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In this module you will learn about the reporting requirements in the UK for covering elections, political events and meetings, sourcing stories and quotes from government departments and non-governmental organisations such as charities and lobby groups. You will also learn about a journalist’s view of the political process, tiers of government and devolved governments, and about the social, economic and political factors, which both create and frame the news. You will study newsgathering for issue-based social policy and human rights stories, as well as the challenges of working on an international story. The role of the journalist in the parliamentary lobbying system will be looked at. You will deconstruct examples of best practice in campaigning and investigative journalism, to understand the construction of a story. The interplay of the roles of the reporter as messenger, informant, interpreter, gatekeeper, investigator and campaigner will be looked at in each aspect of public affairs. You will visit the Scottish parliament, which will help scope the journalism practices of reporting social, economic and political stories and identify key journalists and reporting trends in each of these areas.

LO1: Develop insight into application of policy knowledge to source original and newsworthy ideas
LO2: Summarise journalistic constraints during an election.
LO3: Describe social, economic and political newsgathering
LO4: Explore the political process and tiers of government in the UK
LO5: Examine examples of best practice in campaigning journalism.