Newspaper Journalism (Taught)

Train to become a journalist with our wide-ranging Newspaper Journalism MA programme. You will develop practical skills to help you stand out and develop your career in a competitive field. You will build a combination of vital professional skills valued by employers. These include interviewing, reporting, research, video, social media, SEO, writing news and features, editing and production, for online and print.

Practical work is informed by key theory, particularly ethics and media law. Specialist modules enable you to focus on an area such as investigative journalism, sport, politics or arts and culture, plus podcasting or journalism innovation.

We support you in finding optional work placements to undertake, which students often find valuable in building a portfolio, experience and contacts. Tutors offer individual CV advice, with input on job applications and interviews.

This MA in Newspaper Journalism course combines practical skills training in reporting, interviewing, writing, editing, research and newspaper production with a concern for critical and ethical reflection and the highest journalistic standards.

All of our MA Journalism students must undertake underpinning core modules in Ethics, Rules and Standards, and a Final Project. You can pick from a choice of core electives below and electives of Podcasting or Journalism Innovation.

Core modules

• Ethics, Rules and Standards (30 credits) – You put practical journalism in an ethical context with case studies and there are discussion groups in the second term.
• Journalism Portfolio (30 credits) – covers the essentials of reporting, from ideas and research to interviewing and writing, news and features, and using the Freedom of Information Act in journalism.
• Editorial Production (30 credits) – producing and editing content for print and online publication, including video as well as text and images.
• Final Project (30 credits) – you explore a topic of your choice in depth to produce one or more pieces of longer-form journalism, ideally for publication online and/or in print.
• UK Media Law (15 credits) – You learn the basics of UK Media Law to enable you to work in a UK newsroom
• Political Headlines (15 credits) – You learn the structure of British Government and how it works; and you meet journalists who report and present it.

Core Elective modules:

• Lifestyle Specialism (15 credits)
• Reporting the Middle East Specialism (15 credits)
• Arts and Culture Specialism (15 credits)
• Humanitarian Reporting Specialism (15 credits)
• Finance and Business Specialism (15 credits)
• Sports Specialism (15 credits)
• Political Reporting Specialism (15 credits)
• Security and Crime Specialism (15 credits)
• Investigative Reporting Specialism (15 credits).
• Podcasting (15 credits)
• Journalism Innovation (15 credits)

All MA Journalism courses at City are practical, hands-on courses designed for aspiring journalists. As a result, much of your coursework will be journalistic assignments that you produce to deadline, as you would in a real news organisation. Assessment is often through a portfolio of journalistic assignments of this kind.