Essential Journalism: News, Opinion & Feature writing

    • Individual tuition Organised upon request

      Online

    • Group of up to three students Organised upon request — join with your friends! :)

      Online
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    This comprehensive online course allows young adults with no prior experience in journalism to prepare their first articles for Harbingers’ Magazine.

    The Essential Journalism course is the cornerstone of our mission. It allows teenagers joining the Harbingers’ Magazine project to practice three key journalistic forms, from pitching, through, researching, writing and editing in collaboration with the magazine’s Editorial Board.

    The programme consists of twenty sessions which cover ethical, legal and practical aspects of journalism and guided workshops on reporting, opinion, and feature article writing.

    The objectives of the course are to allow the student to employ their interests in journalistic writing, strengthen research, critical thinking and writing skills, deepen their knowledge in subjects of interest, develop an opening to a portfolio of articles and equip the student with knowledge allowing them to become more conscious consumers of news.

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    Learn from professional journalists...

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      Tatev Hovhannisyan

      Deputy editor-in-chief
      Academic director

      Tatev Hovhannisyan

      Deputy editor-in-chief
      Academic director

      Based in Armenia, Tatev is an international investigative journalist and editor with 13 years of editorial experience. Until August of 2023, she was openDemocracy’s Europe and Eurasia editor. Her writing has appeared in numerous international media outlets, including the BBC, Euronews, and the Guardian.

      Tatev is also a lecturer at the Yerevan Brusov State University of Languages and Social Sciences.

      In 2023, Tatev received the Journalists for Human Rights 2023 award for her investigation into illegal adoptions. In 2022, she won an Emma Goldman Award for innovative research on feminist and inequality issues in Europe – the first time a journalist has won the award.

      Courses:

      unnamed 2

      Sarah Hussain

      Chief reporter
      Head of partnerships

      Sarah Hussain

      Chief reporter
      Head of partnerships

      Before joining the OXSFJ, Sarah was a Specialist Reporter at Archant Media Group’s Eastern Daily Press, where she covered the cost of living crisis, deprivation and mental health, and the war in Ukraine.

      With almost a decade of experience in the industry, Sarah holds the Level 6 National Qualification in Journalism and received the 2022 NQJ Media Law and Ethics in Practice Award. She has conducted high-profile interviews with Liz Truss and Jeremy Corbyn amongst others.

      Courses:

      kimberly yanez

      Kimberly Yanez

      Managing editor
      Head of communications

      Kimberly Yanez

      Managing editor
      Head of communications

      Kimberly Yanez is a seasoned Venezuelan Communications Specialist based in Canada. Her career has seen her transition seamlessly between the fast-paced world of beat journalism, where she covered everything from community issues to national crises, and the creative realm of copywriting, crafting compelling narratives for products and brands.

      Whether reporting on the ground or developing engaging content strategies, her work is characterized by a commitment to storytelling that resonates with diverse audiences.

      She holds a Joint University Master’s Degree in Journalism, Media, and Globalization from Aarhus University and the University of Amsterdam, a testament
      to her academic pursuit of understanding the media’s intricate dance with society.

      But beyond the degrees and accolades, it’s the stories that have shaped her – the whispered confessions of a community in crisis, the triumphant tales of brands
      breaking barriers. Now, she pretty much loves passing her knowledge to a new generation of ethical writers at Harbinger’s Magazine.

      Courses:

      tharushi weerasinghe

      Tharushi Weerasinghe

      Journalist

      Tharushi Weerasinghe

      Journalist

      Tharushi Weerasinghe is an award-winning freelance journalist based in Colombo, Sri Lanka, specializing in environmental issues, politics, and social justice reporting. Her work appears in the Sunday Times (Sri Lanka) and other regional publications.

      Her climate journalism includes on-ground reporting from the United Nation’s COP27 (Egypt) and COP28 (UAE) have exposed state mismanagement of resources and ecologically damaging policy-making within Sri Lanka. She was also an on-ground reporter of the “Aragalaya”, the Sri Lankan anti-government protests that took place in 2022.

      Weerasinghe is a multiple grant awardee fellow at the Earth Journalism Network and Stanley Centre for Peace and Security. She was awarded the Denzil Peiris Young Reporter of the Year 2023 award and the Upali Wijewardene Best Feature Writer of the Year 2023 award by the Sri Lanka Press Institute and Editor’s Guild. She was also the two-time winner of the aforementioned Young Reporter of the Year Merit award in 2021 and 2022. She is also the Lakshman Kadirgamar Scholar of 2024 to the Manorama School of Communication in Kerala, India where she is currently studying journalism alongside a law degree from the University of London.

      Courses:

    Entry requirements

    The course is open to students aged 15 and older in pre-university education, regardless of their country of residence. To be able to take full advantage of the course, students should have a good command of English and a computer with unrestricted access to high-speed broadband. Prior experience in journalism or publishing is not required.

    Organisation

    The course consists of twenty 50-minute-long sessions organised via Google Meets.

    The course can be taught individually or in a group of two or three students. We welcome schools enrolling their students for group courses and groups of friends who wish to join Harbingers’ Magazine together. Please note, however, that it is unlikely that we will be able to find other participants for a group course, especially on short notice.

    All remote learning courses are organised upon request. We have mentors in all regions of the world, but our ability to organise a course depends on their availability.

    Fees & Contact

    The price of the 20-session Essential Journalism course taught individually is £2,400. Individual tuition allows the most flexible scheduling, allowing course completion within a short or extended timeframe and session rescheduling with 24-hour notice (subject to the availability of alternate slots).

    Essential Journalism taught to a group of two students costs £1,200 per person, and, with a group of three students, the price is £800 per person. In all group settings, sessions are scheduled for set days each week; tutors will do their best to accommodate the group’s requests for rescheduling and holiday breaks.

    The Oxford School for the Future of Journalism is a not-for-profit company with an extensive scholarship programme. If you are a student from an underserved community, please indicate while applying for your fee to be reduced or waived. In such a case, the OXSFJ may request supporting evidence before making the decision.

     

    To apply or arrange a meeting with a member of our staff, please email us at office@oxsfj.com or fill out the Inquire form.

    Programme

    • PART ONE: INTRODUCTION

    • Session 1: What is Journalism?

    • Session 2: Legal and ethical aspects of journalism

    • Session 3: Audience and editorial procedures

    • PART TWO: REPORTING

    • Session 4: What’s news writing

    • Session 5: Pitching your first news article ideas

    • Session 6: News writing vs essay writing

    • Session 7: Outlining the article

    • Session 8: Finalising the article

    • PART THREE: OPINION WRITING

    • Session 9: What’s an opinion artilcle

    • Session 10: How to structure op-eds

    • Session 11: Writing a column

    • Session 12: Finalising the opinion article

    • PART FOUR: FEATURES

    • Session 13: Introduction to feature writing

    • Session 14: Research and interview techniques

    • Session 15: Types of feature stories

    • Session 16: Structuring and organising a feature article

    • Session 18: Finalising feature stories

    • Session 19 & 20

      In our experience, there is a need to reserve for consultations and rescheduling throughout the course. If a student completes the programme without the need to use additional sessions, they will be used to write the fourth article.

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