Course Outline and Course Description
This course builds upon the foundational knowledge and skills acquired in Basic Proficiency in Journalism. Students will delve deeper into advanced journalistic techniques, ethics, and contemporary issues. The course will equip students with the expertise to excel in professional journalism careers.
Course Objectives
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
• Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of journalistic principles and ethics.
• Conduct in-depth investigations and research.
• Write compelling and impactful news stories.
• Edit and produce high-quality journalistic content.
• Analyse and critically evaluate media coverage.
• Understand the challenges and opportunities facing the journalism industry.
Course Format
This course will be a combination of lectures, discussions, hands-on exercises, and guest lectures from experienced journalists. Students will have opportunities to work on advanced projects, including investigative reporting and multimedia storytelling.
Course Outline:
Module 1: Advanced News Gathering
• Developing investigative reporting techniques
• Using public records and databases
• Conducting in-depth interviews
• Utilizing FOIA requests
• Understanding ethical considerations in investigative journalism
Module 2: Advanced News Writing
• Writing narrative news stories
• Crafting compelling features
• Developing multimedia storytelling techniques
• Understanding SEO and social media optimization for journalism
Module 3: Editing and Production
• The Politics of News selection
• Editing for style, clarity, and impact
• Managing editorial teams
• Understanding content management systems
• Media Convergence
• Producing multimedia contents (video, audio, interactive graphics)
Module 4: Journalism Ethics and Legal Issues
• Defamation and libel laws
• Invasion of Privacy, contempt of courts etc.
• Copyright infringement and fair use
• Ethical dilemmas in journalism
• Protecting sources and confidentiality
Module 5: Multimedia & Online Journalism
• Understanding Convergence
• Ethics of multimedia and online journalism
• Tools for the multimedia and online journalists
• Challenges of multimedia and online journalism in Nigeria
• Computer Assisted Reporting (CAR)
• Web page designing and publishing
Module 5: Contemporary Issues in Journalism
• Media bias and objectivity
• Fake news and misinformation
• Citizen Journalism
• Media and regulatory authorities
• The future of journalism in the digital age
• Global journalism trends
Module 6: Journalism Careers and Professional Development
• Career paths in journalism (print, broadcast, online)
• Networking and building professional relationships
• Freelancing and entrepreneurship in journalism
• Continuing education and professional development
Enroll here.