Week 1: Introduction to Journalism

by | Sep 3, 2025 | Journalism 101 Class

News Around the Room

  • Give your name and share one piece of “news” from your own life this summer (funny, serious, or surprising).

  • Example prompts:

    • “Something exciting that happened…”

    • “Something unexpected that happened…”

    • “Something small but important to me this week…”

  • Purpose: to show that everyone has a story and that journalism is about sharing stories that matter to people.

Scripture

“Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.” — Ephesians 4:25

Course Content

Discussion Points

  • Journalism = gathering, assessing, creating, and presenting news and information.

  • It is meant to inform, educate, and sometimes entertain the public.

  • Journalism is based on truth, accuracy, fairness, and relevance.

Class Question: Why do you think journalism is important in our world today?

Types of Journalism

Introduce main types with quick examples:

  • News Reporting – factual and timely (breaking news).

  • Feature Writing – human-interest stories, profiles.

  • Opinion/Editorials – persuasive, commentary.

  • Photojournalism – telling stories with images.

  • Entertainment Journalism – movies, music, sports, reviews.

Mini-Activity: Have students think of one example of each type they’ve seen (online, TV, or print).

Overview of Newspaper Roles

a Our class newspaper will include several sections and each role is important.

Sections & Roles:

  • Encouragement Section – uplifting stories, Scripture/devotionals, or positive messages.

  • Main Story – big classwide or co-op story (feature article or important event).

  • Entertainment Section – comics, puzzles, reviews, or fun student contributions.

  • What’s Happening in Class – highlights of projects, student work, or a specific class.

  • Events Section – upcoming events, field trips, or deadlines.

  • Photographer – captures images to go with stories.

Activity:

  • Assign each student 2 roles.

  • Emphasize that roles may rotate or students may specialize later.

Homework

  • Homework: Each student writes a short piece (5–7 sentences) for your assigned section. Example:

    • Encouragement: a motivational thought or verse.

    • Main Story: what they enjoyed learning this week.

    • Entertainment: a riddle, comic sketch, or quick review of a favorite show/book.

    • What’s Happening: short summary of something happening at school/home.

    • Events: share an upcoming birthday, holiday, or activity.

    • Photographer: bring 2–3 photos (taken by them) that tell a story.

  • Next class: we’ll compile all work to expand on it for issue #1