MDS 3330 Arts, Entertainment, and Culture Reporting

3 Hours

Prerequisites: MDS 1130 and MDS 2230

In the past decade, arts and entertainment journalism has shed its former status as a fluffy diversion from the “real” news of the day, to become a media powerhouse, with its own 24-hour news cycle dominating headlines, magazine covers, newscasts, websites, and social media feeds. This class will explore how it is best practiced in the current media climate. Students will be challenged to find news value in entertainment and culture without buying into the buzz and clickbait. This course will help students develop skills as a journalist, writer, and multimedia storyteller while learning how to navigate and communicate with global perspectives in deadline-driven situations. Students will also be expected to learn and develop the basics of interviewing and apply standard media ethics to the journalistic process. Various aspects of freelance reporting, the staple of arts, entertainment, and culture reporting in America today, will also be studied.