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Editor’s Work in Press and Other Mass Media

Study Course Description

Course Description Statuss:Approved
Course Description Version:6.00
Study Course Accepted:02.02.2024 12:25:20
Study Course Information
Course Code:KSK_028LQF level:Level 6
Credit Points:2.00ECTS:3.00
Branch of Science:Communication SciencesTarget Audience:Communication Science
Study Course Supervisor
Course Supervisor:Anna Peipiņa
Study Course Implementer
Structural Unit:Faculty of Social Sciences
The Head of Structural Unit:
Contacts:Dzirciema street 16, Rīga, szfatrsu[pnkts]lv
Study Course Planning
Full-Time - Semester No.1
Lectures (count)6Lecture Length (academic hours)2Total Contact Hours of Lectures12
Classes (count)4Class Length (academic hours)2Total Contact Hours of Classes8
Total Contact Hours20
Study course description
Preliminary Knowledge:
Genres of journalism. News journalism. Introduction to journalism.
Objective:
The course will provide an overview of the nature and functions of editor’s work in mass media, create an understanding of differences in this work depending on the type and size of media. When mastering the course, students will familiarise with principles of planning of editor’s work and competences and work methods of the editor as a leader and as a manager. Students will profoundly familiarise with understanding the editor’s work in the media world affected by significant changes and digitalisation. Course tasks: 1. By listening to lectures and participating in practical seminar classes to understand the nature of work of an editor as a creative leader and at the same time as a manager, to become aware of typical problems in editor’s work. 2. To familiarise with principles of planning of media work, to understand its meaning in maintaining media quality and correct strategy. 3. To understand the specifics of daily work, understand the editor’s role in creating media content and in work with journalists. 4. To understand the editor’s role in evaluation and editing of texts, work with genres, as well as harmonising of text and visual material. 5. During the course, to perform practical tasks related to editor’s work.
Topic Layout (Full-Time)
No.TopicType of ImplementationNumberVenue
1Nature of editor’s works and its functions in different media. Comparison of editor’s and journalist’s work. Editor’s role in public media. Editor as an intermediate stage between the editorial office and the publisher, editor’s independence and subordination. Editor’s functions and degree of responsibility depending on the type of media.Lectures1.00auditorium
2Editor as a leader and as a manager. Successful management models. Manager or leader? Editor’s ability to build a team and keep it creative, maintain quality and healthy internal competition. Conflict resolution. Tactics with regard to “stars” in the editorial office.Lectures1.00auditorium
3Strategic and daily planning of work of the editorial office. Types of plans depending on the type of media and publication frequency. Correct leading of a planning meeting. Planning and creativity of ideas. Special planning, brainstorming.Lectures1.00auditorium
4Foundations and principles of editing. Editing process. Format and editing of an edition. Author’s work and right to edit. Work with genres, sections, topics. Headings, subheadings, quotes, highlights. Style and language. Overview of examples.Lectures1.00auditorium
5Editor’s role in visual presentation of an article and media. Meaning of content of visual material. Problems of harmonising an articles and visual material. Role of the cover of a press edition. Work with photographers, use of photobanks.Lectures1.00auditorium
6Editor and his role in the quickly changing media world. How to edit in press market changes under the effect of digitalisation keeping the professional level and quality of the edition. Editor and media marketing.Lectures1.00auditorium
7Editor and media strategy. Task – to prepare for a seminar a draft application for a new media (newspaper, TV or radio show, magazine, portal), where the student would be the editor. Brief overview of content. Rationale, for which audience, with which existing media it will compete and what the media budget plan will be. During the seminar students present their projects for 5 to 7 min.Classes1.00auditorium
8Editor’s work with text. Task – to edit highlighted text samples: shorten to the accurately specified volume, find 2 factual errors, 5 gross spelling mistakes, write an introduction, heading and highlight two quotes.Classes1.00auditorium
9Editor’s role in visual presentation of a publication or media. Task – in the material provided by the university lecturer, find an appropriate visual material for the text selected by each student in accordance with media format and publication genre. Its choice should be substantiated in a presentation at a seminar (5 min).Classes1.00auditorium
10Editor as a leader and as a manager. Task – to evaluate and analyse examples of challenges in media work and editing work provided by the university lecturer. To offer solutions, to evaluate risks.Classes1.00auditorium
Assessment
Unaided Work:
Within the scope of the course the student should write four practical seminar works, which should be presented at seminars (for detailed requirements see the List of topics).
Assessment Criteria:
Qualitative practical works submitted in a timely manner on lecture topics and their presentation, attendance of lectures, active participation in practical classes and theoretical examination results.
Final Examination (Full-Time):Exam (Written)
Final Examination (Part-Time):
Learning Outcomes
Knowledge:On successful completion of the study course students will gain understanding about: • the nature of duties and skills of an editor as a media manager and a creative employee, about the editor’s place in the media management system; • editor’s responsibility, activities in media shaping, planning and daily management process; • different types of editors and practical editing work.
Skills:As a result of successful mastering the study course students will obtain skills: • to design, plan, organise building of a media format; • to plan media content; • to edit different journalism works adjusting them to the needs of particular media; • to shape and organise work of an editorial office, to create plans with different deadlines; • to change genres of journalism works; • to find headings, to create a balanced and proportionate media content.
Competencies:On successful completion of the study course students will obtain the ability to choose and understand creative and management problems of an editorial office.
Bibliography
No.Reference
Required Reading
1Glen Gilmore, Modern Newspaper Editing, 4th ed. 1999
2Hutcherson Early, Writing For Mass Communication, Longman, 1998
3Fedler Fred, Reporting For The Print Media, 1997
4Baskett K. Floyd, Scissors Z. Jack, Brooks S. Brian, The Art of Editing, 4 th ed., 1998
5Hartley, John.Understanding news.London:Routledge. 1982.
6Manning Paul. News and news sources: A critical introduction.London. Sagepublications.1998
7Juan Antonio Giner, Barry Sussman, Innovations in newspapers, 2001 Worldreport, 4. – 9. pp.
8Tapani Huovila, Layout as message, University of Jyvaskla, 2000,
9Tim Harrower, The Newspaper Designer’s Handbook, 3th edition, 1995,
10Poynter Online, nodala Writing, Editing:http://www.poynter.org/reporting-editing/2003/writing-news-…
11Eriks Bagerstams, Preses briviba demokratiska sabiedriba, Stockholm och Riga,Etikas kodekss presei, radio un televizijai Zviedrija, 1994, 23. – 55. lpp.
Additional Reading
1Hodgson, F.W., Modern Newspaper Practice: A primer on the press. 4 th edition,Oxford, Focal Press, 1997, 227. – 244. lpp.
2Janet Malcolm, Constructing boundaries of journalism, Journalism, Copyright ©2006 SAGE Publications, (London, Thousand Oaks, CA and New Delhi); Vol. 7(1): 5- 24
3Ferguson Donald L., Patten Jim, Journalism Today, Chapter IX, In – DepthReporting, Chapter X , Writing Feature Stories,1996, 162. – 194.lpp..
4Sallie Adams, Interviewing for Journalists, New York, 2002, 20. – 55. lpp.
5Tatjana Repkova, New Times – Making a professional newspaper, Chapter II, WAN,2001, 126. – 139. lpp.
6David Machin, Theo van Leeuwen, Language style and lifestyle: the case of a globalmagazine, Media, Culture & Society © 2005 SAGE Publications (London, ThousandOaks and New Delhi), Vol. 27(4): 577–600
7Ryan, C, Strugling to Survive, A Study of Editorial Decision-Making Strategies,Journal of Business and Technical Communication, Vol. 19 No. 3 July 2005, 353-376
8Melvin Mencher, Basic Media Writting, 5 th edition, Madison, Brown 7 Bencmark Publishers, 1996, 24. – 53. lpp.