Journalism MA

This module aims to help you plan and execute a substantial piece of journalistic work for publication on a digital, print, multimedia or broadcast platform. You will be supported to make an informed choice over which platform you choose, which will best showcase a newsworthy topic of your choice.

The module is designed to equip you with the skills needed to research and execute a longer form piece of rigorous journalism. The optionality within this module will give you autonomy over your subject and platform choice, as well as the freedom to be innovative in their storytelling. It will allow you to address, investigate and delve into a subject of societal or audience importance and produce an impactful piece of work.

The module will also enable you to develop your critical analysis thinking, and support you to reflectively examine your own research.

This module will ultimately challenge you to produce an impactful and authoritative piece of  journalism, produced in an engaging manner.

This module is intended to equip you with the understanding, knowledge, insights and skills necessary to become a competent multi-platform journalist. 

You will gain the ability to explore a diverse range of sources, and know how to research and develop ideas to get the most out of your stories. You will explore 'on and off diary' news stories, consider their importance in the daily round of newsgathering.

This module will help you to understand the importance of the relationship between media organisations and their 'contacts' and help you to develop the confidence and the techniques necessary for effective interviewing. It will develop your understanding of how traditional media platforms are now part of a broader publishing strategy that places great emphasis on social media, online distribution and visualisation of content.

This module will enable you to recognise the importance of social media as a strategic tool for professional research and communication with a mass audience. You will demonstrate your ability to maintain organised, accurate and effective notes and recordings, using your shorthand skills as appropriate.

This module will develop your understanding of the importance of objectivity and balance when pursuing stories. You will be able to demonstrate good legal and ethical judgement in the pursuit of news stories, and to explain how you have pursued stories ethically, legally and safely. It will increase your understanding of some of your statutory rights to information, including the Freedom of Information Act. Whilst also enabling you to understand and apply the systems of self-regulation and regulation affecting the UK media.

The module provides a comprehensive exploration of the dynamics of power in politics at local, regional and national levels. It is designed to equip you with the knowledge and practical skills necessary to be an effective journalist, capable of holding those in power accountable through your reporting. It will enable you to learn about political structures and how they operate together, and you will develop understanding and practical skills around local council reporting and national political reporting.  The curriculum is built around two key pillars: understanding political structures and developing your journalistic expertise.

You will gain an in-depth understanding of how political systems are structured and how they operate. You will also examine the relationship between central and local government and the social and financial pressures that shape the way public services operate.

For regional governance you'll be provided with a deep dive into the workings of local councils and their role in shaping communities. You'll learn about council meetings, committees, decision-making processes and the allocation of public funds. We will examine the different roles within a council, from elected councillors to council officers, and look at the checks and balances that exist. You'll also consider issues affecting local communities which are frequently in the news such as planning, education, council tax and social care, and apply your knowledge to writing relevant news stories.

Our examination of national politics will start with the British constitution and monarchy, and the role of parliament through the government and legislature. We will explore the processes of government and look at how politicians are elected and you will learn how bills become law. We will consider newsworthy topics such as health, education and the welfare state, and give you an understanding of how government finances are determined.

This module will challenge you to think like a reporter, preparing you to produce impactful and authoritative journalism in a complex and ever-changing political landscape.

This module will equip you with the understanding, knowledge, insights and skills required to become a competent multi-platform news producer and reporter.

It will introduce you to the unique demands of producing news content, across digital and broadcast platforms, for a mass and diverse audience.

You will learn to write news at pace in an accurate, economical and engaging manner which holds an audience's  interest. 

The module will help you develop basic technical skills covering recording and editing for radio and multimedia platforms. 

You will develop basic technical skills enabling you to create video for social media and multimedia platforms. 

You will learn how to use newsroom software and learn how writing for the web differs from writing for broadcast.

You will work in simulated newsroom conditions, learning how to produce engaging written, video and audio news content of a professional standard, to a variety of briefs for online, radio, utilising text, video, audio, imagery, as well as interactive tools, under demanding time pressures. 

To further enhance your broadcasting skills, you will receive personal voice training with a professional broadcaster.

This module provides you with the opportunity to continue to develop your abilities in working on  news packages, long form writing, bulletins, court reporting as well as producing TV and radio bulletins and programmes. 

You will also develop and enhance your interactive and multimedia storytelling, which will include creating online social  videos and podcasts.

Newsdays are a substantial element of this module, allowing you to develop, practice and perfect your skills, to ensure you are industry ready.

This module allows you to continue to build your portfolio.

In addition you will receive further personal voice training, working on annunciation, breathing and storytelling.

This module aims to develop students' understanding of legal constraints on journalists working in the UK, including defamation and contempt law. Students will also study how matter can be published in the public interest, and how a journalist can challenge invalid restrictions. There will also be a study of the Editors' Code of Practice and the Ofcom Broadcasting Code.

This module focuses on what specialist sports reporting in a digital age involves and explores the skills necessary for a modern sports journalist across all platforms. The module encompasses a range of sports including football, F1, basketball and cricket, with a focus on how sports news is gathered, delivered and consumed.

Students will learn about how to thoroughly research specialist sports as well as the importance of finding a niche. They will be able to demonstrate background knowledge in their news gathering skills and production of digital content. Students will be introduced to different writing styles and formats including techniques for engaging an online audience today. The module will explore how the sports news agenda is driven by data as well as looking at the wider context of societal and cultural issues within sport and also how sport operates as a business. Reporting on social media and the distribution of content on different platforms will be a pivotal part of learning how to produce sports stories for a specific audience, with an understanding of how social media has transformed how live sports events are covered. The module will also enable students to learn about live sports reporting and the best techniques to deliver content through conventional kit and mobile journalism.

This module will provide students with knowledge and skills necessary to communicate messages through the media. Case studies and practical workshops will allow students to learn about the practice of media communication. They will learn how the media operates and how to communicate messages through interviews, press conferences and news releases. Topics covered in the module will include the development of communication strategies, the understanding of news values and news cycles and strategies for successful and ethical communication.

News reporting relies increasingly on knowing how to understand and analyse data. 'Now that information is abundant, processing is more important.' (Philip Meyer). Data science is the scientific discipline that feeds into this new type of journalism. It provides methods for collecting and systematizing data, which is then analysed using a combination of statistical and machine learning techniques, and finally presented in an appealing and understandable format. This module will equip students with the confidence to appreciate and apply the most widely used statistical techniques, which constitute the very core of data science and, hence, facilitate responsible evidence-based journalism.

In this module students will explore and analyse international critical incidents (for example, in the UK, US, Asia and Africa) and the efforts to ensure high-quality journalism that follow them. Students will engage in the critical analysis of media reform history, theories and perspectives related to critical incidents in journalism. Additionally, students will have an opportunity to develop their own media reform project and/or participate in an existing one.