The Emerging Journalist
UndergraduateLTU-JRN1TEJ2025
Course information for 2025 intake View information for 2024 course intake
Enrol today with instant approval and no entry requirements
- Study method
- 100% online
- Assessments
- 100% online
- Enrol by
- 20 July 2025
- Entry requirements
- No ATAR needed, No prior study
- Duration
- 12 weeks
- Price from
- $2,124
- Upfront cost
- $0
- Loan available
- HECS-HELP and FEE-HELP available
The Emerging Journalist
About this subject
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Identify and write newsworthy stories for print/online publication, using relevant journalistic forms, including the inverted pyramid
- Verbally present research on a newsworthy topic and explain their ideas and questions to groups of other students and staff
- Utilise archival material, and undertake effective online database and search engine searches to develop and write articles
- Identify, analyse and evaluate sources, arguments and evidence in a range of platforms, and reflect critically on their use in their own journalism work.
- Demonstrate awareness of journalistic best practice as it relates to ethical behaviour, media law and relevant codes of conduct.
- Demonstrate an understanding of how factors such as power, politics and ethics shape media industries
- News Writing
- Feature Writing
- News Values
- Editing and Style
- Press Freedom
- Media Ownership
- Media Ethics
The Emerging Journalist introduces you to the shifting roles and responsibilities of journalists and journalism within liberal democratic societies. You will appreciate the contemporary media landscape and the role of journalists and media organisations in relation to social, economic, political and cultural power structures. Topics and issues covered include best practices in news and feature writing, media ethics, and working with sources. Assessment tasks are designed to give you an opportunity to start building a portfolio of journalistic work. This is a level 1 subject.
- A series of reflective writing tasks tasks responding to Journalism in Context content (1200 words). Due weeks 2 and 4. Feedback for Week 2 part returned by census date. (30%)
- Folio of news articles equivalent to 1000 words (30%)
- Feature article, including verbal pitch and reflection (equivalent 1600 words) (40%)
For textbook details check your university's handbook, website or learning management system (LMS).
The third university established in Victoria, La Trobe University has a diverse community of more than 38,000 students and staff. Its commitment to excellence in teaching and research prepares students to make a bold and positive impact in today's global community. La Trobe provides Open Universities Australia with its core tenets, entrepreneurship and sustainability.
Learn more about La Trobe University.
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- QS Ranking 2024:
- 17
- Times Higher Education Ranking 2024:
- 18
Entry requirements
No entry requirements
Study load
- 0.125 EFTSL
- This is in the range of 10 to 12 hours of study each week.
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