BJ1S60 - Why Journalism Matters 12 Feb 2020 - 31 Aug 2026 | Version 1

Associated Module Information

Module Code: BJ1S60
Module Title: Why Journalism Matters
Faculty: Faculty of Business and Creative Industries
Faculty Group: Film and TV
Faculty Sub Group: Film and TV
Module Leader: Philip Mitchell
Module Team: Lesley Harbidge
First Intended Intake: SEP 2020 Final Year of Intake: 2025
Date Closed:
Credit Value: 20 Credit Level: 4
Language: English
Percentage of Module Taught in Welsh: 0
Equivalent Module:
HECOS codes: 100442 - journalism
HECOS Code Weighting: 100

Document Version Information

Version 1
Valid From 12 Feb 2020
Valid To 31 Aug 2026

Module Aims

This module will offer guidance to students in the consumption and observation of journalism in order to understand its role in society, how it performs that role in practice, and the challenges it faces.

Content Summary

This module will offer a historical context to the study of journalism, by investigating its origins as well as present day industry structures.
The module will look at case studies of inspirational journalism including, but not limited to, major investigations, local community reporting, long-form, powerful broadcasting. An analysis of the structure of news and features across the platforms will be central to this module while also enabling an awareness of critiques of journalism: its performance against society’s norms, and the impact of digital and funding and other changes on the journalistic landscape.
Finally, this module: a) will adhere to, and engage with, all ethical considerations (as laid out in this document – see ‘H. Ethical Issues’, above); b) when and where appropriate, it will make full use of Faculty-wide teaching expertise and technical support in its endeavour to fully integrate practice with theory.

Learning and Teaching Methods

Activity Type Hours
Lecture 18
Seminar 18
Independent Study 92
Directed Study 72
Total Hours Selected 200

Learning Outcomes

# Learning Outcome
LO1 Discuss critically the origins, forms, functions and challenges of journalism, while assimilating a range of critical and cultural debates relevant to the subject area.
LO2 Discuss critically the origins, forms, functions and challenges of journalism, while assimilating a range of critical and cultural debates relevant to the subject area.

Module Requisites

N/A

Assessment Criteria

Assessment Category Assessment Type Description Duration Word Count Weight (%) Best of? Pass Mark
Asynchronous Assessment Report 1 Academic Blog: Blog posts curating and analysing issues in journalism with links to expert analysis and examples. 0 2800 70 No 40
Asynchronous Assessment Presentation (Asynchronous) 1 Individual presentation on selected issue in journalism studies - including questions 10 N/A 30 No 40

Assessment Matrix

Assessment Type Learning Outcomes
LO1 LO2
Report 1
Presentation (Asynchronous) 1

Reading List

Conboy, M. (2012) Journalism Studies: The Basics. Abingdon: Routledge.
Davies, N. (2015) Hack Attack: How the Truth Caught Up With Rupert Murdoch. London: Vintage.
Franklin, B. and Canter, L. (2019) Digital Journalism Studies: The Key Concepts. Abingdon: Routledge.
Harcup, T. (2015) Journalism: Principles and Practice. (3rd ed.) London: Sage.
McNair, B. (2018) Fake News: Falsehood, Fabrication and Fantasy in Journalism. Abingdon: Routledge.
Pilger, J. (ed.) (2005) Tell Me No Lies: Investigative Journalism and its Triumphs. London: Vintage.
Price, S. (ed.) (2019) Journalism, Power and Investigation. Abingdon: Routledge.
Rusbridger, A. (2018) Breaking News: The Remaking of Journalism and Why it Matters Now. London: Canongate.
Schudson, M. (2018) Why Journalism Still Matters. Cambridge: Polity Press.
Williams, K. (2005) Read All About It! A History of the British Newspaper. Oxford: Routledge.