Exercises
Exercise: Clichés, jargon & journalese
Journalists need to recognise and then avoid using journalese, jargon, and clichés. Their writing must be clear, easy to understand, and informative. This exercise is designed to help spot all three.
Exercise: The inverted pyramid in practice
The inverted pyramid model places the most fundamental and newsworthy information at the top followed by supporting details, with the least important background information at the bottom.
Exercise: Questions every journalist should ask
There are six questions that a journalists should consider asking. They are What? Why? When? How? Where? and Who? This exercise considers their use in journalism.
Exercise: Planning a breaking news TV package
Reporting breaking TV news is a high-pressure race against the clock. You must balance real-time events with limited time for fact-checking and sourcing interviews.
Exercise: Fact-checking and adding context
Journalism is about far more than simply gathering information then passing it on. An essential part of the editorial process is to examine everything we are told to make sure it is factual.
Exercise: Referencing, attribution, and plagiarism
Original journalism often begins by finding a unique, unexplored angle within existing public information or the reporting of others. This exercise looks at what a journalist should do in those situations.
Exercise: Packaging for radio news
This exercise sets out the basics for creating a news package for radio. It’s been created for those starting out in radio journalism.
Exercise: Editorialising is not for news
Editorialising should be avoided in news reporting because it blurs the line between fact and opinion, undermining accuracy, fairness, and public trust. This exercise is designed to help journalists recognise editorialising and avoid it.