Journalist

Journalist

Choose any 4 of the following activities:

1. Find out about a career opportunity in journalism (education, training and experience required) and explain why this profession might interest you.
2. Explain the difference between a fact and an opinion.
3. Explain the term libel, slander, defamation, fair comment and criticism, public figure, privacy and malice.
4. Do one of the 2 activities:
   1. Newspaper or magazine journalism
      • Clip, read and compare a story about the same event from a national newspaper, a news magazine, an international newspaper (online) or other online source.
      • Describe how fair and accurate the stories are in presenting different points of view. Tell how each source handled the story differently, depending on its purpose or audience.
      • Visit a newspaper or magazine office. Ask for a tour of the various divisions (editorial, business, printing). During the tour, interview a reporter, editor or photographer about what makes a "good" newspaper or magazine.
   2. Radio or television journalism
      • Watch a local and national network newscast, listen to a radio newscast, or view a broadcast news source online.
      • List the different news items and features presented, the different elements used, and the time in minutes and seconds and the online space devoted to each story.
      • Compare the story lists and discuss whether the stories are fair and accurate. Explain why different news outlets treated the stories differently and/or presented a different point of view.
      • Visit a radio or television station. Ask for a tour of the various departments related to news broadcast. During the tour, interview the station manager or other news staff about what makes a "good" station. If possible, go with a reported to cover a news event.
5. Do one of the following:
   • Attend a scouting event and write a 200-word article (feature or hard news) about the event. Use either the inverted pyramid style or the chronological style. Review the article with Akela, then submit it to your pack newspaper or community newsletter for consideration.
   • Take a series of photographs to help tell the story of the event in pictures. Include news photos and feature photos in your presentation. Write a brief synopsis of the events as well as captions for your photos.
   • Interview someone in your community who is influential because of his or her leadership, talent, career, or life experiences then write a report about this person.