Covering Traumatic Events

Catalog description

(cross-leveled with JOURN 4424 ). This course will prepare reporters and future newsroom managers across platforms for the ethical, practical and emotional challenges of reporting accurately and sensitively on traumatic events. It will give students a deeper understanding of the psychological impact of such events, including natural and man-made disasters, violent crime, accidents, terrorism and war. The course will explore how news coverage affects individuals and communities, and the psychological challenges and ethical hazards for the journalists who cover these events, with a focus on best newsroom practices for managing fast-breaking news stories and mitigating the effects on communities and staffs. The course will also explore the challenges of technology in the context of traumatic events and how social media have affected coverage of and response to crime, war and disasters. Graded on A-F basis only. Credit Hour s : 3 Prerequisites: C- or higher in JOURN 7180 or C- or higher in JOURN 7200