Politics for Journalism- 2023

Major Assignment (50 marks): due 23 October 2023

Please read the instructions carefully. There are TWO parts to this assignment and you need to
complete BOTH.

Part One: Essay

You must write an essay that uses the course material (including lectures, movies and readings) to
analyse reporting on recent political events. In this essay you are asked to PICK a media article on any
ONE of the below events and comment on the historical, economic and political forces that underpin
the event and reporting. Note that the essay should be between 900 and 1500 words long.

The events are:

- The 2021 July unrest/looting in KZN

- Elections 2021
- State Capture

You are required to include the media article chosen for analysis. Please attach copies of clippings for
reference and quote media sources as usual academic references.

Part Two: Alternative story

Considering the argument made in the essay portion of the assignment, write an alternative story on
the event you have chosen. The story should be 400 – 600 words long and include at least ONE
interview with a source. This alternative story should try and consider perspectives or angles not
included in the original article or reporting on the issue broadly.

Please include the details of your source as an attachment to the written submission.

Note that all submissions will be submitted to Turnitin to check for plagiarism. All instances of
similarity to online or class sources will follow DUT’s policy for plagiarism.
You will be marked for:

1. Style

The essay should be a Minimum length 900 words and a Maximum length 1500 words.

Use Times New Roman font size 12 and 1 ½ line spacing

Make sure that your work has a cover page with your name and student number clearly
printed on it

Your essay must include page numbers

2. Content

Make sure you explain and apply the relevant theories and concepts from the course
materials. Most of your marks will come from how well you do this.

3. Creativity

How creatively you have shown your alternative story.

4. References

Make sure you reference correctly! All ideas that come from other readings must be
referenced.

If you have paraphrased an idea in your own words you will include a reference with the
authors surname and the year of publication at the end of the paraphrased sentence,
like so: The theory states that we must focus our attention on social conditions
(Frankish, 2015).

If you have directly quoted a chunk of someone else’s writing you will include a reference
with the author’s surname, the year of publication and page number after the sentence,
like so: “Social Theory draws our attention to the conditions that people live under”
(Frankish, 2015: 23).

You must include a reference page after the body of your essay which lists all your
references. Note that this is not a bibliography and will only include references you
have included in your writing.

5. Editing

Your essay should be thoroughly edited and spell checked.

You are required to take a draft of your assignment to the Writing Centre for assistance
and to help you to improve your academic English writing.