Writing for Online News (COM256)

This practical course covers the concepts and processes required to write online news content in this era of media convergence. This course will cover foundational newswriting principles and practices, as well as the latest trends in online news, so that students will be equipped with versatile journalistic skills required in today's news industry.

• The characteristics of news stories.
• Current trends in the news industry.
• Basic news writing and editing concepts.
• Types of news beats.
• Strategies for effective newsgathering.
• The nature of online news.
• Strategies for writing and editing online content.
• Strategies for selecting appropriate multimedia and links for the online text.
• Interacting with the audience on online news platforms.
• Using social media for online news.
• Writing for news-based blogs, podcasts and videos online.
• Media law and ethics for online news.

• Describe what constitutes news.
• Apply various online news reporting principles and practices which require creative thinking, sense-making and keeping up to date with current affairs.
• Develop interpersonal skills through conducting interviews for news stories.
• Write news stories and features for online platforms.
• Analyse how different features on digital platforms can enhance online news stories.
• Discuss the social, political, economic and global contexts in which the communication of news takes place in this digital age.