JRN 101 - Introduction to Journalism

 
Description
A course to acquaint the student with the news sources for a journalist or citizen. Methods of news gathering and management are covered, along with economic, social, political, legal and technical problems associated with journalism for newspapers, magazines, television and radio.

1. To acquaint students with the purposes, methods and problems and pressures of the four journalistic media.
2. To have students consider ethical and other conflicts and pressures faced daily by journalists.
3. To have students appreciate the complexity of the news-making process so as to better understand the results they observe in everyday life.

1. Brief overview of mass media theories
2. Brief overview of mass media history
3. Brief overview of economic/business processes & ownership
4. Characteristics of visual vs verbal, print vs broadcast
5. Realities vs synthetic realities: editing, special effects,
6. Problems with public relations goals, strategies and tools
7. Journalistic roles, goals, tools, sources
8. Internal & External Limits: rules, ethics, laws (libel etc).
9. Journalistic values: objectivity, fairness, etc.
10. Use and abuse of sources
11. Newspapers: history, evolution, styles, problems
12. Magazines: history, evolution, styles, problems
13. Radio: history, evolution, styles, problems
14. Television: history, evolution, styles, problems
15. Wire services
16. Problems with coverage of disasters, crime, race
17. Problems with coverage of local, state, federal governments
18. Problems with coverage of international events
     

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