The pitch is one of the most important parts of a story - it convinces an editor or producer that your idea is solid, interesting, and perfect for their publication. So what makes a good pitch, and how much preparation should you get done beforehand?

Copyright 2010 Lawrie Zion / La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

Antony Funnell (Presenter, Future Tense, ABC Radio National) talks about his work on Future Tense, how radio documentaries are constructed, and making complex science stories accessible to a general audience.

Copyright 2010 Lawrie Zion / La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

This lecture explores how reading scripts out aloud can develop your broadcast writing skills, and explores some of the vocal techniques that broadcasters use when posing questions and delivering intros. Our guest is Tracee Hutchison, who has worked as a broadcaster for ABC TV and radio for much of the last 25 years.

Copyright 2010 Lawrie Zion / La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

When you're doing a profile interview on a politician you need to be well prepared. Politicians are regularly interviewed, are well practised, and sometimes it can be a challenge to get an answer that isn't spin. How do you go about structuring an interview, and how do you go about research preparation?

Copyright 2010 Lawrie Zion / La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

Profiles are a staple of all media formats. But why are they so popular? What are the ingredients of profile interviews? And are there differences when it comes to preparing profile interviews for broadcast and print?

Copyright 2010 Lawrie Zion / La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

In this example-based lecture we identify the components of TV news stories, how they are written for broadcast, and then repurposed for the web. Is web newswriting becoming more like broadcast writing, and less like print?

Copyright 2010 Lawrie Zion / La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

Broadcast writing differs greatly from its counterpart in print media. The main principle behind broadcast writing is simple: keep it short and to the point. Scripts must be clear, concise, accurate and elegant. Avoid inaccuracies, confusing usage and newspaper-style journalese for the airwaves.

This week, we’ll look at the principles of broadcast writing. What are the main dos and don’ts? How we ensure that stories are as attention-grabbing as possible without resorting to crude sensationalism? And what's the significance of the rise of 'snack culture' when it comes to the traditional audiences for news and current affairs?

Copyright 2010 Lawrie Zion / La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

When it comes to mobilising a mass audience, nothing can beat television news. Australians on average watch over three hours of television every night, and studies in the USA indicate that TV news is still the dominant source of news for Americans.

The average television news story is one minute and 20 seconds long, allowing the news reporter to offer multiple perspectives on an issue. But does this always happen? How do you prepare for a TV story? This week, we’ll take a look at the basics of structuring television news stories.

Copyright 2010 Lawrie Zion / La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

Jane Cowan has worked since 2001 for the ABC. In the last year her work has been focussed on covering the Victorian bushfires - she was the first TV reporter on the ground in Marysville after Black Saturday, and she has been reporting on the 2009 Bushfires Royal Commission for ABC TV since it was established.

Copyright 2010 Lawrie Zion / La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

This course is about words – words that are usually spoken aloud, and received to the brain via the ear rather than the eye. In any medium, it is impossible to be a good journalist without being a very good writer. In journalism, a firm footing in certain standards is needed.

Broadcast journalism is a mere 100 years old. Today there is no simple division between the broadcast media and print.

We'll look at a 2009 Triple J advertisement for cross media journalists and a current ad for a 'content maker'. What do these ads tell about what's happening in the media?

Copyright 2010 Lawrie Zion / La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.