Campus Journalism – ENGLISH Major LET Reviewer

On This LET Review:

About Campus Journalism

Campus Journalism is a topic that is often covered by the English Major Exam in the LET. Questions in this subject are related to the principles and best practices of running a school newspaper, magazine, or online publication.

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Campus Journalism Review Notes

Types of School Publications:

  • School Newspaper – a publication that prints news, articles, and editorials.
  • School Magazine – a periodical publication usually focused on a specific topic
  • School Social Media Pages – online communication networks on social networks
  • School Website and Blog – digital publications where the articles and news from the school newspaper could also be posted
  • TV Show/Radio/Morning Announcements – Additional forms of media to practice audiovisual journalism

Members of the Editorial Team

  • Editor-in-chief – they manage and oversee the production of the publication. They also decide what goes into every publication
  • Associate Editor – they assist the editor-in-chief in carrying out their duty. General associate editors do most of the writing
  • Section Editor – an editor assigned to a specific section of the publication
  • Copyeditor – they proofread the work of other editors with an emphasis on correcting grammar and fact-checking

Types of Writers

  • Journalists – news researchers and communicators who research stories of public interest and craft them in an organized, entertaining, and intriguing manner
  • Entertainment Writer – content writers focused on writing news stories about celebrities and public figures and the events they go to.
  • Columnist – a writer in the columns section of the newspaper. In this section, columnists are allowed to insert their opinion together with the story
  • Sports Writer – The writer/editor who follows sports stories, personalities, and events.
  • Copywriter – Writers of marketing materials in newspapers, magazines, and digital media
  • Assignment Reporter – a journalist assigned to a specific area or location to keep track of news in that area
  • Beat Reporter – a reporter or writer specifically assigned to write about a specific topic such as politics or the environment

Parts of a Newspaper

  • Front Page
    • Nameplate or Masthead – The name of the newspaper placed on top of the front page
    • Cut – Primary image on the front page
    • Cutline/Caption – Description of the cut/image on the front page
  • Folio – this is a line at the bottom or the top of the newspaper page where the newspaper name, page number, and publication date are inserted.
  • News Articles – composed of a headline, and a set of paragraphs that tell the news for a specific period
  • Feature Articles – articles about special topics that the editors consider to be important and of public interest. The articles usually require more preparation for the research, writing, and editing process.
  • Editorials – articles in newspapers written by editors where editors include opinions with facts.
  • Editorial Cartoon – a drawing on the editorial page showing caricatures of public figures that expresses the opinion of the publication about a specific, usually political, topic
  • Letters to the Editor – a section where letters from the readers are posted. In this section, readers can express their opinions about past articles and stories.

Parts of Newspaper Article:

  • Headline
    • the title of the article, written in large and easy-to-read fonts.
    • this should state the facts of the news story without misleading the public or taking sides in the story
    • because of the lack of space in newspaper pages, articles and prepositions may be omitted if doing so does not change the meaning
  • Byline – the part of the article mentioning the name of the writer
  • Dateline – indicates the city where the journalist was located when they reported the story
  • Deck – a secondary headline below the headline stating additional facts about the story
  • Lead – the first part of a news article stating the basic facts (what, when, where,) of the story
  • Body – the set of paragraphs after the lead that gives more description of the events and interview statements taken by the reporter from personalities relevant to the story.
  • Tail – the later parts of an article where less important details are included. This part may be removed by the editor if there is no more space on the page.
  • Jumpline – a line used when the article is not concluded on the current page. It contains the page where the story will continue if the reader chooses to continue reading

Types of Contents in the Newspaper

  • News articles – articles stating only the facts of the story of the event
  • Listicles – Articles composed of lists
  • Reviews – Articles talking about the writer’s experience on using a product or using the service of a business
  • Advertisements – sections for private individuals and businesses who buy advertising spots from the publication. This is not included in school publications
  • Classified Ads – an entire page designated for small ads of various topics
  • Op-Ed – means “opposite the editorial page”.
    • Column – a recurring article in the newspaper written by a specific writer where they provide opinions on current events. They are usually written by columnists who are experts or well-informed in the subjects they are commenting on
    • Editorial – a column written by an editor stating the opinions of the writer about an important topic. Expresses the views of the editorial board/team

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Types of Journalism

  • Investigative Journalism – a genre of journalism that tells stories of thoroughly researched topics. They can be differentiated from other types by the sheer among of research and the tactics used to obtain information that would otherwise be impossible for the layman to obtain.
  • Sports Journalism – the genre of journalism that focuses on sports events, personalities, and stories
  • Entertainment Journalism – a genre of journalism that focuses on celebrities, and public figures
  • Watchdog Journalism – the genre of journalism focused on the abuse of power by politicians and corporations (the wealthy and the powerful)
  • Trade Journalism – Writers who focus on specific professions
  • Opinion Journalism – Journalists who focus on creating Op-ed pieces
  • Online Journalism – Online journalists focus on creating digital articles

English Major LET Review: Campus Journalism Practice Test