JOUR235
Economics of New Media Journalism
In today's competitive marketplace, you need more than writing and reporting skills to launch a freelance journalism career.
This course outlines basic business strategies that can mean the difference between success and failure in your first year. Topics include identifying sources of supplementary writing income, including advertorials and corporate gigs, and the importance of trade organizations and professional bodies, where journalists network and learn about writing opportunities. You will map out a preliminary freelance business plan.
Instructor: Remy Scalza
This course is available only as part of the New Media Journalism Certificate.
What will I learn?
By the end of the course, you will be able to do the following:
- Supplement your income through corporate writing, advertorials, annual reports, and related opportunities
- Network with a community of local, national, and international journalists, both through formal professional organizations and informal channels
- Identify local, national, and international journalism trade bodies and professional organizations for networking purposes, as well as their respective membership requirements
- Take advantage of informal networking opportunities with established journalists and editors
- Assess the value of unpaid writing gigs, including internships and online outlets
- Seek out corporate clients and pitch your writing services
- Develop a self-promotion strategy that embraces traditional resources and social media
- Evaluate channels for self-promotion, including websites, Twitter, Facebook, and other resources
- Outline a basic business plan that satisfies your financial needs and helps you survive the critical first years of freelancing
How will I learn?
- Lectures
- Class discussions
- In-class exercises
- Homework assignments and exercises
What are my responsibilities?
- Participation in classroom discussion
- Attendance at a professional/trade event outside of class
- Preparation of original work for submission in a refereed contest
- Short assignment: A self-promotion strategy outline
- A two-year freelance business plan charting the following: small regional and larger national and international publications for which you intend to write (including editors’ contact info, professional trade events and conferences you plan to attend, awards competitions in which you intend to participate, informal networking strategies, supplementary income sources, and yearly income goals.
How will I be evaluated?
We will evaluate you on your level of class participation, the required assignments, and your capstone project.
Textbooks and learning materials
You need a copy of the Canadian Press Stylebook. We will provide other custom course materials.