Module Guide
Site: Eduvos LMS Printed by: Ezaad Spadonie
Course: Journalism Writing 1A Date: Thursday, 26 March 2026, 10:22 AM
Book: Module Guide
Table of contents
1. Module Information
2. Module Aim
3. Module Description
4. Learning Outcomes
5. myLMS Module Page
6. Prescribed Resources
7. Recommended Resources
8. Supporting Documents
9. Essential Requirements
10. Time Allocation Guideline: Full-Time Students
11. Time Allocation Guideline: Part-Time Students
12. Assessment
13. Formative Assessment
13.1. Assignment
14. Summative Assessment
14.1. Project
15. Plagiarism
16. Final Mark
17. Details of Assessments
18. Consultations
19. Module Content
19.1. First Block
1. Module Information
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Faculty Humanities NQF Level 5
Module Code MSJWA1 Credit Value 10
Module Name Journalism Writing 1A Notional Hours 100
Prerequisites/
Year Level 1 N/A
Corequisites
Duration of Module 1 Block Copy Editor Michelle Roos
The module guide must be read in conjunction with the myLMS page and prescribed textbook. This
document will be the first port of call to understanding what will be assessed and which
assessments form part of the module.
The purpose of the module guide is to highlight:
The learning outcomes and assessment criteria that need to be met to pass the module
The assessments required to be completed for the module
The additional resources required for the module
The topics that will be focused on for the module
2. Module Aim
The aim of this module is to introduce the relevant theory relating to print journalism as well as the
fundamentals of news content, news gathering and news writing.
3. Module Description
Journalism Writing 1A introduces you to traditional news media, the basics of and distinctions
between public relations and journalism as well as how the public relations practitioner and the
journalist combine their expertise to publish news. You will also be introduced to the structures
and functions of the editorial newsrooms of magazines and newspapers.
4. Learning Outcomes
By the end of this module, you will be able to:
Learning Outcome Assessment Criteria
1.1 Define public relations and journalism.
1.2 Distinguish between the roles fulfilled by
public relations practitioners and journalists
respectively.
1. Define and di!erentiate between journalism
1.3 Examine the content tactics and tools used
and public relations.
in public relations for the media.
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1.4 Describe how public relations and
journalism interact with one another.
1.5 Describe the role of a journalist.
2.1 Identify and define news using relevant
examples.
2.2 Di!erentiate and identify the di!erent
types of news.
2.3 Assess how various news forms can be
applied in the context of either hard or soft
2. Demonstrate an understanding of and the
news.
ability to implement the various print news
writing techniques and methods.
2.4 Define and apply news values in news
writing and reporting.
2.5 Explain the basic terminologies necessary
during the news-generating process.
2.6 Demonstrate the relevant skills in news
writing for print media.
3.1 Define relevant print journalism
terminology.
3. Demonstrate an understanding of the 3.2 Examine the print media of newspapers
concept of print media platforms. and magazines.
3.3 Identify the di!erent characteristics of print
media platforms.
5. myLMS Module Page
This myLMS page is built to ensure that you receive guidance on how to approach your module and
it includes documentation to assist you in succeeding. You will be required to engage daily with all
the material on your myLMS page to enable you to pass the module. It is important that you utilise
the following resources available on your myLMS module page:
Module guide
Module lessons
Blended learning activities
Assessments
Important notifications from your lecturer
Module announcements (discussion forums)
Links to lectures, lecture recordings and prescribed videos (where applicable)
Additional academic documents can be found on the myDocuments myLMS page.
6. Prescribed Resources
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Textbook
Clear, A. 2021. Dynamics of Public Relations and Journalism: A Practical Guide and new perspective for
Media Studies. 5th ed. Cape Town: Juta & Co.
ISBN: 9781485130949
Take note: It is recommended that you use this latest edition as older editions of this textbook will di!er
in content.
Trujillo, T. 2018. Writing and Reporting News You Can Use. 1st ed. Cape Town: Jonathan Ball.
ISBN: 9781138284272
Videos
Week 3:
BBC My World. 2020. What is news? Video [Online] Available at: [Link]
v=YaSbs-HdroU [Accessed: 14 February 2023].
BBC My World. 2020. How do journalists find news? Video [Online] Available at:
[Link] [Accessed: 14 February 2023].
7. Recommended Resources
Take note that all disciplines and their corresponding textbooks are frequently updated. Therefore,
you should use the latest editions, where available. Recommended resources should be used for
research purposes. There is a range of resources related to this module, including the following:
Textbooks
Beekman, L., Dube, C., Potgieter, H. and Underhill, J. 2019. Academic Literacy. 3rd ed. Juta & Co.
Stovall, J.G. 2005. Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How. Boston: Pearson Education
Online Documents
Purdue Online Writing Lab. 2023. Journalism and Journalistic Writing: Introduction. [Online]. Available
from:
[Link]
[Accessed: 11 January 2024].
8. Supporting Documents
Geyer, L., Levin, A., Makati, P., Pierce, R., Potter, M., and Wheeler, A. 2025. Eduvos Guide to
Referencing (Harvard Referencing Method). Unpublished document. Eduvos.
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9. Essential Requirements
Access to the institution’s Learning Management System (myLMS) to access all study material.
Access to Microsoft Teams to attend online lectures and consultations.
Access to a resource centre or an online library with a wide range of relevant resources
including textbooks, newspaper articles, journal articles, organisational publications and
databases.
Access to a range of academic journals in electronic format via ProQuest or other databases.
10. Time Allocation Guideline: Full-Time Students
Week Week Week Week Week Week Week Week Week
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
myLMS
Lessons and 2 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 0
Activities
Online Classes 0 0 4 0 4 0 4 0 0
On-site Classes 0 4 0 4 0 4 0 4 0
Formative
0 2 3 3 3 2 0 0 0
Assessments[1]
Summative
0 0 0 0 4 5 7 5 8
Assessments[2]
Total 2 10 11 11 15 15 15 13 8
Overall Total 100 Hours
[1] This time includes the preparation time and assessment time.
[2] This time includes the preparation time and assessment time.
11. Time Allocation Guideline: Part-Time Students
Week Week Week Week Week Week Week Week Week
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
myLMS
Lessons and 2 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 0
Activities
Online Classes 0 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 0
Formative
0 2 3 3 3 2 0 0 0
Assessments[1]
Summative
0 0 0 0 4 5 7 5 8
Assessments[2]
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Total 2 10 11 11 15 15 15 13 8
Overall Total 100 Hours
[1] This time includes the preparation time and assessment time.
[2] This time includes the preparation time and assessment time.
12. Assessment
Assessments will take place continually during the block to evaluate your progress throughout the
module.
Assessment = Formative assessment + Summative assessment
All assessments must be submitted through Turnitin, on the assessment tile, within your myLMS
module page. Assessments must not be submitted via Turnitin on the campus page(s).
You may be required to complete some assessments online on myLMS. The following guidelines
may apply:
You may be required to write an online assessment directly on myLMS. You will need to log in
at a specified time to attempt the assessment. Once the allocated time expires, the
assessment will no longer be available to complete.
Time limits should be checked before commencing assessments. Refer to the Details of
Assessments table in this module guide.
Ensure that your internet connection is stable.
In some cases, assessments will not be available indefinitely and will be available for only a
day or two.
The marks for some assessments may only be available after all students have attempted the
assessment after the assessment due date.
It is the students’ responsibility to retrieve their assessment feedback and verify their marks on the
day they are released. No adjustment of marks will be entertained beyond one week after marks
are released.
13. Formative Assessment
13.1. Assignment
There will be one formative assessment for this block. This assignment is an individual assessment.
The assessment will contribute 40% towards the final mark. There will not be a deferred
opportunity. Refer to the Details of Assessments table for dates and times of release and
submission.
Assignments must be submitted on or before the due date to the lecturer as per arrangement (or
as otherwise stipulated). Five percent (5%) will be deducted for every day that the assignment is
late, up to a maximum of three days. Assignments that are more than three days late will be
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awarded a zero.
14. Summative Assessment
The pass mark for a summative assessment is 50%. In order to pass the module, a sub-minimum
mark of 40% or higher is required for the summative assessment and a final average of 50% or
higher is required for the entire module.
If you do not pass a module after the initial summative assessment, you will be eligible for a
supplementary assessment. The maximum mark for the supplementary assessment will be capped
at 50%, and formative marks will not be considered in the final mark calculation.
A summative assessment schedule will be released to students on myLMS with their timetabled
assessment dates before Week 5 of each block. This schedule will be made available on the
MyDocuments page on myLMS.
14.1. Project
This assessment is an individual assessment. The assessment will contribute 60% towards the final
mark. There will be a deferred opportunity. Refer to the Details of Assessments table for dates and
times of release and submission.
Take Note: If a student fails the initial project, they can re-submit for the deferred/supplementary
opportunity at the date specified for the assessment. The question would remain the same as the
initial question for the project.
The summative assessment has a sub-minimum requirement of at least 40%. Supplementary
opportunities may be available for selected assessments (refer to the Details of Assessments table)
for students who fail the summative assessment(s), and these will cover the entire module’s
content. These will be scheduled in the allocated weeks as per the academic year calendar and may
be in the form of a re-submission opportunity dependent on the type of summative assessment.
To make up for a missed summative assessment, you may be able to attempt a deferred
summative assessment. This is dependent on the circumstance that a"ected your ability to attempt
the original assessment. However, to qualify for the deferred assessment, you will have to follow
various procedures and meet certain criteria. You must complete a Deferred Assessment Application
Form available on myLMS, and you will be required to pay a non-refundable fee per application. The
deferred summative assessment will be attempted at the same time as the supplementary
summative assessment and will cover the entire module's content. A student who has been
granted a deferred assessment and who does not present themself, or fails the assessment, will
not be permitted a supplementary opportunity, and will need to re-attempt the module as
stipulated in the Conditions of Enrolment.
15. Plagiarism
All assignments and reports must be submitted to the online similarity checker (Turnitin) available
on myLMS prior to being submitted for marking. When submitting your assignment/report, it is
compulsory to submit the entire Turnitin report. Marks will be deducted in accordance with the
institutional policy.
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Also, when submitting assessments you should include the applicable completed and signed
assessment coversheet as an acknowledgement that the work submitted is your own original work,
except for source material explicitly acknowledged. This declaration will serve as proof that you are
aware of the institution’s policies and regulations on academic integrity.
16. Final Mark
In order to pass the module, a final average of 50% or higher is required for the entire module.
The final mark is calculated as follows:
Final Mark [(Formative Assessment percentage × 0.40) + (Summative Assessment percentage ×
0.60)]
17. Details of Assessments
Sub-
Assessment Lecture Release Submission Submission
Assessment Weighting Minimum Duration
Method Week Week Week Time
Requirement
Formative Assessment
Assignment 40% Week 5 N/A Week 1 Week 5 23:59 5 weeks
(Covers Weeks 1 – 4)
TOTAL WEIGHT OF
FORMATIVE 40%
ASSESSMENTS
As per As per
Summative Assessment
summative summative
(covers all Learning Project 60% Week 8 40% Week 5 4 weeks
assessment assessment
Outcomes)
schedule schedule
Supplementary/Deferred As per As per As per As per As per
Resubmissions
Summative Assessment Project module summative summative summative summative
are capped at 40%
(covers all Learning (resubmission) content assessment assessment assessment assessment
50%
Outcomes) table schedule schedule schedule schedule
TOTAL WEIGHT OF
SUMMATIVE 60%
ASSESSMENTS
TOTAL WEIGHT 100%
18. Consultations
Lecturers will be available for consultations. Specific details in this regard will be made available on
your campus specific myLMS pages. You must give lecturers 24 hours’ notice for appointments.
Consultation meetings can be requested via email. It is important that you detail the requirements
(chapter, section, etc.) for your consultation.
19. Module Content
You are required to attend all lessons. In addition, exercises and activities, which are supplied by
lecturers, are compulsory.
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19.1. First Block
Learning Topics and Assessment
Assessments References
Weeks Criteria Covered
Chapter 1
Induction and
Definition of
Orientation
journalism
The purpose of
Week 0 Introduction to
journalism
Journalism
The role of a journalist
Citizen journalist
AC: 1.1, 1.5
Chapter 1
Defining public relations
What are public
and journalism
Week 1 relations and
AC: 1.1 – 1.2; 1.5 journalism?
Chapter 2
Convergence of public
relations and journalism
The convergence of Chapter 5
public relations and The planning and
Week 2 journalism management of
content for PR and
AC: 1.3 – 1.4
Journalism
Content tactics
and tools
Chapter 3
What is news?
Defining and What is news?
understanding the news Criteria for news
Week 3
Types of news
AC: 2.1 – 2.3
Categories of
news
Chapter 3
What is news?
News values
News sources and news
Evolution of news
gathering
Week 4 in the digital era?
AC: 2.4 – 2.5 News sources
and news
gathering
Print media –
newspapers and Chapter 6
magazines Print Media -
Week 5 Assignment newspapers and
AC: 2.6 magazines
AC: 3.1 – 3.3
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Chapter 11
Writing Skills
Writing skills
needed by PR
practitioners
News writing skills and
Media releases
techniques Part 1
Week 6 and media
AC: 2.6 advisories
General writing
tips
Online writing
tips
Chapter 11
Writing Skills
Storytelling for
PR and
journalism
News writing skills and
Online
techniques Part 2
Week 7 press/newsrooms
AC: 2.6 Features
General articles
Light stories
Captions
Headlines
Week 8 Summative Assessment
Supplementary/Deferred Assessment
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