University of Essex

LT312-6-FY-CO:
Advanced Practical Journalism

The details

Year: 2025/26

Department: Literature, Film, and Theatre Studies

Campus: Colchester Campus

Term: Full Year

Level: Undergraduate: Level 6

Status: Current

Start date: Thursday 02 October 2025

End date: Friday 26 June 2026

Credits: 30

Last updated: 21 August 2024

Requisites for this module

Pre-requisites: (none)

Co-requisites: (none)

Pre and / or co-requisites: (none)

Prohibited modules: (none)

Key module (requisite for): (none)

Key module for

BA P500 Multimedia Journalism,
BA P501 Multimedia Journalism (Including Year Abroad),
BA P503 Multimedia Journalism (Including Placement Year),
BA P590 Journalism and Modern Languages,
BA P550 Journalism and Criminology,
BA P551 Journalism and Criminology (Including Placement Year),
BA P552 Journalism and Criminology (Including Year Abroad),
BA P540 Journalism and Sociology,
BA P541 Journalism and Sociology (Including Placement Year),
BA P542 Journalism and Sociology (Including Year Abroad),
BA P510 Journalism and English Language,
BA P511 Journalism and English Language (Including Placement Year),
BA P512 Journalism and English Language (Including Year Abroad),
BA P530 Journalism and Literature,
BA P531 Journalism and Literature (Including Placement Year),
BA P532 Journalism and Literature (Including Year Abroad),
BA P570 Journalism with Human Rights,
BA P571 Journalism with Human Rights (Including Year Abroad),
BA P572 Journalism with Human Rights (Including Placement Year),
BA P580 Journalism and Politics,
BA P581 Journalism and Politics (Including Placement Year),
BA P582 Journalism and Politics (Including Year Abroad),
BA P565 Film and Journalism,
BA P566 Film and Journalism (Including Foundation Year),
BA P567 Film and Journalism (including Placement Year),
BA P568 Film and Journalism(including Year Abroad),
BA P595 Journalism and Language Studies

Module description

This module builds on everything you have learned so far about writing, reporting and production - with a particular emphasis on the broadcast media of radio and television. You will already have had the opportunity to gain extensive experience of newspaper and online reporting, and this module will continue to develop them as you bring your broadcast skills up to the same high standard of knowledge and expertise.

Module aims

The aim of the module is:

To develop and expand your knowledge and skills so that you are equipped to work in any area of today’s multimedia newsroom, as a fully-fledged multimedia journalist with the full range of inter-related and intersecting skills and abilities.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of this module, students will be expected to be able to:

Be capable of operating as a multimedia journalist with a high degree of competence, both in terms of the technical and editorial requirements of the media.

Have developed your understanding of audience behaviour, and what that means for the way news is selected, produced and presented.

Have a broad overview of the way radio and television studios work, and a grasp of the specialist language and terminology of broadcast news.

Module information

General Reading:

McNae's Essential Law for Journalists, Mike Dodd and Mark Hanna, OUP, 22nd edition, 2014, chapter 3

Learning and teaching methods

This module will be delivered via:

Practical workshop sessions in the journalism newsrooms and studios.

Teaching continues throughout the academic year.

Bibliography

Baker, J. (2021b) Essential Journalism: The NCTJ Guide for Trainee Journalists. Abingdon, UK: Routledge. Available at: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&scope=site&db=nlebk&db=nlabk&AN=2915577.
Randall, D. (2016) The Universal Journalist. 5th edn. London, UK: Pluto Press. Available at: https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt1bh4b0w.
Hill, S. (2014) Online Journalism: the essential guide. London: Sage Publications. Available at: https://app.kortext.com/Shibboleth.sso/Login?entityID=https://idp0.essex.ac.uk/shibboleth&target=https://app.kortext.com/borrow/334254.
Harcup, T. (2021) Journalism. 4th Revised edition. London: SAGE Publications Ltd. Available at: https://app.kortext.com/Shibboleth.sso/Login?entityID=https://idp0.essex.ac.uk/shibboleth&target=https://app.kortext.com/borrow/1035833.
Janet Jones and Lee Salter (2012) Digital journalism. Los Angeles: SAGE. Available at: https://sk.sagepub.com/books/digital-journalism.
Briggs, M. (2019b) Journalism next: a practical guide to digital reporting and publishing. Fourth edition. Los Angeles: SAGE/CQ Press. Available at: https://app.kortext.com/Shibboleth.sso/Login?entityID=https://idp0.essex.ac.uk/shibboleth&target=https://app.kortext.com/borrow/707692.
Wynford Hicks (2013) English for journalists. Twentieth Anniversary edition. Abingdon: Routledge. Available at: http://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/9780203750933.
Evans, H., Gillan, C. and Evans, H. (2000) Essential English: for journalists, editors and writers. Rev. ed. London: Pimlico. Available at: https://app.kortext.com/Shibboleth.sso/Login?entityID=https://idp0.essex.ac.uk/shibboleth&target=https://app.kortext.com/borrow/395083.
Wynford Hicks et al. (2016) Writing for journalists. Third edition. Abingdon: Routledge. Available at: http://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/9781315679440.
McKane, A. (2014b) News Writing. 2nd edn. London, UK: SAGE Publications. Available at: https://app.kortext.com/Shibboleth.sso/Login?entityID=https://idp0.essex.ac.uk/shibboleth&target=https://app.kortext.com/borrow/627452.
Holmes, T. (2015) Subediting and Production for Journalists: Print, Digital, Social. 2nd edn. Abingdon, UK: Routledge. Available at: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203143544.
Baker, J. (2021a) Essential Journalism. London: Taylor & Francis Ltd.
Emma Lee-Potter (2017) Interviewing for journalists. Third edition. New York, NY: Routledge. Available at: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&scope=site&db=nlebk&db=nlabk&AN=1526989.

The above list is indicative of the essential reading for the course.
The library makes provision for all reading list items, with digital provision where possible, and these resources are shared between students.
Further reading can be obtained from this module's reading list.

Assessment items, weightings and deadlines

Coursework / exam	Description	Deadline	Coursework weighting

Additional coursework information

The specific requirements of each piece of coursework will be provided by the module supervisor to ensure they continue to align with NCTJ and industry best practice.

Assessment will be on the basis of a multimedia portfolio of work.

This module will also prepare you for the NCTJ Broadcast Journalism specialism which requires you to submit two pieces of coursework (one radio, one tv), take two practical, timed tests, and sit a one-hour broadcast regulation exam.

Exam format definitions

Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary, for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.

Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.

Overall assessment

Coursework	Exam
100%	0%

Reassessment

Coursework	Exam
100%	0%

Module supervisor and teaching staff

Supervisor: Mr Jon Wright, email: jw21223@essex.ac.uk.

Teaching staff: Tim Fenton, Jon Wright

Contact details: LiFTS General Office - email liftstt@essex.ac.uk. Telephone 01206 872626

Availability

Available to incoming Essex Abroad / Exchange students: No

Available to Outside Option: No

Available to Audit: No

External examiner

No external examiner information available for this module.

Resources

Teaching materials: Available via Moodle

Lecture recording: Of 165 hours, 0 (0%) hours available to students:
165 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
0 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s).

Further information

Department website: Literature, Film, and Theatre Studies

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Module Directory

LT312-6-FY-CO:Advanced Practical Journalism