JRN2000 News Reporting

JRN	2000	78549	2, 2008	EXT	News Reporting	1.00	Toowoomba
Subject	Cat-nbr	Class	Term	Mode	Description	Units	Campus

Academic group:	FOART
Academic org:	FOA003
Student contribution band:	1
ASCED code:	100703

Staffing
Requisites
Synopsis
Objectives
Topics
Texts
Student workload
Assessment details
Important assessment information
Assessment notes
Other requirements
Production date
PDF version

STAFFING

Examiner: Gary Alcorn
Moderator: Dianne Jones

REQUISITES

Pre-requisite: JRN1000 for students enrolled in the GDJN Program. JRN1000 and CMS1000 for students enrolled in the following Programs: BART and BMCM.

SYNOPSIS

This course teaches you to find, report and write news stories for multiple media, including print, broadcast (radio) and online. It builds on the news judgment and writing skills learned in Introduction to Journalism. The emphasis is on learning by doing. You will receive theoretical instruction and considerable practice in interviewing, note taking, reporting and story organisation. You will learn how to retrieve information from three major reporting rounds - government, the courts and sports. The journalist's role in society will be defined and explored through the use of research techniques involving interviews, the Internet and newspaper databases. To successfully complete this course, you must have access to the Internet.

OBJECTIVES

On completion of this course students will be able to:

find stories in three reporting rounds, gather facts and opinion, and write clear, accurate, fair and balanced news copy to deadline; (All assessment items refer)
write basic hard new stories for multiple media, including a mastery of medium-specific style guidelines; (All assessment items refer)
demonstrate emerging news gathering skills, especially the ability to select and interview appropriate sources and ask the appropriate questions to obtain the required information; (All assessment items refer)
identify the theoretical principles underpinning the journalist's ideal role and responsibilities in a democratic society, and reflect on personal practice in this context. (Assessment 3 refer)

TOPICS

	Description	Weighting (%)
1.	News story basics	5.00
2.	Writing the story	20.00
3.	Reporting: finding information (research, observation, interviewing)	25.00
4.	Style for print, broadcast and online media	10.00
5.	The courts and legal system	10.00
6.	Government processes	10.00
7.	Sports	10.00
8.	The role of journalists, ethics and the law	10.00

TEXT and MATERIALS required to be PURCHASED or accessed

ALL textbooks and materials are available for purchase from USQ BOOKSHOP (unless otherwise stated). Orders may be placed via secure internet, free fax 1800642453, phone 07 46312742 (within Australia), or mail. Overseas students should fax +61 7 46311743, or phone +61 7 46312742. For costs, further details, and internet ordering, use the 'Textbook Search' facility at http://bookshop.usq.edu.au click 'Semester', then enter your 'Course Code' (no spaces).

Conley, D and Lamble, S 2006, The daily miracle, 3rd edn, Oxford University Press, South Melbourne.

Lockwood, K. (ed) 2005, Style, 3rd edn, News Limited, Sydney.

REFERENCE MATERIALS

Reference materials are materials that, if accessed by students, may improve their knowledge and understanding of the material in the course and enrich their learning experience.

STUDENT WORKLOAD REQUIREMENTS

ACTIVITY	HOURS
Assessment	30.00
Directed Study	30.00
Private Study	40.00
Project Work	60.00

ASSESSMENT DETAILS

Description	Marks out of	Wtg(%)	Due date	Notes
PRINT REPORT (SPORTS)	100.00	25.00	14 Aug 2008	(see note 1)
RADIO REPORT (COURT)	100.00	25.00	18 Sep 2008	(see note 2)
ONLINE REPORT ( COUNCIL)	100.00	50.00	23 Oct 2008	(see note 3)

NOTES

1.: This assignment is aligned with objectives 1,2 & 3.
2.: This assignment is aligned with objectives 1,2 & 3.
3.: This assignment is aligned with all of the objectives.

IMPORTANT ASSESSMENT INFORMATION

Attendance requirements:
There are no attendance requirements for this external course. However, it is the student's responsibility to study all material provided to them or required to be accessed by them to maximise their chance of meeting the objectives of the course and to be informed of course-related activities and administration.
Requirements for students to complete each assessment item satisfactorily:
To successfully complete an individual assessment item, a student must achieve at least 50% of the marks or a grade of at least C-. This statement must be read in conjunction with Statement 4 below.
Penalties for late submission of required work:
If students submit assignments after the due date without extenuating circumstances and without prior approval, then a penalty of a maximum of 5% of the assigned mark may apply for each working day late, up to a maximum of 10 working days, at which time a mark of zero can be recorded for that assignment.
Requirements for student to be awarded a passing grade in the course:
To be assured of receiving a passing grade a student must achieve at least 50% of the total weighted marks available for the course.
Method used to combine assessment results to attain final grade:
The final grades for students will be assigned on the basis of the aggregate of the weighted marks obtained for each of the summative assessment items in the course.
Examination information:
There is no exam for this course.
Examination period when Deferred/Supplementary examinations will be held:
Given the details under (6) above, there are no deferred exams for this course. However, if any deferred/makeup work is granted, it would have to be submitted by a date set by the examiner.
University Regulations:
Students should read USQ Regulations 5.1 Definitions, 5.6. Assessment, and 5.10 Academic Misconduct for further information and to avoid actions which might contravene University Regulations. These regulations can be found at the URL http://www.usq.edu.au/corporateservices/calendar/part5.htm or in the current USQ Handbook.

ASSESSMENT NOTES

(a) The due date for an assignment is the date by which a student must despatch the assignment to the USQ. The onus is on the student to provide proof of the despatch date, if requested by the Examiner. (b) Students must retain a copy of each item submitted for assessment. This must be despatched to USQ within 24 hours if requested by the Examiner. (c) In accordance with University's Assignment Extension Policy (Regulation 5.6.1), the examiner of a course may grant an extension of the due date of an assignment in extenuating circumstances such as documented ill-health. (d) In the event that a due date for an assignment falls on a local public holiday in their area, such as a Show holiday, the due date for the assignment will be the next day. Students are to note on the assignment cover the date of the public holiday for the examiner's convenience. (e) Students who do not have regular access to postal services or who are otherwise disadvantaged by these regulations may be given special consideration. They should contact the examiner of the course to negotiate such special arrangements. (f) Students who have undertaken all of the required assessments in the course but who have failed to meet some of the specified objectives of the course within the normally prescribed time may be awarded the temporary grade: IM (Incomplete-Makeup). An IM grade will only be awarded when, in the opinion of the examiner, a student will be able to achieve the remaining objectives of the course after a period of non-directed personal study. (g) Students who, for medical, family/personal, or employment-related reasons, are unable to complete an assignment or sit for an examination at the scheduled time, may apply to defer an assessment in the course. Such a request must be accompanied by appropriate supporting documentation. One of the following temporary grades may be awarded: IDS (Incomplete - Deferred Examination; IDM (Incomplete Deferred Make-up); IDB (Incomplete - Both Deferred Examination and Deferred Make-up).

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

The journalism course maintains high standards of spelling, grammar, punctuation and style. Faults in any of these could render a project or proposal unacceptable.
If assignments in the course require the use of surveys, interviews, etc., students should be aware of the University and Faculty of Arts ethical requirements/guidelines. (The course syllabus distributed to students in the first week of teaching provides this information.)
Assignments requiring the use of interviews, surveys etc must meet University ethical requirements and the examiner must be satisfied these requirements have been met.
Students can expect that questions in assessment items in this course may draw upon knowledge and skills that they can reasonably be expected to have acquired before enrolling in the course. This includes knowledge contained in pre-requisite courses and appropriate communication, information literacy, analytical, critical thinking, problem solving or numeracy skills. Students who do not possess such knowledge and skills should not expect to achieve the same grades as those students who do possess them.
Students will require access to email and must have internet access to USQConnect for this course.

This version produced 17 Jul 2008.