English 4 - Journalism

Course Purpose

The purpose of this course is to equip students with the knowledge, skills, and ethical grounding necessary to produce high-quality, publishable journalism for real-world audiences. Students will learn to detect bias, verify facts, write clearly in AP style, report with independence, uphold professional standards, and create multimedia news packages. Through a combination of rigorous news literacy training, hands-on reporting, ethical decision-making, and multimedia production, the course develops both technical proficiency and a commitment to truth, transparency, and fairness in journalism.

Course Description

This comprehensive, project-based journalism course transforms the classroom into a working student newsroom. Over the span of the program, students engage in authentic reporting assignments that blend traditional and emerging media skills.

They will:

• Build foundational news literacy using platforms such as PBS Student Reporting Labs, Checkology, and Poynter’s MediaWise, with an emphasis on bias detection, verification, and responsible source evaluation.
• Master reporting fundamentals including newsworthiness, interviewing, fact-vs.-opinion analysis, and source diversity.
• Develop strong writing abilities in AP style, crafting leads, nut grafs, and balanced stories while practicing bias mitigation techniques.
• Produce multimedia packages—planning, scripting, filming, and editing SRL-style segments—aligned with broadcast journalism best practices.
• Explore solutions journalism to frame evidence-based stories that address community challenges.
• Understand and apply student press law, ethics, and rights, creating editorial policies that safeguard independence and credibility.
• Gain AI literacy for the newsroom, learning to detect, disclose, and responsibly integrate AI tools according to AP and Reuters standards.
• Complete a capstone project showcasing investigative or solutions-based reporting, prepared for publication or award submission.

By the end of the course, students will graduate as skilled, ethical storytellers capable of producing professional-quality journalism that informs, engages, and impacts their audiences.