This is open to anyone who lives or works in Newham, Waltham Forest, Tottenham, Enfield and City of London.

Aimed at: budding citizen journalists

Number of participants: up to 10

Date and time of the session: 10 December, 9am – 1pm

What you will need:

Access to a computer and Zoom video conferencing (this software is available free and is easy to use. Please contact us if you need assistance with this)
A quiet, comfortable place where you can work undisturbed and where you are free to take part without disturbing others

Currently, we are only able to deliver this course in English, but if you are able to help us provide the course in other languages, we would very much like to hear from you.

The course aims to

Inspire and encourage people to write about the local events and issues that concern them, building their skills base as well as their confidence
Explore different news media platforms
Act as a starting point for local people who think they may want a career in the media
Provide citizen journalists with skills they need to communicate more effectively
Provide some insight into how we can ensure that our journalism is fair, accurate, ethical and legal
Provide basic news writing skills

Outcomes:

Understand the core values of journalism and good communication
Identify what makes a news item for Newham Voices
Submit an article of a high enough standard for publication
Understand the key elements of news writing
Carry out an interview

News writing programme

09.00 Arrival, introductions

09.15 Introduction to the course, Newham Voices and the 5 core values of journalism

10.00 What is news? How is a news story different from other forms of journalism? The basic elements of a news story

10.45 Break

11.00 Researching and interviewing

11.20 Scenario: come up with 6 questions you might want to ask Arlene Sterling and suggestions for who else must be interviewed

11.40 Write a 200-word news story

12.40 Submit news story by email to: jean.gray@newhamvoices.co.uk

Discussion and closing remarks

13.00 CLOSE

No news is bad news

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The audiences they serve know less, understand less, and can do less.

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Choose the news. Don’t lose the news.

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