Writing the News

Undergraduate | 2026

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area/catalogue icon
Area/Catalogue
MDIA 2036
Course ID icon
Course ID
207682
Level of study
Level of study
Undergraduate
Unit value icon
Unit value
6
Course level icon
Course level
2
Study abroad and student exchange icon
Inbound study abroad and exchange
Inbound study abroad and exchange
The fee you pay will depend on the number and type of courses you study.
Yes
University-wide elective icon
University-wide elective course
Yes
Single course enrollment
Single course enrolment
Yes
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Note:
Course data is interim and subject to change

Course overview

This course introduces students to the fundamentals of writing for a range of news media platforms. News language, news story structure and news values are key elements of writing for news media, and the course focuses on practical application of these principles across online, print, audio, video and social media platforms. The course incorporates exploration of both 'hard' and 'soft' news, and introduces students to a range of news forms.

Course learning outcomes

  • Understand and be able to apply principles of news language and news story structure
  • Understand and be able to apply news values and concepts of newsworthiness
  • Understand principles of news story structure and writing across print, audio, video and online platforms
  • Apply principles of news story structure and writing to writing for print, audio, video and online platforms
  • Be aware of some common sources of news and how information from these can be incorporated in news writing
  • Understand key differences between hard and soft news and be able to apply this in writing news stories
  • Understand influences on news writing such as audience

Prerequisite(s)

N/A

Corequisite(s)

N/A

Antirequisite(s)

N/A