Lesson 2 Overview

 

Introduction

Previously, we pointed out that journalism differs from other types of writing because of its mission to serve the public interest by providing people with the information they need to make decisions about important issues.

We also noted that news stories are fact-based accounts driven by solid reporting and not simply the writer’s opinion about something she or he finds interesting.

We stress the idea of informational value. By selecting the most important facts and writing efficiently, our stories meet the needs of people who live busy lives. We also noted the ways that news stories differ from other types of writing you’ve done previously.

Before you dive into writing the news yourself, it’s important to understand what is newsworthy. This is an ever-changing definition, and one of those questions with no easy answers in today’s media environment.

However, there are a few guiding principles that help reporters and editors—and marketing and public relations professionals—determine what information the public needs to know. We’ll review those principles this week, and you’ll have the opportunity to try them out for yourself.

Objectives

Here are the objectives for this lesson:

• Identify the elements that make a story newsworthy.
• Recall the questions that reporters ask in approaching a news story.
• Understand the importance of attribution and credibility when using sources for a story.
• Recognize the importance of being ethical in reporting and writing news stories.

Lesson Readings and Activities

By the end of this lesson, please complete the readings and activities listed in the Lesson 2 Course Schedule.