Exeter Observer’s free community journalism courses provide a comprehensive introduction to public interest community journalism in the Exeter context. They cover everything required to enable participants to produce publication quality content without any prior experience.
Each course is comprised of six weekly three hour small group sessions which involve tuition, discussion and practical exercises. They are designed to enable participants to learn together, working in the round and in small groups or pairs.
The course is supported by comprehensive resources which include notes, readings and film recommendations. Written assignments include a news report and a feature article.
Individual support
Each course participant receives two individual tutorials, one after week four and another after week six. These are arranged outside scheduled course time and can be used to review assignments in detail, recap course content and discuss ongoing involvement.
Support is also provided following course completion to help participants fulfil their potential as contributors.
This could include becoming more involved in editorial and production processes, including the planned print launch, as well as writing articles for publication. We also hold regular team socials.
Eligibility
You do not need any special qualifications or previous experience of writing or journalism to participate.
If you are interested in holding wealth, power and influence to account and are prepared to put time into investigating and reporting on issues that matter to local communities then we’d like to hear from you.
We are looking for people who care about Exeter and the people who live and work here, who possess good basic literacy skills and who live in or near the city.
Active local network connections or local or sectoral insight or expertise would be a bonus.
We are also interested in applications from people with photography, film and social media skills: good journalism needs much more than words alone.
Commitment
Participants are expected to attend all six sessions and to complete all coursework and assignments. This is likely to take around eight hours each week, including session time.
They are also expected to make regular contributions to Exeter Observer after completing the course. We are happy to accommodate personal circumstances, which we will discuss on application, but are seeking commitment of eight hours a week for eighteen weeks or more.
If you are unable to commit to a six week course you might instead like to consider applying for a place on an Exeter Observer news writing seminar, which is designed to help potential contributors quickly develop core journalism skills across two full days.
How to apply
The next course will run from 10am-1pm on six Saturday mornings from 11 January to 15 February 2020 in Exeter city centre.
Please get in touch to express your interest in a place, including a few details about yourself and why you want to get involved.
There’s no need to send a CV: we prefer to meet for a chat to check we’re on the same page.