       Business

• ·       Political news

• ·       Polling

• ·       Program notice

• ·       Code of Ethics

• ·       Freedom of information

• ·       Interviews

• ·       Correspondent reporters

• ·       Preparing the news 

• ·       P. Reporting from the scene

• ·       Privacy

• ·       Copyright

• ·       Radio hot lines T. Newscast

• ·       Newscast with commercials

• ·       Broadcast journalism

• ·       News writing techniques

• ·       Special headline news 

• ·       On-the-spot news reporting

Module 15           Sports Broadcasting & Writing

• ·       Study hints for sportscasters

• ·       Sports announcing

• ·       Sports reporting for the all sports and news station

• ·       Sports announcing for the professional team E. Play-by-play announcing

• ·       Color announcing

• ·       Sports interviewing

• ·       Major sports coverage

• ·       The sports reporter

• ·       Tips for the Sportscaster

• ·       Sportscasts

• ·       Sportscast timing

• ·       Calling the game

• ·       The sports analyst

• ·       One-on-one sports P. Announcing

• ·       Sports writing

• ·       Sports delivery styles

Module 16              Public Service Announcements

• ·       PSA's

• ·       Public speaking

• ·       The Community

• ·       Public interviewing

• ·       Public appearances

• ·       Public reporting

• ·       Charity

• ·       National public issues

• ·       Local community issues

Module 17               Weather Reporting

• ·       Weather forecast

• ·       Meteorologist

• ·       Weather terms

• ·       Weather hotlines

• ·       Emergency broadcast service

• ·       Weather forecast delivery

Module 18               The Technical Side

• ·       Audio Production

• ·       Digital recording techniques

• ·       Digital audio

• ·       Audio consoles

• ·       Control studio equipment

• ·       VU meters

• ·       CD functions

• ·       Pressing the CD

• ·       Music Library

• ·       Digital audio workstations

• ·       Digital Editing

Module 19                The Business Of Television

• ·       Structure within the television station

• ·       Station management

• ·       The program director

• ·       Sales department

• ·       Selling time

• ·       The account executive

• ·       Ratings

• ·       Station surveys

• ·       Music Research

• ·       Understanding and using television audience estimates

• ·       Ratings

Module 20             Broadcasting Glossary

·       Terms Used in Television