Journalists serve the public interest by holding the powerful to account. In this module you’ll explore how that works in practice, learning about how power and government is structured in the UK and how journalists scrutinise it. This includes the use of data and powerful visualisation techniques which are becoming increasingly more important to explain a complex world to our audience. You’ll learn how to use the Freedom of Information Act and how to find stories in open data. You’ll also learn how to package politics engagingly for journalism audiences and why different approaches apply to print and broadcast journalism.
This module will prepare you to take professional exams in politics and data journalism set by the National Council for the Training of Journalists which are externally examined as part of the Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
Workshop 64 hours
Independent Study 86 hours
Assessment Preparation 50 hours
Main Assessment Methods:
Data Journalism project (50%). Details: 1,000 words plus visualisation: An original piece of journalism based on data sourced or generated by you and accompanied by a visualisation of that data made by you.
Politics TV package and two-way (50%). Details: c. 4 mins: Produce a TV package (c.2 mins) and deliver a live or as-live two-way (2 mins) on the political story of your choice.
Reassessment Methods: like for like
On successfully completing the module, students will be able to:
1) Demonstrate a detailed understanding of the structure of British politics, the functions of different political institutions and their role in delivering public services
2) Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the electoral process, comparative electoral systems and the key issues facing electoral participation in a modern democracy
3) Source reliable and accurate data and apply a range of approaches to analyse it to generate news angles appropriate for a given platform and audience
4) Demonstrate a detailed understanding of how different rules on impartiality affect the coverage of politics across different journalism platforms and apply those principles to their own work
5) Demonstrate a critical awareness of current political issues
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