Journalism Principles Program
Five structured modules on how reporting actually works — from identifying a credible source to writing a lead under deadline pressure.
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Five modules. One discipline.
Each module isolates a single journalism skill. You read, you attempt questions, you see where your reasoning held up and where it did not.
News Judgment
What makes something worth reporting? This module walks through the criteria journalists use — proximity, impact, timeliness, and deviation from the expected — with scenario quizzes that put those criteria to work on real story pitches.
Source Verification
Who is qualified to speak on a topic, and how do you confirm it? Covers primary vs. secondary sourcing, document trails, and red flags that signal an unreliable claim.
Story Structure
Inverted pyramid, narrative arc, and feature structure — each pattern suits a different story type. Assignments ask you to reorganise the same information for different formats.
Ethics and Accountability
Conflict of interest, anonymous sourcing, corrections policy. Case studies drawn from documented editorial decisions help you reason through competing pressures.
Headline and Lead Writing
The first sentence and the first line of display text do the most work. Timed exercises replicate a deadline slot where a decision must be made and defended.
Read, attempt, understand why.
Pick a module
Each module opens with a short reading that frames the concept. No video to skip — just text and examples you can return to.
Answer scenario questions
Questions are built around situations, not definitions. You decide what a journalist should do, not what a term means.
Read the feedback immediately
Feedback appears after each answer — not after the whole quiz. You know where you diverged before moving to the next question.
Complete the timed assignment
The final assignment in each module runs against a clock. It replicates the conditions where most editorial errors actually happen.
Open to students anywhere in Canada
Domain was built in Thunder Bay in 2020 specifically to reach students outside major media centres. All five modules are accessible on any device, at any time.
There are no scheduled sessions. You work through the material when your schedule allows, and the feedback system works the same at 2 a.m. as it does at noon.
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