COURSE TITLE: News Reporting and Writing

Course Code: JM 112 Credit Value: 3 Credits

Contact Hours

• Lectures: 2 hours/week

• Practical / Newsroom Workshops: 2 hours/week

Duration: 15 Weeks (One Semester) Prerequisite: JM 111 – Introduction to Journalism, Media and Mass Communication

1. Course Description

This course develops students' knowledge and practical skills in professional news gathering, reporting, and writing for print and digital media. Students learn the principles of newsworthiness, information gathering, interviewing, fact verification, attribution, and ethical reporting while producing accurate, balanced, and audience-centred news stories.

The course emphasises the complete news production process—from identifying story ideas and conducting interviews to writing, editing, and publishing news reports. Students practise writing various forms of news stories using internationally accepted journalistic standards, including the inverted pyramid structure, Associated Press (AP) style principles, and other professional newsroom conventions where appropriate.

Practical newsroom workshops simulate real reporting environments through reporting assignments, press conferences, field observations, editorial reviews, and deadline-based writing exercises.

The course prepares students for advanced study in feature writing, investigative journalism, broadcast journalism, multimedia reporting, and specialised reporting.

2. Course Objectives

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

1. Explain the principles and practices of professional news reporting.

2. Identify and evaluate newsworthy events using accepted news values.

3. Gather information through observation, interviewing, documentation, and research.

4. Write clear, accurate, balanced, and objective news stories.

5. Apply appropriate news structures and journalistic writing styles.

6. Verify facts and evaluate sources using ethical reporting standards.

7. Edit and revise news stories for clarity, accuracy, grammar, and style.

8. Demonstrate professional conduct during newsroom and field reporting activities.

3. Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will be able to:

• Explain the principles and ethics of news reporting.

• Apply news values in selecting and developing news stories.

• Conduct professional interviews using appropriate questioning techniques.

• Gather and verify information from multiple credible sources.

• Write accurate hard news stories using the inverted pyramid structure.

• Produce headlines, leads, and complete news reports suitable for publication.

• Edit news stories using accepted journalistic style and language.

• Demonstrate ethical decision-making throughout the reporting process.