University Handbook
2026 unit information
Trimester 1: Burwood (Melbourne), OnlineTrimester 3: Burwood (Melbourne), Online
2026 is the final year of offer for this unit
Nil
ALJ729, ALJ728
1 x 4-hour on-campus seminar per week in weeks 1, 3 and 5
1 x 5-hour on-campus seminar per week in weeks 2 and 4.
1 x 4-hour online seminar per week in weeks 1, 3 and 5
1 x 5-hour online seminar per week in weeks 2 and 4.
Students will on average spend 150-hours over the teaching period undertaking the teaching, learning and assessment activities for this unit.This will include educator guided online learning activities within the unit site.
In this unit, you will learn the essential journalistic skills needed to produce engaging, publishable news and feature stories. You will gain insights into what makes news, how to research and interview for news stories, and how to write in news style for print and online publication. You will also develop your skills in feature writing, paying particular attention to background research and locating sources for creating longer form journalism. Pitching story ideas to editors and writing as a freelancer are also topics you will learn about in this unit. Writing the News will equip you with many of the practical skills and techniques that you need to get started as a journalist in the contemporary media landscape.
Each unit in your course is a building block towards Deakin's Graduate Learning Outcomes - not all units develop and assess every Graduate Learning Outcome (GLO).
Alignment to Deakin Graduate Learning Outcomes (GLOs)
Evaluate the credibility and value of a wide range of sources and apply innovative approaches to news research
GLO4: Critical thinking
Structure and write effective copy within the parameters of news and feature presentation
GLO2: Communication
GLO7: Teamwork
These Unit Learning Outcomes are applicable for all teaching periods throughout the year.
The assessment due weeks provided may change. The Unit Chair will clarify the exact assessment requirements, including the due date, at the start of the teaching period.
The texts and reading list for ALJ716 can be found via the University Library. Note: Select the relevant trimester reading list. Please note that a future teaching period's reading list may not be available until a month prior to the start of that teaching period so you may wish to use the relevant trimester's prior year reading list as a guide only.
To fully engage with Deakin's learning experiences, students must be able to access and use internet-connected devices as outlined in computing requirements at Deakin.To support student success at Deakin, we have a bring-your-own-device (BYOD) learning environment that acknowledges that students and educators bring with them the digital tools they regularly use to complete academic tasks. These tools stay with you beyond the classroom, helping you to keep learning, explore ideas more deeply, and connect with knowledge in ways that matter to you. Students requiring a loan device should visit our Loan Laptop webpage or students requiring longer-term assistance should visit our Student Financial Assistance webpage.
Fees and charges vary depending on the type of fee place you hold, your course, your commencement year, the units you choose to study and their study discipline, and your study load.
Tuition fees increase at the beginning of each calendar year and all fees quoted are in Australian dollars ($AUD). Tuition fees do not include textbooks, computer equipment or software, other equipment or costs such as mandatory checks, travel and stationery.
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For further information regarding tuition fees, other fees and charges, invoice due dates, withdrawal dates, payment methods visit our Current Students website.
