Within this couWithin this course, we will explore journalism's relationship to contemporary society, its fundamental tenets, and how they have changed in the digital era. We will explore topics such as news values, which have expanded with digitisation, and news cycles, which have been dramatically shortened; the concepts of the Fourth Estate and the public sphere, and what we might mean by a 'digital public sphere'; ownership models, their impact on the content of journalism but also the financial and ethical consequences of the widespread circulation of the news by social media; the representation of race, gender and indigeneity within journalism and whether the digital age has encouraged greater plurality of voices; the relationship between journalism and the public relations industries; the impact of tabloidisation and 'celebrification'; and the rise of fake news and AI-produced news. This course will suit students interested in careers in journalism but also in the field of communications and public relations, as these latter two always interface with journalism. Students who have already completed Comms 201: Journalism Studies (which ceased being offered in 2022) may find there is some overlap but there will also be significant new content.
The course is primarily academic, but there will also be practical instruction around interviewing techniques, writing short news items and 'long-reads'. The assessment is 100% coursework.