This intensive one-day news reporting and production course is designed to equip aspiring and entry-level journalists with the foundational skills required produce accurate and impartial news reports.
It condenses the six-week module ‘News Reporting and Production’ into a single, structured day, covering the entire news process from identifying a story to final ethical review.
The programme emphasises practical application of core concepts such as news values, the inverted pyramid structure, and rigorous sourcing, ensuring participants leave with a robust understanding of professional journalistic practice.
We recommend that participants read the resources listed below before attending this refresher.
One-day intensive: News reporting and production
- 09:00 – 09:15: Programme introduction and objectives
- 09:15 – 10:30: What makes a story? Developing news sense
- Focus: Defining news and understanding core news values. Techniques for spotting potential stories and refining a broad idea into a specific, compelling news angle.
- Activity: The news pitch
- In small groups, participants analyse ambiguous raw materials (e.g., social media posts, news releases) and pitch a compelling story idea, justifying its primary news value and writing a specific news angle.
- Resources (6):
- 10:30 – 10:45: Break
- 10:45 – 12:30: Research, sourcing, and story structure
- Focus: Essential newsgathering tips, proactive journalism, and the ethical considerations of sourcing. Mastering the inverted pyramid structure and identifying the 5 W’s and H for effective story planning.
- Activity: Source scrutiny & plan drafting
- Participants are given a scenario and must brainstorm and justify three diverse, ethical sources (primary, secondary, and documentary). They then use that information to write the complete 5 W’s and H outline and draft the main summary lead for their story.
- Resources (7):
- 12:30 – 13:30: Lunch
- 13:30 – 15:00: Crafting the report: writing and style
- Focus: Applying the principles of clear, concise, and impartial news writing. Understanding journalistic style and tone, and the importance of addressing translation challenges in reporting.
- Activity: Drafting & peer editing challenge
- Using the plan from the previous session, participants write the first three paragraphs of their report. They then perform a structured peer review, using the provided News Story Checklist to critique each other’s clarity, conciseness, and adherence to style.
- Resources (5):
- Essential elements of a news story
- Lesson: Essential elements of a news story
- Translation in journalism
- Tool: News Story Checklist (Used for initial drafting review)
- 15:00 – 15:15: Break
- 15:15 – 16:45: Review, refine, and ethical reporting
- Focus: The final stages of production: applying rigorous editing and self-editing techniques. Ensuring factual accuracy and impartiality through final review. Reinforcement of ethical responsibilities.
- Activity: Ethical scenario role-play
- The facilitator presents three difficult ethical dilemmas common in newsrooms (e.g., using anonymous sources, handling graphic content). Participants debate in teams and present their reasoned editorial decision, justifying their choice against core journalistic ethics.
- Resources (1):
- Tool: News Story Checklist (Revisited for final submission check)
- Ethical scenarios – Media Helping Media
- 16:45 – 17:00: Programme conclusion and final plenary
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