Journalism for Communicators
This fast-paced course is intended to give communication practitioners an introduction to the essentials of journalism.
Course coordinator: Dr Lesley Mofokeng
Email: [email protected]
Course codes: (SLLS4066A / JOMS4025A)
2026 information: First semester (3 February – 19 May), Mondays, 4 – 6pm, 12th Floor Seminar Room
Course Overview
The Journalism for Communicators course offers theoretical and practical learning of the basics of journalism. Communicators also learn some of the best practice principles of liaising with the media as well as crisis communication. Professional journalists can also use the course to improve their skills through learning some of the profession’s classic and contemporary methods.
Projected Outcomes
The course involves tuition and practical work in researching and writing diverse hard news stories. At the end of the course, students should be able to:
• Write a hard news story from any source.
• Demonstrate the ability to brainstorm, cover, research and write diverse types of hard news stories.
• Be able to conduct interviews and write hard news stories.
• Demonstrate the ability to write a story using the correct structure, stylebook and other key journalism principles.
• Analyse and critique published news stories.
Course Content
• Newsworthiness
• Elements of journalism
• Digital journalism practice
• News gathering techniques
• Sources and attribution
• Interviewing techniques
• Hard news writing techniques
• Structure of a news story
• Newsroom management
• Editing
• Basics of media law and ethics
• Communication and crisis communication