What the news is, what its functions are, what questions it must answer, what the difference is between information and news, where journalists search for information, and how they work with sources – these are some of the issues that formed the basis of one of the most important courses in journalism, The News. For six days, students worked along and together with trainers Diana Raileanu, reporter for Radio Free Europe, and Elena Robu, editor for Pro TV Chisinau channel.

The course started with the basic notions about the news. Students found out how a news story should begin, what questions it should answer, and what its structure should be. Young people learned about the lead, headline, and body of a news story, about background, and  about the types of sources and the techniques used to work with them. Another important topic referred to how citations are used and how sources should be cited. “A good citation can save a poor article,” trainer Diana Raileanu said.

In the six days of the course, students made five practical works. Thus, for the first time in their lives, they experienced field work and applied their spirit of observation, participated in a press conference, learned to work with sources and do their research. And even if at first glance they thought the course was easy, many of them found news writing a true challenge. “I understood that we should be daring, because we will sometimes have to ask uncomfortable questions,” said student Maria Svet.

At the end of the course, trainers gave some useful advice to future journalists. Elena Robu told them that a good reporter must always keep pace with their reader, viewer or listener, providing them with correct, true and neutral information. Then, Diana Railean suggested them to resist manipulation, question everything, and verify any information. “Read the press critically!” she said.

Tomorrow, SAJ students will start a new course – Magazine Journalism.