A major event just happened in your city and everyone wants to know about it. Will you be the one to report it? In this eight-week summer camp, you will learn how to find and report news for print publications. In each session we will work on important skills for reporting, from finding your angle on a story to writing for your audience to news-editorial writing techniques. 

We will meet twice a week. Day 1 is our instructional time. We will discuss important skills for journalism. Day 2 is a practical! We will use writing prompts to test our mastery of the skills learned the day before. The summer camp will end with a final project where you will present your news story to the group and me serving as the editor of our fictitious newspaper, The Outschool Times. Will your story make it to print or will it be left on the cutting room floor? 

Why should you take this class from me? I minored in News-Editorial Journalism in university. In 2006, I wrote a story about healthy eating options on campus that went viral and I’ve been involved in media ever since as a medical journalist. I’m also a published bestselling author, podcaster, and regular media contributor featured on Fox, CBS, NBC, ABC, eHealth Radio, The Brian Tracy Show, among others. Communicating news and information that changes people’s lives is a significant part of my career outside of the clinic and I’m here to teach you how to use your words to make an impact. 

As always, learning is fun when students participate and ask questions during the lessons! No prior knowledge of the subject matter is necessary. A curious mind is all that’s needed for success in this class. 

Agenda:
Week 1: Introduction to journalism and news-editorial writing.
Explanation of final project. 

Week 2: Audience analysis, finding your niche, and writing voice. 

Week 3: How to use various sources to support your story.  

Week 4: Objective reporting basics.

Week 5: Introduction to journalism ethics.

Week 6: Writing for the “new” news-editorial landscape. 

Week 7: Editing for accuracy, brevity, completeness, and more. 

Week 8: Share your news story and get peer/teacher feedback!