Student Journalism and News Literacy Programme 2020-2021 Press
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STUDENT JOURNALISM AND NEWS LITERACY PROGRAMME 2020-2021 PRESS PASSelcome to Press Pass 2020 - the eighth year of the NewsBrands Ireland Newspapers in Education (NiE) Winitiative. How does Press Pass work? Press Pass is a complete student journalism and news literacy programme. This workbook is used in conjunction with digital copies of newspapers which are available on www.presspass.ie. By reading the newspapers and using this workbook, students will gain an understanding of how news is produced, how to write like a journalist, and discover the important role newspapers play in our society and the necessity for a free press in a healthy democracy. Teacher’s Lesson Plan A Teacher’s Lesson Plan to accompany this workbook can be downloaded from www.presspass.ie. Designed to equip teachers with practical guidelines and tips for teaching the Press Pass module, the Lesson Plan has options to run the course as a 6 week or 12 week module – entirely dependent on your class group’s interest and ability. What is the aim of Press Pass? The main aim is to encourage students to read and write more. Using newspapers as part of the daily curriculum, teachers and students will get a better understanding of news and current affairs and be exposed to a range of views and analysis - sometimes radical, sometimes infuriating, but always engaging and entertaining - to help them form opinions of their own. What is the Press Pass workbook for? This workbook is to be used in class in conjunction with the newspapers and lesson plan. It looks in detail at the main writing styles and range of skills that make up your daily newspaper: - What is news and how to write a news story - The difference between news and features - The skills required to write commentary - What makes a good photograph - The secrets behind good sports journalism. It also gives some practical hints and tips to students who plan to enter our search for the Student Journalist of the Year. What about the competition? We are always on the lookout for new talent and the next generation of budding writers and journalists. Students can enter the competition in any one of six categories – School Newspaper, News Writing, Opinion, Sport, Features, and Photojournalism categories. Details of how to enter, the rules, guidelines, tips and instructions are explained in the different sections throughout this guidebook. If you’re looking for some inspiration, check out the winning entries in this year’s NewsBrands Ireland Journalism Awards – journalismawards.ie How to enter The closing date for entries is February 5th 2021. There is a maximum of five entries per school for each category. Schools must submit all entries using the entry system in the competition section of the Press Pass website. Our panel of judges will choose the winning entry from each of the six categories, plus two runners-up from each section. An overall winner will also be selected by the judges and all winners will be announced in March 2021. The winners Our panel of judges will choose the winning entry from each of the five categories, plus two runners-up from each section. An overall winner will also be selected by the judges and all winners will be announced at a national awards ceremony in March 2021. 2 Good luck – and enjoy the process! NewsBrands Ireland Contents Why journalism matters and media ethics Pages 4-5 What is news and how to write it Pages 6-7 News tutorial Pages 8-9 Writing styles Pages 10-11 How to conduct an interview Pages 12-13 Digital Journalism and Social Media Pages 14-15 Features Pages 16-19 Comment Pages 20-23 Sport Pages 24-27 Photojournalism Pages 28-31 Navigating the News Pages 32-34 The competition Pages 35-36 School newspaper competition Page 37-38 With contributions on p4&5 from Professor Michael Foley, Chairman of the Press Pass Judging Panel and page 10&11 from Tim Vaughan, former Irish Examiner Editor. Photographs courtesy of Press 3 Photographers Association of Ireland. Prof. Michael Foley Injecting disinfectant will give immunity to the public, have the necessary information to more people before publishing? Have I got Covid-19; Covid-19 is caused by proximity participate in debates that impact on our lives this right? Is this exactly what the captain to G5 phone networks; Covid-19 is a plot and have the information that makes us safe. said about the opposing team? Is this what devised by Bill Gates who wants to vaccinate the witness said in the court case? Is it right the whole world; that the virus escaped from If we are to keep safe, journalism must that this should be published, or am I being a Chinese laboratory; that Covid-19 was continue to shines a light on those in power, sensationalist? Should this picture of this created as a biological weapon, by the USA whether in politics or other areas of public child be published? if you are Chinese or China, if American, or life, such as the health system. To do that, Covid-19 does not actually exist and is part it must be trustworthy, it must be honest, To guide the journalist, codes of conduct of a plot by a global elite who wants to take and as far as possible accurate. It must also have been developed. The National Union away our freedoms. The above are just a small be willing to admit mistakes if it gets things of Journalists, to which most Irish journalists example of the misinformation that has been wrong, in other words, journalism must be belong, has one of the world’s oldest, travelling via the internet and social media ethical. formulated in 1936. But all those involved across the world, mutating as it goes, just in newspaper publishing, both national and like a virus. So alarmed is the World Health Professional journalists should adhere to a local, as well as magazines, have agree to Organisation it actually has a word for the code of ethics, and do their best to keep their abide by the code of the Press Council of phenomena: an ‘infodemic’. promise to be trustful and accurate when Ireland, and accept its rulings if they stray reporting the news. They do this because outside the code. As this fl ood of misinformation spreads, news is important and readers, viewers and leaving confusion, panic and anxiety in its listeners needs to know that what they are With your teachers you can examine the wake, it’s important that we have the know- reading, listening to or watching is truthful diff erent codes, those voluntary codes how to distinguish the real from the fake. and accurate. It is important for all of us relating to the printed press and its online to know there are sources of information equivalents, or the legal codes that govern During the months of the pandemic that are in the public interest and not broadcasting. You might discuss why codes journalists here and abroad have been necessarily in the interest of vested interests. are necessary and if they do any good. You working hard to bring verifi ed and well This is important so true in normal times might consider what is the public interest sourced information and news so as to but becomes crucial during a worldwide and how that relates to you, or you might counter the conspiracy theories that have pandemic. look at other codes from around the world. shadowed the spread of the virus. The reason, You might explore whether there are limits. of course, is because at its best journalism Journalist in their daily lives grabble with Should all sources be protected, for instance? works in the public interest, making sure we, many ethical issues. Do I need to talk to Your class might formulate a new code… 4 “Injecting disinfectant wi give iunity to Covid-19; Covid-19 is caused by proximity to G5 phone networks; Covid-19 is a plot devised by Bi Gates who wants to va inate the whole world...” A guarantee to adhere to a code of conduct Covering a pandemic has not been speak out and report about Covid-19, is what marks out the difference between a necessarily easy for journalists. In many even when that coverage is critical of the real journalist and those who might be doing countries those in authority have used government, and that has not been the case something that looks likes journalism. Real the pandemic as an excuse to cut down everywhere. journalism should come with a guarantee on press freedom and harass journalists. to operate in your interest. That is why It is important that journalists as well as - Michael Foley, Professor Emeritus, School journalism matters. healthcare professionals and experts can of Media, TU Dublin 5 News “What you s is news, NEWS what you know is background, what you f l is opinion” - Lester Markel, American journalist, 1894-1977 What is the job of a journalist? Do Do: Make your story interesting and Don’t Even in the age of 24-hour news cycles, digital relevant. platforms and social media, the key function Don’t: Start your news articles with a of a journalist remains the same - gather the question. Stick to the basic introduction information and present it fairly and accurately. formula and you can’t go wrong. Do: Always check your facts. Credibility is The key for any journalist is to give an accurate the most valuable asset to a reporter. and balanced report of whatever they are Don’t: Editorialise - news stories are fact not working on and whatever platform they are opinion.