Journalism Studies BA

News Skills

You will learn about the process of news production including how to write and structure a news story to an industry standard. You will learn how to interview people and ask the right questions at the right time. You will learn where to find news stories. You will learn about journalism in terms of its context in society on both a national and international scale. You will use technology to produce digital journalism to a professional standard. You will learn to be an ethical journalist and how to use journalism to improve society around you. 

Aims

1 Learn the basics of how to produce a news story2 Learn about the process of news production from story planning to the written word3 Gain classroom experience of where journalists source their information 4 Create journalism on a range of digital platforms

20 credits

Researching Journalism

Journalism plays a key role in shaping public understanding, informing decision-making, and holding institutions accountable. This module explores the development of journalism, its role in society, and the impact of new technologies on news production and consumption.

Through interactive lectures, seminars, and discussions, you will engage with key theories and contemporary debates that define modern journalism. You will examine the political, cultural, and economic factors that influence the news and consider the challenges facing journalists today. The module will also help you develop academic research skills and a critical understanding of journalism's place in a changing media landscape.

By exploring both theoretical perspectives and real-world case studies, this module encourages you to think critically about journalism's influence and responsibilities. It will provide a strong foundation for further study while helping you develop a well-rounded perspective on the evolving role of the media in society.

20 credits

The Professional Journalist

This module prepares you for the ethical, professional conduct of reporting, and to develop a trauma-informed approach when approaching others, as well as safe-guarding your own mental health in the face of distressing content and potential cyber attacks.The aims are: 1. To ensure a full and comprehensive understanding and application of the professional  codes of legal and ethical practice  in real world settings 2. To build confidence in approaching real world sources, including people in shock or grief, authority and the general public3. To understand a trauma-informed approach and be able to demonstrate this in a professional environment

20 credits

Live News Production

In this module you will take control of what stories you are covering. You will learn to publish real-world stories for an outward-facing audience. You will learn more advanced reporting techniques that allow you to produce more in-depth reports. You will gain newsroom experience within a classroom environment. You will be given the opportunity to make your own editorial decisions and to work to a professional level. 

Aims

1 Learn more advanced journalism skills within a classroom environment 2 Gain experience of publishing journalism to an outward-facing audience. 3 Gain experience working on 'real world' stories. 4 Apply skills and appropriate technologies to your journalism.

20 credits

Media, Race and Racism

Race equality and equity are essential requirements in every work environment in contemporary democratic societies. Knowledge of what constitutes race and racism in journalism is an important tool in the kit of everyone interested in the industry. This module equips you with knowledge of definitions, key issues, theories, and perceptions on race and racism in the media. Using creative approaches to learning such as debates, role play, reflection, and interactive sessions, this module explores subjects like 'What really is racism?'; 'Types of racism'; 'Racial equality and equity'; and 'Freedom of speech versus racism', amongst others. You will be introduced to debates relating to overt and inferential racism, critical race theory, race equality in journalism education, and racism in news content, amongst others. Knowledge gathered from the Media, Race and Racism is integral to the successful operation and management of any journalism related institution.

The module aims to:

1. Encourage you to eschew racist behaviour in journalism studies and practice.2. Develop an understanding of what constitutes racism in journalism and related institutions.3. Introduce you to the key issues in the debate about racism and journalism.4. Challenge you to come up with original ideas on how to use the media to combat racism in democratic societies.

20 credits

Press, Politics and Democracy

This module aims to help you understand how the levers of power operate in regional and national politics and how you can use this information and understanding to hold those in power to account on behalf of readers, viewers and listeners through your news reporting.

20 credits

Core modules:

Broadcast Production Skills

In this module you will gain the practical skills needed to produce and present compelling and accurate radio and television news bulletins. You will learn the fundamentals of broadcast journalism including newsgathering, scriptwriting, audio and video production, and on-air presentation. 

This module will help you build on the news values you learned in your first year, and show you how to apply those skills in a broadcast environment. You'll get experience of producing and editing bulletins, and deciding which story goes where, putting your audience at the heart of your decision-making. You will also learn how to re-version your broadcast content for digital platforms so your stories can reach new and broader audiences. 

The module will include a mixture of training workshops and newsdays so you can apply your knowledge in a live environment, giving you experience of creating bulletins for TV and radio in real time responding to real-world stories. 

You will have opportunities to produce and present bulletins, and learn how to operate the studios and gallery.

20 credits

Freedom of Expression and Media Freedom in a Digital Era

This module critically explores the historical and contemporary status of freedom of expression and media freedom and the constraints on this liberty in the digital era. The main themes and debates are delivered via interactive lectures and should be supplemented by self-study. The interactive lectures also provide a space in which the themes and issues related to freedom of expression and media freedom can be discussed and debated. The module covers topics as varied as the philosophies of freedom of expression; the legal framework for the protection of freedom of expression and media freedom in Europe and the US; cancel culture and freedom of expression; disinformation and freedom of expression; debates about harm and offence; models of media regulation; online platforms and content moderation in the context of current technological development. In taking this module, you should be interested in examining these debates as they apply to the contemporary digital media ecosystem.

20 credits

Media Law for Journalists

This module provides for those wishing to be journalists, or studying journalism, essential knowledge of media law applying in England and Wales, and of regulatory codes which UK journalists should comply with. This law includes that of defamation, privacy and contempt of court, and other law governing court reporting. The codes seek to uphold journalistic standards generally, including protection of people's privacy and of the identities of sources promised confidentiality. The module also demonstrates that UK journalists can assert `human rights' which in law and the codes uphold freedom of expression, including publication of material `in the public interest'.

20 credits

Features and In-depth Storytelling

Welcome to the Features and In-Depth Storytelling Module. In this module you will build on the journalism skills you developed so far and learn a range of features styles that will allow you to tell longer, more complex stories. 

Through a series of lectures and practical workshops, you will learn:The power of the ideas pitchA range of different writing techniques and features stylesAdvance interviewing skillsThe importance of research, sourcing and attribution How to write for a specific publication and to target your reader/audienceHow to use a variety of different media to create a more immersive storyHow to re-version your work for social platforms

This will enable you to create more sophisticated and complex multimedia packages where words, images, video and other multimedia work together to tell a complete story.

20 credits

Optional modules (choose one):

Introduction to PR for Journalists

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, news releases and social media. 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.

20 credits

Reporting Justice

This module introduces journalism students to the skills required to write news reports from Crown, magistrates' and coroners' courts cases. Student will visit these courts to makes notes on real cases for these reports. Feedback is given to each student on their draft and finalised reports, and on their notes. Their accuracy in note-taking and speed in writing such a news report is assessed in a formal examination in which they write up a news report of a hypothetical 'prosecution opening' of a trial.

20 credits

Optional modules (choose one):

Journalism in History

This module aims to set the processes and outputs of UK journalism in their historical context. You will develop an understanding of how journalism developed as a commercial activity and a recognisable profession in the nineteenth century, and how these beginnings influenced the shape of journalism throughout the twentieth century, with the growth of the tabloid press, the battles of the press barons, the rise and fall of the print unions, coverage of scandals, and the growth of consumer and lifestyle journalism. You will discuss and debate key issues such as the emergence of a free press, campaigning and investigative journalism, the development of an alternative media and representation of diversity within the press.

20 credits

Sports Journalism

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.

20 credits

Reporting the World

This module aims to give level two BA Journalism students an international perspective on contemporary journalism, and develop the skills and awareness to effectively and ethically produce journalism on global issues from a newsroom.

 

It will explore how news flows around the world, what news audiences want from international news stories, and the technical skills to cover international stories remotely. 

Students will develop an understanding of the role of international institutions and organisations, and the challenges facing journalists around the world, including how to reflect diverse perspectives and cultures in their reporting. They will explore several topics within global journalism, including economic reporting, climate and sustainability, poverty and injustice, and peace and conflict. 

There is a strong focus on journalistic ethics and accountability throughout, including issues of decolonisation, inclusion and cross-cultural communication within the industry and within their journalism. Students will understand and apply principles of solutions-focused and constructive journalism, and will be encouraged to develop their own reporting philosophy. 

Students will have the opportunity to develop their practical journalism skills including learning how to conduct effective interviews online, digital investigation techniques, hostile interviewing and intercultural communication.

20 credits

Core modules:

Creating Editorial Brands 1: Market, Audiences and Content

This module will combine advanced features writing with the market research and business planning needed to create a new magazine-style  journalism brand. 

Magazines are not just the print issues you see in supermarkets or in airport newsagents, they are multi-platform brands that combine a laser-focussed editorial strategy with a laser-focussed audience strategy. They provide specialist content for a targeted readership in whatever format the readers will consume it. There is no one way to plan a brand. It can combine a website, podcasts, social media, video, and yes,  even print, and as long as your market research supports it, you have the freedom to choose what's right for your idea. 

Starting with a pitch, ideas will be developed into focused and streamlined until there is a clear editorial and audience focus for a new, multimedia brand. You will produce credible business proposals supported by audience research, competitive set analysis and reader profiles. Content created will not only demonstrate  more advanced interviewing skills but will also be rooted in the needs of your audience demographic. 

This module blends editorial and creative judgement alongside commercial enterprise and the realities of producing journalism for a fickle reader with a lot of other journalism platforms to choose from. You will consider how to monetise your brand, showing an awareness of the needs of advertising, sponsored partnerships and brand extensions.

You will also consider your brand personality, and how it flexes across your content, design and tone. You will flex your professional skills between working on your own initiative on individual features, and develop professional skills working as a team on your business proposal, learning how to collaborate, negotiate and deal with different personalities and ability sets. 

Magazines are not just the print issues you see in supermarkets or in airport newsagents, they are multi-platform brands that combine a laser-focussed editorial strategy with a laser-focussed audience strategy. They provide specialist content for a targeted readership in whatever format the readers will consume it. There is no one way to plan a brand. It can combine a website, podcasts, social media, video, and yes, even print, and as long as your market research supports it, you have the freedom to choose what's right for your idea.

20 credits

Creating Editorial Brands 2: Strategy and production

This module continues to build on the skills and knowledge that you have developed to build a brand. It puts ideas into production, creating a multi-platform journalism brand across websites, podcasts, social media, video and any other medium to reach a reader. 

It will combine project management, content strategy, journalism and design and will call upon both your creativity and organisation skills. 

This project is the culmination of all of the journalism skills that you have accumulated throughout your degree, calling upon their writing, interviewing, video, audio and social media skills to create a brand packed with creative and innovative ideas. You will moodboard, stylebook and design a consistent visual identity for your brand which spans your platforms. You will also utilise the latest traffic and engagement strategies to grow your reach and will monitor and react to your analytics. 

However, building a brand cannot be produced by editorial and digital skills alone. This is a big project. Within groups, roles will be assigned, workflow organised, reasonable deadlines set and collaboration for you to achieve your best work. You will work as a team to ensure the brand you create is perfect for both your brand and reader.

20 credits

Optional modules (choose two):

- Advanced News Journalism

Advanced Broadcast Journalism

In this module you will be introduced to journalistically and technically complex formats common in contemporary broadcast production. You will learn how to turn audio and video into compelling stories for linear and digital platforms, giving you the building blocks to create magazine programmes, documentaries and narrative podcasts. 

You will be expected to work confidently in both audio and video formats. You will develop your creative use of both media by building on the skills learned at FHEQ level 5 to create longer magazine-style audio and video programmes. You will also learn the importance of engagement, and branding, pitching and shaping programmes for audiences. 

You will also get professional voice training to support your delivery and confidence in live and pre-recorded broadcast scenarios.

20 credits

Journalism in Film and Fiction

The ways in which journalists are portrayed in popular culture can help moderate public feeling about both news gathering and news gatherers. Positive or negative representations of the ways in which news is brought to audiences are central to how (or whether) journalism functions within a democracy.

This module offers students an engaging and insightful exploration of how the worlds of journalism and storytelling intersect in the realms of cinema, TV and literature. The interdisciplinary course delves into the portrayal of fictional journalists and considers the ways in which these portrayals may help build public narratives around issues such as trust.

Through analysis of representations of the media, the module identifies common tropes, stereotypes and the influence of contemporary popular culture to depict journalists and their roles within a social context.

The module provides students with a unique opportunity to explore the dynamic interplay between the reality of being a journalist and fictionalised accounts by helping to enhance critical thinking and media literacy skills while gaining a deeper understanding of the impact of journalism on society and the ways in which these representations help shape our understanding of the world around us.

20 credits

Radio and Development

Radio plays a crucial role in development. It is the main source of information in many countries in the Global South and obtaining factual, independent and timely information allows listeners to make informed decisions, promoting empowerment and democracy. This module focuses on, and engages with, the role of radio in development. It examines theoretical discussions and also practical applications used, and sometimes misused, by radio and development agencies internationally, during conflicts and pandemics and the challenges they encounter culturally, politically, economically, legally and institutionally. It brings together practical skills (radio production) and theoretical understandings.

20 credits

Journalism and Digital Activism for Social Justice

This module explores the representation of social inequities in the media and how journalism and digital activism can advance or hinder social justice. Drawing on academic scholarship about social justice as well as research that engages with gender, race, colonialism, class, disability, LGBTQ+ identity, faith, and sustainability, you will critically analyse how news media and social media can both perpetuate social inequities as well as raise awareness of these inequities, mobilise minority groups, and effect social change. The module places a strong emphasis on intersectionality in order to highlight how a multitude of factors can contribute to social inequities. The module takes a case study approach including news stories and examples from the Global North and Global South. Questions to explore include, 'How can journalism and digital activism amplify the voices of minority groups and challenge dominant narratives?', 'How does the legacy of colonialism influence how media in the Global North represent inequalities and identities in the Global South?' and 'In what ways can journalism reinforce systems of oppression and inequities that exclude, silence, and misrepresent marginalised groups?'. During this module you will not only develop the critical skills necessary to identify discourses that sustain or challenge social inequities, but have the opportunity to create a research-informed advocacy video. This video, which provides an excellent opportunity to develop your journalism and communication skills, will explore an important social justice issue of your choice and include recommendations as to how journalists can effectively cover these issues.

20 credits

One from:

- Final Project

OR

Dissertation

This module provides you with the opportunity to undertake an independent, in-depth investigation into a topic of your choice. It is the culmination of academic development throughout the programme and allows you to apply research skills, critical thinking, and subject-specific knowledge to a substantial piece of original work.

You will formulate a research question or problem, conduct a comprehensive literature review, select and apply appropriate methodologies, gather and analyse data (where applicable), and present your findings in a structured, coherent dissertation.

Support is provided through workshops and lectures on research methods, and regular supervision sessions. The module emphasizes autonomy, intellectual rigour, and academic integrity.

40 credits