This course is structured around three core components: students learn about the daily routines and challenges of professional journalism, engage in direct discussion with a journalist about the proliferation of fake news, and explore both topics through interactive, playful exercises.
A central lesson journalists aim to impart is that news is not always a simple binary of true or false. In the media, one frequently encounters nuanced situations where information may be partially accurate or presented with a mix of fact and distortion. A common example is hybrid reporting, where the factual core of a story is wrapped in misleading presentation or framing.
Another fundamental principle taught is the critical distinction between news and opinion. The journalists explain how outlets like RTL Luxembourg maintain this separation: standard news reports are dedicated to factual accounts of events, while journalist commentary and analysis are confined to clearly labelled “Opinion Pieces.”
Additionally, the course illustrates the practical constraints of journalism. Students are shown that it is not always feasible to cover every single aspect of a complex event. As a result, editorial choices about focus and emphasis are necessary. This can lead to different reports on the same event, depending on which elements a newsroom chooses to highlight.
