What is News?

Another busy week here on the S2R programme. We've been learning all about news, news gathering and interviewing.

Our keen junior reporters have been focusing on “What is news”. With the help of some BBC News School Report videos, we have explored all aspects of news and reporting.
Huw Edwards explained what news is and how to gather and research your news items.

This included Local, National and International News, researching stories and creating interesting articles. 

We then went on to cover:
•    News Gathering
•    Using the 5 W’s - What, Who, Where, When and Why
•    Researching and double checking your facts
•    The difference between Facts and opinions
•    Impartiality, giving both sides of an argument

Radio 1’s Natalie Jamieson then gave us an interviewing master class.
As a class we discussed the benefits of using Open rather than Closed questions, being polite, listening to the answers you are given, asking additional questions based on the interviewee’s answers. We also learnt to have conversation as if you are talking to a friend, make eye contact and above all, relax.

All of our students then wrote a news article based on what they’d learnt. As well as learning a great deal about news and interviewing, IT skills are also being improved with each and every session.