Unit 50: Writing Copy: http://quals.onefile.co.uk/pdf/unit/CMP3_050.

pdf

LO1: Gathering information

You will gather information for an article for the Henley Standard and for the
NME on the state of the live music scene in the area.

You must gather information using both primary and secondary research
techniques.

Primary research: Interviews with promotors/bands/venues/fans (vox pops).

These can be in person, over the phone, via email or by using surveys. You
could ask the Town Council for a statement and BBC Berkshire’s local music
specialist Linda Serck. Are there any problems or issues with events such as
Rewind? Traffic? Litter? Noise?

Secondary research: Using other sources such as newspaper articles, online

articles, statistics, Tweets, Facebook messages. Make sure you Harvard
reference these sources as you go along.

Research the writing styles used by each publication. The language used,
word counts, audience expectations. Contact them and ask if they produce
a style guide for journalists and if they would be interested in looking at your
finished piece. Upload any replies.
Write up this information and upload it to Unit 50, LO1 on your Weebly site

LO2: Storing and managing information

Present the information from LO1 in the form of a report. Present your findings
in a manner appropriate for the techniques used. Explain what your research
findings show and any problems/weaknesses with the data.

Explain how and where you would store this data (electronic or hard copy
and why). Would you use a USB? Would you back-up the information on
cloud storage such as Google drive. Could you keep the information
confidential? Could you easily share it with the newspaper/magazine?
Upload your report to LO2.
LO3: Be able to produce copy in different styles for different audiences,
publications and formats.

Write your articles for the Henley Standard and for the NME using language
appropriate for each publication. Make sure you use your understanding of
target audience and writing styles.
Upload both articles to LO3

LO4: Understand the responsibilities and obligations of writers

You will need to analyse the legal issues and standard that surround
journalism. How do these prevent journalists from causing harm or acting
irresponsibly but also how do they make it difficult for journalists to do their
jobs effectively? Do readers believe the press unconditionally? Or do they
understand that different organisations, such as The Daily Mail/mailonline
have their own agendas? Do different communities read stories in the same
way? For example, do minorities read press reports of incidents such as police
arrests in the same way that a older, white, middle-class reader would?

Make sure you use a range of real-life examples and test-cases throughout.
The Guardian website is an excellent source
https://www.theguardian.com/uk/media as is Press Gazette. Use information
from IPSO: https://www.ipso.co.uk/ to help you do this.
1. You need to cover representation, using examples.
Are minority groups represented fairly by the press? Gender, sexuality, BME?
Are audiences, such as minorities, catered for equally by the press?
2. Is writing style important for understanding?

You must mention style, sentence length, paragraphing, clarity, vocabulary,

register, spelling, syntax (sentence structure) and punctuation. Look at the
Guardian:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/may/27/write-better-
sentences-jane-austen-lessons

Harold Evans: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/jun/05/the-35-

words-youre-probably-getting-wrong

3. Credibility: Why are all of the following important? Objectivity, accuracy,

truth, fairness, balance.
Use test-cases and examples. Use IPSO: https://www.ipso.co.uk/
4. Law and ethics. You need to describe, explain and critically assess the
following; defamation, contempt of court, copyright, children and young
persons, confidentiality and official secrets. Codes of practice, privacy,
intrusion and harassment. What are they? Why are they there? Are they
effective?

Use test-cases and examples from Press Gazette and the Guardian. Use IPSO:
https://www.ipso.co.uk/

Upload your report to LO4.