Outline

Overview

This unit will give students foundational skills in information gathering and writing for media, with a focus on news and journalistic styles. Students will be introduced to the principles of interviewing and journalistic research.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	Media and Communications
Credit points	6
Prerequisites ?	None
Corequisites ?	None
Prohibitions ?	MECO2002
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	No

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Margaret Van Heekeren, margaret.vanheekeren@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s)	Margaret Van Heekeren, margaret.vanheekeren@sydney.edu.au
Tutor(s)	Christopher Hall, christopher.hall@sydney.edu.au
Tutor(s)	Sharon Smith, sharon.smith@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Presentation	News analysis See unit Canvas site for details	20%	Week 07	10 minutes
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	First news story See unit Canvas site for more information	40%	Week 08 Due date: 18 Sep 2023 at 23:59	1500 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Second news story See unit Canvas site for more information	40%	Week 13 Due date: 05 Nov 2023 at 23:59	2000 words
Outcomes assessed:
= group assignment ?

Assessment summary

All assessment items must be submitted to pass this unit. Detailed information for each assessment item can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a High distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a Distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100
Distinction	75 - 84
Credit	65 - 74
Pass	50 - 64
Fail	0 - 49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

5% per calendar day.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	Introduction to MECO1003. What is news story - and why is a news story what it is? Intro to freedom of the press and the media's responsibilities	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 02	Elements of a news story I: Writing conventions and elements of presentation. Lead-writing exercise	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 03	Elements of a news story II: Beyond the lead. Basics of reporting and editing. Introduction of news analysis assignment.	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 04	Media law and ethics	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 05	Mechanics of reporting	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 06	Inside the newsroom: How news organizations work.	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 07	News analysis presentations	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 08	Metrics and the business of news.	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 09	High-impact journalism: How to make a splash in a highly competitive environment.	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 10	Navigating the real world. How the freedoms, and responsibilities, of journalists play out. The journalist and social media.	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 11	Guest lecture	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 12	News and journalism in the 21st Century. The opportunities and battles ahead: New business models, the challenges of fake news, and the wisdom of Hunter S. Thompson. ("When the going gets tough, the tough gets weird.")	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 13	Class review. Elements of the news story, redux. The strictures and power of the free press. And: Beyond the news story.	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Attendance: According to Faculty Board Resolutions, students in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences are expected to attend 90% of their classes. If you attend less than 50% of classes, regardless of the reasons, you may be referred to the Examiner’s Board. The Examiner’s Board will decide whether you should pass or fail the unit of study if your attendance falls below this threshold.
Lecture recording: Most lectures (in recording-equipped venues) will be recorded and may be made available to students on the LMS. However, you should not rely on lecture recording to substitute your classroom learning experience.
Preparation: Students should commit to spend approximately three hours’ preparation time (reading, studying, homework, essays, etc.) for every hour of scheduled instruction.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

See Canvas site.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. write news stories that are clear, concise and accurate
LO2. demonstrate ability to find and research stories for publication
LO3. understand the processes of news
LO4. demonstrate awareness of key ethical issues involving the production of news.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

This unit has been updated to offer a greater range of media writing styles

Additional information

Sensitive issues

Journalism is published writing. Your interactions with your editor are public, and your work is often seen by many people in a news operation before being published. The principles of journalism include a welcoming attitude toward any source that can make our work better, more accurate, more useful and more understandable. All of this is to say that your work in this class may be discussed and edited publicly (i.e., in front of the class), just as it would in a newsroom. Your instructors are veteran published journalists—and they will cheerfully tell you they have had their work subject to the same treatment!

Also: Due to the nature of journalism, some stories we read may make you feel uncomfortable or uneasy (e.g., descriptions of crimes including sexual assault, murder, child abuse, domestic violence, discussions of illnesses, death and dying). If you feel uncomfortable, it is important that you contact the unit coordinator or another member of the team as soon as possible to discuss this with them. You are not required to share confidential information with us if you do not wish to. If you attend the class but at any point you feel uncomfortable, you are free to leave.

Publishing work in Salience & The Junction

Salience website showcases a selection of our best student assignments, such as audiovisual news stories, interviews, feature writing, creative nonfiction, commentary and other media-related work. The Junction showcases university journalism from Australia, NZ and the Pacific. If you receive a D or HD for an assignment and it’s considered suitable for publishing, your unit coordinator may arrange for you to be contacted by the Salience Editor and The Junction campus editor, Pam Walker, who will guide you through the process for inclusion.

No rights are reserved, so you can still seek publication of your brilliance elsewhere. To ensure eligibility, please make sure that you secure consent from interviewees during the production process, using the templates provided by your unit coordinator. Also, you can only use music and samples from other media that you have the rights to or that is Creative Commons licensed for modified use. We look forward to seeing your work made available to the public!

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

MECO1003: Principles of Media Writing

Semester 2, 2023 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links