Journalism

Journalism is an integral branch of media and communication studies. At first, the term 'journalism' may bring to mind the sight of newsreaders in business suits, reporters in war-zones, or even the humble broadsheet newspaper. But not only is there more to journalism than that, there's also more within journalism than might be imagined.

In its broadest sense, journalism is the coverage and broadcast of current events which may include political affairs, economic matters, or even the celebrity gossip you see on newsstand tabloid magazines. Sports journalists make sure you know which team won, by how much, and what the losing team did wrong. Photojournalists prefer telling their stories with pictures, not words. Documentaries are lengthy, intensively researched features which condense a lot of information about a particular subject into a couple of hours. And with the internet, we are seeing the rise of citizen journalists whose only qualifications are being at the right place at the right time with a camera and an internet connection.

Little wonder then that journalism is such a rich field of study. Along with the field of journalism comes consideration of ethical principles, arguments about the degree of freedom granted to the press, and the biases that some publications may explicitly or covertly display. A degree in journalism prepares someone to work as an editor, researcher, public relations manager, or media expert. You too could be a journalist!

To stay up to date in the field, the following journals will be important to students: Journalism, Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, and Journalism Studies.

The following are also highly recommended:

• Associated Press Broadcast News Handbook - Brad
  Kalbfeld
• Journalism Next: A Practical Guide to Digital Reporting and Publishing - Mark Briggs
• The Elements of Journalism: What Newspeople Should
  Know and the Public Should Expect - Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel

On a level appropriate for a student seeking college homework help, another useful online tutorial exploring popular readerships is offered by MIT's OpenCourseWare and is titled Media in Cultural Context: Popular Readership.

To fulfill our tutoring mission of online education, our college homework help and online tutoring centers are standing by 24/7, ready to assist college students who need homework help with all aspects of journalism. Our media studies can help with all your projects, large or small, and we challenge you to find better online journalism tutoring anywhere.