PRINT NEWS WRITING
DIPLOMA 1
LECTURE 1

Introduction to
Journalism

LECTURE OUTLINE
What is journalism?
1
Introduction to news/ reporting
2
Introduction to Newsroom
Organogram
3
Skills of a good journalist
4
Conclusion
5

WHAT IS JOURNALISM
• Journalism is the activity of gathering, assessing, creating, and
presenting news and information. It is also the product of these
activities (American Press Institute, 2018).
• The profession of journalism is a highly responsible one calling for
outstanding qualities of mind and character and one which places
demands on those practices.
• Journalism is defined by Denis McQuail as paid writing for public
media with reference to actual and ongoing events of public
relevance.

What makes journalism different from other forms of
communication?
Journalism is a form of communication, but it's distinct from other forms.
It is unique because it's a one-way message, or story, from the journalist
to the audience.
It's most unique because the message isn't the journalist's personal story
or subjective thoughts. Instead, the journalist acts as a conduit, narrating
an objective story about something that happened or is happening, base
d on his or her observations and discoveries. This type of storytelling
comes in many different forms, including:
• Breaking news
• Feature stories
• Investigative reports
• Editorials
• Reviews
• Blogs

Journalism comes in several different forms:
I. NEWS
• A. Breaking news: Telling about an event as
it happens.
• B. Feature stories: A detailed look at
something interesting that's not breaking news
• C. Enterprise or Investigative stories:
Stories that uncover information that few
people knew.
II. OPINION
• A. Editorials: Unsigned articles that express a
publication's opinion.
• B. Columns: Signed articles that express the
writer's reporting and his conclusions.
• C. Reviews: Such as concert, restaurant or
movie reviews.
III. ONLINE, journalism can
come in the forms listed
above, as well as:
· Blogs: Online diaries kept
by individuals or small
groups.
· Discussion boards:
Online question and answer
pages where anyone can
participate.
· Wikis: Articles that any
reader can add to or change.

PRINT MEDIA JOURNALISM
• Print media is one of the oldest and basic forms of mass
communication. It includes newspapers, magazines, and other forms
of printed material.
• A basic understanding of the print media is essential in the study of
mass communication. Even after the advent of electronic media, the
print media has not lost its charm or relevance. Print media has the
advantage of making a longer impact on the minds of the reader, with
more in-depth reporting and analysis.
• Professionals of this stream are – staff correspondents, special
correspondents, news editors, chief-editors, political commentators,
cartoonists, columnists, feature writers, content writers, etc.

REPORTING
How do you get the facts for your news story? By reporting!
There are three main ways to gather information for a news
story or opinion piece:
1. Interviews: Talking with people who know
something about the story you are reporting.
2. Observation: Watching and listening where news
is taking place.
3. Documents: Reading stories, reports, public
records and other printed material.

Journalism skills
• An ability to ask questions and understand answers in
national and local languages.
• Observation skills
• The ability to quickly and efficiently gather, understand
and select information related to a story through
interviewing, from published and internet sources and
using investigation techniques.
• The ability to take accurate notes.
• Techniques for checking and corroborating information
• Arithmetical skills and a basic knowledge of statistics
and survey method

Journalism skills
• An ability to write accurately, clearly, correctly, concisely, and
engagingly in journalism story forms.
• Broadcast journalist know how to write for the voice and sound
to pictures
• Recognizing and writing a lead paragraph or introduction that
is central to the story and engages the reader/listener/viewer.
• Writing skills
• Skilled use in the tools of journalism in editing, designing, and
production material, for print, broadcast and online media.

Journalism skills
• Familiarity with present and past examples of best practice in
journalism in one’s own country and the world.
• An understanding of journalism ethics, including the rights and
responsibilities of the journalist
• Workplace competencies
• Journalism and society.

What makes a good journalist?
Discussions
• Why study journalism?
• Did you get any interest in the profession?
• What role do you see for yourself as a journalist?
• The performance of the media in Ghana.
• Role of the media in a democracy.
• Trained, committed journalist serve as a bridge between government and
the people.
• Read a newspaper and make a list of stories; In your opinion, is the story
fair and balanced report? Listen to Tv and radio news broadcast. Write dow
n the top stories of the day.

Thank you