Course Code: PBRL 2002
Academic Year: 2024-2025
This course builds on earlier writing courses, which prepare students to write as journalists, producing concise, clear and accurate copy to tight deadlines according to The Canadian Press (CP) style. Students in these first two writing labs in the program learn to develop content from news releases and to analyze news value and to apply news judgment. This course is anchored in clean, correct, succinct writing to tight deadlines with a view to understanding news value but takes a reverse tack: preparing students to write the news releases and other documentation journalists use to develop their stories, and customized to capture the imagination of intended audience(s) to meet specific objectives. The materials covered incorporate both traditional and social media forms for hard and soft news anchored in corresponding news release formats and styles, and include tactics such as media alerts/advisories, Public Service Announcements (PSAs), letters to the editor, opinion-editorials and podcasts. The CP style is also enforced throughout the course as appropriate to the form and tactic. Writing samples from this course form the basis of a preliminary portfolio in preparation for Writing Lab 6 in the sixth semester of the program.