Certificate in Journalism - Distance Learning
Certificate in Journalism (Cert. Journ.) - Distance Learning Course
Introduction
Students are introduced to the history and role of media in society, how the media works, learn the skills required to source, research, write news stories, write comment and feature articles.
You will learn how to review, how to create markets for your writing as a freelance journalist, learn the increasing importance of online journalism and writing for the web. Understand journalistic ethics, the laws of libel and copyright protection.
Course Content
An introduction to the newspaper office, The changing face of journalism, The work of the journalist explained, What is news, How news is changing, What makes a hard-hitting news story, Where news comes from, How to gather news and generate stories, Hard news and soft news explained, The difference between features and general interest articles.
A short history of the newspaper industry, The business of newspapers, Newspaper structures & departments - production, circulation, promotions, advertising, accounts. Journalism and society, The media landscape, How the media works. How the business model of media works. How publications position themselves in the marketplace. The role of the circulation manager and building market share. Advertising, classified advertising. Going online.
Exploring news values, Determining news worthiness, News writing skills, Different news for different audiences. The 5 W's and the inverted pyramid, KISS, Short simple sentences, Getting your introduction right, Ensure accuracy, Facts not opinions, Using quotes, Avoiding jargon, Structuring the story, Recapping past history, Conducting an interview, Telephone interviews, Email interviews, Press conferences.
Building your contacts book, The importance of contacts - how to cultivate and use them, Who makes a good contact book, Useful tips for running a contacts network, Tracking down stories and finding facts. Researching a story, On and off the record. Protecting and respecting your sources, Calls you should make, Stories to look for, Developing the story, Good sources for information and story ideas, Monitoring other media, The importance of current information, Who to speak to, How to use cuttings, Always check quotes, Using the internet.
What makes a good feature, Transforming research into copy, Structuring your feature, Doing it in the house style. Revise and improve. Writing opinion columns - The four categories of columns, How to write comment, Grab a topic, Gather facts, Get to the point, Structure.
Writing Reviews - Theatre, Music, Book Television, Radio - The reviewer's role and responsibilities - what you should include in your review - attitude - How to review and write up for theatre, musicals, concerts. Reviewing books - a checklist of what to include in your review. Tips on reviewing CDs, Films and TV Eating out reviews - the pitfalls - key points to include - an example of a fact file. Car reviews.
How the newsroom is organized, The chain of command, The roles of the news editor, deputy editor, associate editors, the news editor, chief sub-editor, sports editor, features editor and the picture editor examined. The daily editorial conference and its function - the news list, coordinating journalists and stories, assignments, placing stories, newspaper policy, Routine tasks. Copyflow - how a news item goes from an original idea to a printed story.
The importance of the sub-editor's job including responsibilities - being held to account, protecting the paper's reputation, Dealing with raw copy, Keeping it in the house style, Cutting to length, Best intro angle, to re-write on not to re-write, Constructing Headlines, Caption writing, Placement of a story, news/advertising ratio, The influence of advertising, Planning, The importance of timing, Design theory- layout, visual appeal and design definitions.
Ethical dilemmas for journalists, invasions of privacy, racism, reporting of terrorism, anti-sexism, anti-ageism, whistle-blowers, cheque book journalism, the political economy of the media, monopoly ownership, hyper-competition, moral panics, sexing up a story, dumbing down.
What is libelous, defamation, Defence against libel, Justification for printing, What justifies fair comment, Malicious comment, Corrections, Clarifications, Offers of amends, Reporting criminal courts, Reporting civil courts, Employment tribunals, Inquests, Contempt of court.
Intellectual property, Understanding copyright, The limitations of copyrighted material, How copyright protects the journalist.
Qualities that are necessary to be a successful freelance journalist, The pros and cons of freelancing explained, Making contact and talking to editors, Breaking into the magazine market, The importance of knowing your market - Research - analysing the contents of newspapers and magazines, Article analysis, Tailoring your work to their requirements, Best categories for the freelance to tackle
Opportunities for the freelance journalist, Finding a regular supply of work, How to organise yourself - keeping records, cuttings file, joining the National Union of Journalists
Blogrolls to wikis, the audience for online journalism, Print industry under attack, The rise of citizen journalism, The journalist as online publisher, Online ethics - guidelines and best practice, Blogs, Weblog conventions, blogspeak, How to begin blogging, Tips for setting up a blog, Blogroll, Tags, Trackbacks, Pingbacks, What is Technorati? How to promote your blog, Using wikis, How to write for a wiki.
Benefits of social media, Understanding your audience, Social media platforms: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, MySpace, Flickr, Picassa, Blogger, Ning, Meetup, Second Life, Viral content production, Social media marketing techniques, Social bookmarking, Social Networking, Accumulating social capital, The Future of Social Networking, Understanding Facebook, How Facebook benefits a business, How to target your market, how to promote yourself on Facebook, How advertising works on Facebook, Understanding Linkedin, LinkedIn groups, companies, applications, direct ads. Marketing on Linkedin.
Blogs, Microblogs, Chatrooms, Delicious, Email, Flickr, Twitter, Instant messaging, Message Boards, Mobile Internet , New Media Releases, Online Conferencing, Online Surveys, Pay per click, Podcasts, RSS, Search Engines, SEO, Social Networking Service Sites, Video Sharing, Virtual worlds, VoIP, Wiki and Widgets.
Commercial Implications of the Internet, Social Interaction with the Internet, Web 2.0 and its Implications, Internet Convergence, the Network Effect, Internet Information Exchange, Internet Audience Size and Exposure, Internet Culture and Communication, Transparency and the Internet.
Online Communications Platforms, Online Communication Channels, Online Communication Mediums, Interactivity and Application of Communication Channels, Policy, Optimisation, Monitoring and Evaluation of Online Communications Channels, Online Communications Channels Planning and Implementation.
Local versus Global Communication, Landscaping Platforms, Channels and context, Online PR Organisational Analysis and Segmentation, Developing Online PR Strategies, Online PR Tactics and SEO considerations, Online PR Planning, Managing Online PR Risk and Opportunities.
Internet influence on News, Internet Journalists, Economics of Online News Production, Internet Critics and other influences, the PR Practitioner as an Online Publisher, Ethical Internet PR, Truthfulness and Duty of Care, Online Ethics, Debate, Guidelines and Best Practice. Monitoring and Evaluation of Social Media Discourse, Trends and Value. Policy Influences, corporate speak. Implications of Social Media for Corporate Social Responsibility.
The project is an important part of the course. Each course participant is given a project brief. Participants are asked at the end of the course to produce a Journalism Proposal with their recommendations to the examiners. This gives participants the opportunity to use the knowledge they have obtained during the course in a focused way and develops proposal-writing and creative skills.
Online Lecture Modules, Subject Expert Feedback Sessions after each Module, Practical Case Studies, End of Module Assignments, etc.
Fitzwilliam Institute Group maintains a panel of qualified Subject Experts.
Our Certificate courses are aimed at entry level professionals and school leavers.
Successful students qualify for the Certificate in Journalism (Cert. Journ.). The Certificate is awarded at Distinction, Credit or Pass Level. This course is accredited by the Institute of Commercial Management and is Industry and Internationally recognised in over 140 different countries worldwide.
Start Date
01 June 2012
Course Application
Application for this course is available immediately online through our Course Payments Page.
Course Duration
6 weeks to 6 calendar months depending on individual progress.
Fees
€495.00
All course material is included in the fee. Fees are payable by credit card, debit card, bank draft/transfer, cheque or PayPal. All fees must be paid before the course starts
Brochure
Request a Brochure for this Course.
Disclaimer
Every effort is made to ensure accuracy, however responsibility is disclaimed for any error or omission in this website.
Fitzwilliam Institute as part of the Fitzwilliam Institute Group closes on Bank Holidays and for a number of days at Christmas and New Year. Fitzwilliam Institute Group reserves the right to postpone, cancel or alter courses without notice or to change any of the details in this web page. Fees are not refundable unless the course is cancelled by Fitzwilliam Institute Group.
Fitzwilliam Institute Group, Temple Court, Temple Road, Blackrock, Co. Dublin. Tel: (01) 283 45 79 Fax: (01) 283 45 75
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