Units / APG5095
APG5095 · Journalism practice
2026 Handbook6 credit pointsLevel 5Journalism
Last checked: 23 Aug 2026 UTCOverview
This unit will introduce you to journalism practice, including researching, interviewing, news writing, and feature writing. You will further develop and hone these skills in subsequent units. In this unit you will learn the fundamentals of journalism: • What constitutes news • How to find and research stories • How to write concise news copy for publication in print and digital formats • How to produce creative copy for features Additionally, you will gain an understanding of multi-skilling, including self-editing, headline writing, and workload management, which are essential for delivering time-sensitive content in newsrooms. You will work independently to develop and publish stories. By successfully completing this unit, you will acquire critical written communication skills sought after by industry professionals and learn to think critically about ethical and effective reporting.
Areas of study: Journalism
Offerings
| Campus | Teaching period | Mode |
|---|---|---|
| Caulfield | First semester | Teaching activities are on-campus and in a block period (ON-BLK) |
Assessment
The Handbook does not list a final examination among the assessment items. That is not a guarantee there is none.
| # | Assessment | Type | Weight | Hurdle |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pitch | Presentation | 15% | — |
| 2 | Media Task | Artefact | 35% | — |
| 3 | Media Task | Artefact | 50% | — |
Within semester assessment: 100%
Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.
Requisites
The Handbook lists no prerequisite, corequisite or prohibition for this unit.
Learning outcomes
- identify and research a news story and conduct interviews;
- write in a clear, concise, factual way using news and feature conventions;
- identify key ethical,legal and operational obligations associated with reporting and critically reflect on individual experience in relation to the contemporary practice of journalism;
- set and meet deadlines, and report and write under pressure;
- identify local, national and international people and events relevant to current issues and media issues.
Workload
Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.
| Activity | Duration |
|---|---|
| Lectures | 6 hours |
| Tutorials | 18 hours |
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