Here is the assignment brief.

Module title Political Journalism
Assessment title Essay
Assessment task details and instructions

 

The essay should address one of the following topics :

 

·         Assess the relevance of political journalism in public service media provision

 

·         Critically evaluate the significance of media convergence for approaches to, and expectations of, political journalism

 

·         To what extent and how has UK political journalism assisted the public debate on EU withdrawal?

 

  • Assess the impact of the lobby system in political journalism

 

  • Assess the impact of social media in election campaigns

 

·         Analyse the role of the spin doctor in political journalism

 

These are mainly very broad topics so you will need to apply the general principles to a limited number of specific case studies
Assessed intended learning outcomes

 

On successful completion of this assessment, you will be able to:

  • demonstrate an awareness of the UK lobby system and its relation to political reporting
  • critically analyse the use of social media in political reporting
  • demonstrate an understanding of election reporting in both the UK and US

and/or show a critical awareness of the role and relationships of the reporter, politicians and press officers

 
Module Aims

•          Develop a critical understanding of the challenges, constraints and influences facing journalists engaged in political reporting;

•          Evaluate the ethical dilemmas involved in political reporting and in particular the pressures around editorial control, the lobby system and spin;

•          Deploy professional skills including original research and interviewing to produce an original piece of journalism including political interviews;

•          Demonstrate an informed ability to critically evaluate your own work;

•          Demonstrate an analysis of political campaigns and the contrasting system in the US.
Word count/ duration

2,200 words

The word count includes all citations but not the Bibliography.
Assessment Criteria

Marks for your assessment will be allocated based on

·         Understanding of political journalism in regional, national and international contexts

·         Critical analysis of political processes

·         Ability to engage the reader and present an argument

·         Evidence of engagement with wider reading

You should consult Blackboard for detailed grade or mark descriptors.