JRN2906 - Television journalism

Leader(s): Professor Chris Nash

Offered

Caulfield Second semester 2009 (Day)
Gippsland Second semester 2009 (Day)

Synopsis

Topics include the role of television news and current affairs in a democratic society; the production of meaning by television news construction and editing; news production and journalism fieldwork in the television industry. Students learn skills in audio-visual recording and digital editing and will gather and produce their own news stories.

Objectives

Students who successfully complete this unit should be able to demonstrate:

1. An understanding of the distinction between television, print, radio and web news, their production processes, and the essential characteristics of news presented by these different media.
2. Knowledge of issues affecting television journalism in particular and broadcast industry in general.
3. An understanding of the role and impact of television news and current affairs in a society, of the link between ownership, rating, advertising, entertainment, and news and current affairs, and of the future of television news vis a vis the convergence of media.
4. Production skills required to become a television journalist with emphasis on news and current affairs.
5. An understanding of how a television news room functions, the importance of teamwork, the role each crewmember in a television news program plays; learn to produce news stories in a team environment.
6. An understanding of how TV news is written, the language, the script format and visual requirements and practice writing TV news script.
7. Interviewing skills on location and in the studio.
8. Skill in the use of the digital camera and digital editing equipment.

Assessment

Written work: 80%
Studio and production work: 20%

Contact hours

2 hours per week (plus 6 hours of workshops for the semester)

Prerequisites

JRN1902, JRN1903, JRN2905 or equivalents

Prohibitions

GSC2904, GSC2907, GSC2906, JRN2907