NMC 207 | Course Introduction and Application Information - Department of New Media and Communication

Course Name

Reporting

Code	Semester	Theory (hour/week)	Application/Lab (hour/week)	Local Credits	ECTS
NMC 207	Fall	3	0	3	6

Prerequisites	None
Course Language	English
Course Type	Required
Course Level	First Cycle
Mode of Delivery	face to face
Teaching Methods and Techniques of the Course	Discussion Group Work Problem Solving Q&A Critical feedback Lecture / Presentation
National Occupation Classification	-
Course Coordinator	Öğr. Gör. Dr. Sarphan Uzunoğlu
Course Lecturer(s)	Öğr. Gör. Dr. Sarphan Uzunoğlu
Assistant(s)	-

Course Objectives	This course aims not only to teach students the technical aspects of news writing but also to cultivate a critical perspective that situates journalism within its contemporary social, ethical, and technological contexts. Students will examine the public function of journalism, challenges of representation, the impact of digitalization, and the evolving ethical responsibilities of reporters. They will also engage in content production across various media platforms. The course seeks to equip students as both technically proficient and socially responsible journalists.
Learning Outcomes	The students who succeeded in this course; Explain the core components of journalistic practice and the social functions of news production. Produce news content for various media types (print, visual, audio, digital) and formats. Develop a critical awareness of journalistic ethics and assess issues related to representation, silence, and responsibility. Analyze the influence of digitalization, platformization, and artificial intelligence on news production Employ practical tools such as interviewing, news writing, podcasting, and data visualization to construct multimodal narratives.
Course Description	While maintaining its introductory character, this course approaches journalism as a practice embedded in its social functions, ethical obligations, and digital transformations. Students will learn about the structure of news production across diverse media environments—from newspapers to digital platforms—as well as key elements of news writing and interviewing techniques. In parallel, they will develop the analytical tools to assess journalism’s role in representation, silence, emotional framing, and algorithmic influence. Throughout the semester, students will produce content using written, visual, and audio storytelling techniques and will be introduced to contemporary formats such as peace journalism, environmental reporting, data journalism, and podcast narratives.
Related Sustainable Development Goals

Course Category	Core Courses
	Major Area Courses	X
	Supportive Courses
	Media and Management Skills Courses
	Transferable Skill Courses

Week	Subjects	Related Preparation
1	The social function of news, historical development of journalism, legitimacy and production of information	Harcup, T. (2015). Journalism: Principles and Practice (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications. (pp. 1-19)
2	Basic structure in news writing, “headline”, “lead”,“intro format", 5W1H as narrative scaffolding	Harcup, T. (2015). Journalism: Principles and Practice (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications. (pp. 20-51)
3	Types of sources, accuracy and transparency, anonymous sources, institutional trust	Harcup, T. (2015). Journalism: Principles and Practice (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications. (pp. 146-190)
4	Historical and theoretical background of “hard news” vs. “soft news”; how news forms affect perception and reality	Reinemann, C., Stanyer, J., Scherr, S., & Legnante, G. (2012). Hard and soft news: A review of concepts, operationalizations and key findings. Journalism, 13(2), 221–239. https://doi.org/10.1177/1464884911427803
5	Silencing practices in journalism, representation of marginalized communities, ethical boundaries	Harcup, T. (2022). What’s the Point of News? A Study in Ethical Journalism. Oxford University Press. (pp. 75-88)
6	Practices of on-the-ground reporting, journalism as witnessing, trauma-informed journalism	Harcup, T. (2015). Journalism: Principles and Practice (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications. (pp. 256-270)
7	Gender-sensitive reporting, gender as a journalistic lens, identity politics in news narratives	Al-Zoubi, O., Ahmad, N., & Hamid, N. A. (2024). Artificial intelligence in newsrooms: Ethical challenges facing journalists. Studies in Media and Communication, 12(1), 401-409. https://doi.org/10.11114/smc.v12i1.6587
8	Reporting crime and violence, ethical boundaries, victim representation, sensationalism vs. responsibility	Peters, C., & Broersma, M. (2017). Rethinking journalism again: Societal role and public relevance in a digital age. Routledge. (Chapter 6: Journalism on social media) Degen, M., Olgemöller, M., & Zabel, C. (2024). Quality Journalism in Social Media – What We Know and Where We Need to Dig Deeper. Journalism Studies, 25(4), 399–420. https://doi.org/10.1080/1461670X.2024.2314204
9	Midterm
10	Conflict-sensitive journalism, peace journalism principles, war correspondence ethics	Wahl-Jorgensen, K. (2019). Emotions, media and politics. Polity Press. (Chapter 2: Affective News) ISBN: 978-0-745-66104-9
11	Editorial Planning and Multiformat Production
12	Writing by Media Format: TV and Radio	White, T. (2005). Broadcast news: Writing, reporting, and producing (4th ed.). Focal Press. (pp. 107–145)
13	Narrative Length and Memory: News in Documentary Form
14	E-bulletin Format and Personalized News Language; Search engine, content optimization and measurement	The Fix Media. (2024). Newsletter best practices for audience engagement. [White paper]
15	Evaluation
16	Final exam

Course Notes/Textbooks

● Harcup, Tony. 2015. Journalism: principles and practice. Sage Publishing. ISBN: 1446274098

● Harcup, Tony, 2022. What's the Point of News? - A Study in Ethical Journalism. Oxford University Press ISBN: 303039946X

Suggested Readings/Materials

Hargreaves, Ian, 2014. Journalism: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press.
Herman, E.S. and Chomsky, N., 2010. Manufacturing consent: The political economy of the mass media. Random House
Bailey, Olga; Cammaerts, Bart and Carpentier, Nico. 2008. Understanding Alternative Media. McGraw-Hill Education.
Anderson, C.W.; Downie Jr, Leonard and Schudson, Michael. 2016. The News Media: What Everyone Needs to Know. Oxford University Press.
Gillespie, Bruce. 2018. News Writing and Reporting: An Introduction to Skills
and Theory. Oxford University Press.

Semester Activities	Number	Weigthing
Participation	1	10
Laboratory / Application
Field Work
Quizzes / Studio Critiques	4	40
Portfolio	1	10
Homework / Assignments	1	30
Presentation / Jury	1	5
Project	1	5
Seminar / Workshop
Oral Exams
Midterm
Final Exam
Total

Weighting of Semester Activities on the Final Grade	8	80
Weighting of End-of-Semester Activities on the Final Grade	3	20
Total

Semester Activities	Number	Duration (Hours)	Workload
Theoretical Course Hours (Including exam week: 16 x total hours)	16	3	48
Laboratory / Application Hours (Including exam week: '.16.' x total hours)	16		0
Study Hours Out of Class	14	5	70
Field Work			0
Quizzes / Studio Critiques	4	5	20
Portfolio	1	10	10
Homework / Assignments	3	5	15
Presentation / Jury	1	5	5
Project	1	10	10
Seminar / Workshop			0
Oral Exam			0
Midterms			0
Final Exam			0
		Total	178

#	Program Competencies/Outcomes	* Contribution Level
#	Program Competencies/Outcomes	1	2	3	4	5
1	To be able to critically discuss and interpret the theories, concepts and ideas that form the basis of the discipline of new media and communication.	-	-	-	-	-
2	To be able to critically interpret theoretical debates concerning the relations between the forms, agents, and factors that play a role in the field of new media and communication.	-	-	-	-	-
3	To have the fundamental knowledge and ability to use the technical equipment and software programs required by the new media production processes.	-	X	-	-	-
4	To be able to gather, scrutinize and scientifically investigate data in the processes of production and distribution.	-	-	-	X	-
5	To be able to use the acquired theoretical knowledge in practice.	-	-	-	-	-
6	To be able to take responsibility both individually and as a member of a group to develop solutions to problems encountered in the field of new media and communication.	-	-	-	-	-
7	To be informed about national, regional, and global issues and problems; to be able to generate problem-solving methods depending on the quality of evidence and research, and to acquire the ability to report the conclusions of those methods to the public.	-	-	-	-	X
8	To be able to critically discuss and draw on theories, concepts and ideas that form the basis of other disciplines complementing the field of new media and communication studies.	-	-	-	-	-
9	To be able to develop and use knowledge and skills towards personal and social goals in a lifelong process.	-	-	-	-	-
10	To be able to apply social, scientific and professional ethical values in the field of new media and communication.	-	-	X	-	-
11	To be able to collect datain the areas of new media and communication and communicate with colleagues in a foreign language ("European Language Portfolio Global Scale", Level B1).	-	-	-	-	-
12	To be able to speak a second foreign language at a medium level of fluency efficiently.	-	-	-	-	-
13	To be able to relate the knowledge accumulated throughout the human history to their field of expertise.	-	-	-	-	-