The Beginning Journalism program teaches students a variety of multidisciplinary skills.  The goal of the program is to teach students to gather information, to analyze the information, to write it up in a variety of journalistic styles, to work together effectively individually and in groups, to learn computer desktop publishing and graphics programs, and to publish it in newspaper format.

Running parallel to this curriculum is another curriculum, equally important, which involves teaching students something about the history of the press, the ethics of journalism, and law of the press.

Click here for a look at the beginning journalism course syllabus.  Below is an outline of the primary course goals.  In the principles pages the link to preparation for work in this learning community elaborates on the way the beginning journalism class prepares students for work in a community of learners.

PRIMARY COURSE GOALS

Gathering information involves learning the following skills:

~ how to interview effectively
~ how to take notes
~ how to organize notes
~ how to use the web
~ how to use the phonebook and phone effectively
~ how to determine the credibility of the interviewee
~ how to determine the worth of secondary sources

Analyzing the information involves learning the following skills:

~ how to distinguish fact from opinion
~ how to distinguish what is important
~ how to place what is important first
~ how to organize large amounts of seemingly unrelated data

Writing up the information involves learning to write in the following journalistic styles:

~ news
~ editorial/opinion
~ reviews
~ features
~ columns

Learning to work together effectively involves learning:

~ to accept and appreciate differences
~ to be a leader and a team player
~ to negotiate effectively
~ to have good communication skills
~ to be patient
~ to respect and work with different learning styles

Learning desktop publishing involves the following:

~ learning PageMaker or Quark Express
~ learning graphics programs such as Adobe Illustrator
~ learning photo programs such as Adobe PhotoShop
~ learning how to use a digital camera and transfer images to web
~ learning how to design ads
~ learning how to design an attractive page
~ learning how to use both a PC and a Mac

Learning how to work effectively with the community involves:

~ learning the needs of a business and why they would want to advertise
~ learning the economics of the newspaper world
~ learning to behave in ways that are appropriate in the adult business world
~ learning how to sell a product or advertising
~ learning how to maintain an account
~ learning how to speak convincingly

Learning how to publish a newspaper involves learning the following:

~ learning the role of a newspaper in a democracy
~ learning about the power of the press in a real life situation
~ seeing how influential the press can be
~ learning about the ethics of journalism
~ learning about the laws governing freedom of the press
~ learning about the actual process of running the presses