Broadcast News Reporting and Writing

About this course:

This course presents a thorough foundation in broadcast news journalism, from reporting to writing to presentation. Guest speakers from local stations explain the roles and duties of each member of a broadcast newsroom in today's evolving media marketplace. Students critique broadcast news stories, analyze show rundowns, and assess the weight of various news sources. Discussion addresses the mechanics, timing, and flow of regular news shows and longer form shows; how different types of stories fit into the context of a newscast; and broadcast standards and ethics. This practical course also addresses covering an on-the-spot news story with a camera crew, television production, and on-camera techniques. Exercises focus on reporting methods that yield broadcast-suitable stories, the art of fast rewriting of print and wire copy for broadcast, distilling days of reporting into pieces that last just minutes, and developing a clear broadcast writing style that connects the details of a story with the pictures, especially on deadline.