Coventry University: Global Journalism and Public Relations

Summary

Nowadays, it could be argued there is no such thing as ‘foreign’ news. Whether it is sport, leisure or entertainment, politics, crime or the economy, what is happening in one part of the world often affects not only neighbouring populations, but also distant corners of the globe, if not the whole world. We are often willing to consume multiple media channels 24/7/365 to keep abreast of what is happening globally.

This shift towards global news has led to major changes within the media industry, over and above the rise of more flexible, digital platforms and the general decline in printed press. Many journalists are mobile or based in other countries, while news is reported in different countries and from different perspectives.

This course aims to help you develop journalistic skills and knowledge in the context of global media. We aim to help you understand and report on our increasingly complex and globalised world, confident and capable of covering anything from socio-cultural to technological-scientific issues.

Our teaching team include journalists, writers and media authors, with experience between them of working for journalism outlets in the UK, Europe, Australia, the USA, India, South Africa and Kenya. Course content is largely guided by the requirements of professional journalism training bodies, The Periodicals Training Council (PTC), Broadcast Journalism Training Council (BJTC) and National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ). It covers journalism theory, law and ethics, together with the practical techniques of research, interviewing, writing, page layout, audio/video production and online digital newsgathering and publishing platforms.

There will be opportunities to work on ‘live’ projects, contributing articles to our magazine, which can be printed to order, together with mainstream and online media, as well as collaborative initiatives such as Global e-News Immersive Initiative or GENII, Pop-up Newsroom and Global News Relay. Previous students have covered international events, and for example, one recent student wrote a story on 2015 UNESCO General Conference in Paris for a leading newspaper in Kenya and East Africa.

**Key course benefits;**

- Links with the media industry, including BBC, Al Jazeera, Sky, Africa-based media and online outlets in UK and USA.

- Opportunity to become part of the Student’s Union Source Media team contributing to its radio, TV and news platforms.

- World leading research in ‘Learning, Media and Communication in the 21st century’ – 71% rated 4* and 3* in the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2014.

- High levels of student satisfaction – 92% overall for the broad subject of ‘Media Studies’ in the Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey (PTES) 2016, above the sector average of 84%.

- Facilities include a suite of newsrooms, modern TV studio, iMac computers for video and audio editing, a digital radio studio, analogue radio studio and Media Loan Shop. A photography studio and darkroom can be accessed by special arrangement with the facility supervisors.

- Guest lecture programme, which in the past has featured BBC Director General Mark Thompson, Channel 4 founder Jeremy Isaacs, Channel 4 News presenter Jon Snow, Newsnight presenter Jeremy Paxman, motor racing commentator Murray Walker, newspaper sports columnist Jim White and many others.

- Highly experienced teaching team, whose former roles include: presenting for BBC Radio 3 and the BBC World Service; being editor-in-chief of Classics car magazine; writing for Cosmopolitan and Discovery.com; contributing to Al Jazeera’s global media analysis show ‘The Listening Post’; and heading up the Press Association’s West Coast Bureau in Los Angeles.

- Research in new approaches to film, television, the web, photography and digital distribution, global media and communication and digital media, including social media, digital archiving, internet publishing, free media and piracy.

MA

Coventry University

Coventry University is a dynamic university that provides high quality education to students. Our teaching, staff, facilities and student experience have all been recognised as being among the finest in the sector and our future is looking bright as a modern university with a flourishing global reputation.

Why choose Coventry University?

• Top 15 for five years running in the Guardian University Guide (2016-2020)
• Awarded University of the Year for Student Experience (The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2019)
• 1st for Overseas Experiences (based on student trips abroad from HESA 2016/17 data)
• Gold for outstanding teaching ...

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