MA Journalism

The Journalism Major Project needs a strong subject, one that sells to editors and publishers as a work destined for prime airtime or publication.The Journalism Major Project gives you the chance to mobilise the skills and academic understanding you have acquired on the taught part of the programme to produce a journalistic artefact or series of artefacts of publishable and / or broadcast quality, which is to be accompanied by a professional pitch, with accompanying documentation and a critically reflective essay of 4000 words.The artefact / series of artefacts produced by you must represent a substantial piece of original investigative research which can be dealt with through print, broadcast or online-journalism of a high-quality professional standard. The total volume of this journalistic artefact / series of artefacts will be equivalent to 11000 words, or technical equivalents (for broadcast, or work presented in InDesign etc). This word-count volume can be found in the Journalism Major Project Handbook.

Further information

The journalist as reflective practitioner; the research base; information as commodity and natural resource; the information society and its critics; the contribution of Daniel Bell; the journalism of information; freedom of information (FOI), local and international; democracy and the fourth and fifth estates; opinion columns and punditry; Walter Lippmann as exemplar; freedom of the press; the idea of the public sphere; Jurgen Habermas and the theory of communicative action; the nature of power/knowledge; Michel Foucault; the political economy of communication and information; the agenda-setting research tradition; news value paradigms; information and media policy issues; information poverty and inequality; copyright and intellectual property; privacy and surveillance; censorship and its viability in an age of information; the press and the secret state; specialist fields, such as sports journalism and science journalism; international institutions and challenges; social justice and ethical issues; emergent media; forecasting and the study of the future; associated research topics as they arise.

Further information

The module will require you to think like a potential magazine publisher or editor: you will critically examine the range of magazines available and their routes to market, as well as investigating the various approaches and styles they adopt in order to appeal to a particular target readership. You will then apply this analysis to the creation of a new publication: learning, drawing upon and practicing a range of editorial and design skills to produce your own magazine.

Further information

The module will cover libel, defamation, copyright, criminal and civil courts, criminal procedure, reporting of minors, reporting of sexual crimes and contempt of court. The module gives a basis of a legal understanding for student journalists. The principles of court reporting are also covered, including reporting restrictions.

Further information

This module will introduce you to the art of finding original news and feature stories, developing good angles, and being aware of your audience for print and online outlets. Core values of accuracy, attribution, impartiality and balance will be covered alongside ethical and legal awareness. Besides sourcing up to date stories and conducting interviews, you will refine your writing skills and submit tight copy to deadlines with crisp leads and engaging headlines. You will develop an awareness and understanding of all aspects of news reporting.

Further information

This module will introduce you to a variety of common radio formats as well as the terminology used in specific broadcast environments. You will expand your critical understanding of the radio environment in the UK and beyond and will understand how news values apply to radio journalism. The module will enable you to realise story ideas through to completion in a variety of formats suitable for broadcast and podcasting. You will research stories and find contributors, record on location, and understand the processes and paperwork required of a broadcast journalist including risk assessment and interview techniques. You will also be taught how to use audio recorders, and scripting and editing software.

Further information

This module develops video storytelling techniques for broadcast and online, with emphasis on devising creative treatments for specific audiences. You will learn the professional skills required to film and edit visual sequences, write a broadcast script, conduct interviews, and present on camera. Working in a group you will also engage with professional newsroom workflows by producing a number of longer TV bulletins. In this way, you will develop an understanding of TV studio production, incorporating presenting styles and live interviewing techniques. These ‘news-days’ enable you to learn in a simulated work environment, where deadlines for regular bulletins and extended news programmes must be met. The module is closely linked to the industry and mirrors real industry workflows. You will analyse conventional TV news narrative techniques as well as explore the evolving nature of creative digital video production with an emphasis on mobile journalism and social media platforms. This module ensures you will experience first-hand industry pressures and develop a knowledge of the journalistic, ethical, and technical challenges of working in a TV newsroom. There will be extensive discussion and critical analysis of contemporary issues such as privacy and consent, TV regulation, digital platforms and the place of video within a converged and digital workplace.

Further information