Find out exactly how a story makes the front page – and why
Overview
This weekend is the news. This crash course in the essentials of newspaper journalism mixes practical and theoretical elements to give you a complete overview of the technical, ethical, and creative aspects of reporting.
Over the course of two action-packed days, Shane Hickey will demonstrate how a story develops from an initial tip or press release into a finished article, or even a broader campaign. Speakers Alexandra Topping and Peter Walker will share their experiences from breaking major news stories for the Guardian. The weekend culminates in a half-day workshop giving you an an opportunity to put your skills to the test by producing a mock up of a major story in a simulated newsroom. An illuminating and educational experience if you're interested in becoming a journalist, or just want to know how the news agenda is set.
Course description
The course covers all the major technical elements of the editorial decision-making and story-crafting process. Topics covered include:
- What is news? How a newspaper works and how a story emerges and develops
- The basics: The 'Five Ws and one H', how to write a story, and what not to do
- How to do an interview, and how to make your subject trust you
- How different newspapers cover the same story
- The requirements for different types of news reporting, including sports, news, business, and showbiz
- Ethics. Getting it right, what you can and can't say, and why you can and can't say it
- The web of news. How one story can change into any number of different ones
- Live workshop developing a fictional news story in a realistic mock newsroom environment, taking the story from an initial press release to finished coverage
Tutor profile
Shane Hickey is a current affairs journalist covering events in London for a number of Irish newspapers as well as freelancing for the Guardian and the Observer. He was a senior staff reporter with the Irish Independent newspaper in Dublin where he worked across both the news and business desks before he moved to London. He has a broad range of experience covering finance and news beats as well as working on a newsdesk and is a regular contributor to various radio shows.
Peter Walker has been a journalist for 15 years and is a news reporter for the Guardian. He previously worked for the Press Association and Agence France-Presse in London, Beijing, Hong Kong and Paris, and freelanced for CNN and the BBC, among others. He has also reported from countries including North Korea, Iraq and Kosovo, worked as a news editor and covered politics, business and education news. At the Guardian he also runs the popular Bike Blog.
Alexandra Topping is a news journalist for the Guardian.
To book
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Details
Dates: Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 November 2013
Times: 10am-5pm
Location: The Guardian, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU
Price:£349 Early bird ticket (limited)
£399 Standard ticket (includes VAT, booking fees, lunch and refreshments)
Event capacity: 16
Dress code: There is no dress code for Masterclasses. Please dress however you feel comfortable.
To contact us, click here. Terms and conditions can be found here.
Returns policy
Tickets may be refunded if you contact us at least 28 days before the course start date. After this time, up to 7 days before the course start date we may accept tickets and attempt to resell them on your behalf if the event is sold out. If the ticket is resold you will receive a refund of the ticket price, minus an administration fee equal to 10% of the ticket price. We cannot offer any refunds or attempt to resell your ticket less than 7 days before the course start date. Tickets may be transferred to another name, however they are not transferable to other courses or dates. Please see our terms and conditions for more information on our refund policy.