15 Feb This assignment is designed to reinforce understanding of what is news, according to the media. It is also designed to get you thinking like a reporter on behalf of your business,

This assignment is designed to reinforce understanding of what is news, according to the media. It
is also designed to get you thinking like a reporter on behalf of your business, client or organization.
News coverage can be invaluable, but it is not guaranteed. A good and clear understanding of what the
media is looking for will assist you in determining what stories to pitch on behalf of your client, business
or organization.
Every week students are asked to scan the news media. At the start of each class, we will discuss media
stories as a group; what caught our eye, where do we think they came from, what was purpose of the
story. Try to identify one business story of interest to you and be prepared to discuss it. Purpose: Get
used to reading/following the news media.
After a quick general conversation, 3-4 students will be asked to present to the class their Individual
News Report Assignment.

2) The final task: Class Presentation
Each week, 3-4 different students will be asked to review the business news story they found in the
media. See the schedule and class announcements for your date to present.
Business news is any story that identifies a specific business or business industry by name. The story
should directly impact a specific business or directly impact a specific business sector. The students are
to select one business news story to highlight for the class in a short presentation. No PowerPoint
presentation required although you may choose to show a link to a television broadcast or the online
version of the story. Essentially, you are taking the business story you used for your written report and
presenting the information to the class.
Specifically, the students are asked to identify the following for the class:
? The news criteria (as taught in class) that the story supports which should answer the question:
Why is this story news?
? Whether you think the story was pitched to the media or if it is a result of a reporter pursuing
the business for the news; basically, can you determine how the story got this coverage?
? Whether you think the story would have a positive, negative or neutral impact on the named
business. What would be the future impact for that business?
? Finally, are there any businesses in particular that should be following this story – is this a story
that is an opportunity to generate some additional media coverage for another business or is it a
warning for crisis communication prep? (Could there be some negative repercussions for
specific businesses or business sectors?)
HINT: This part of the assignment asks you to think like a reporter on behalf of business – any business.
Find a story that prompts you to think of an idea for another story that a business could pitch. For
instance, trending news or major current events could tie into the business, organization or client you
represent. A story about extensive flooding across Canada may prompt an insurance company to put outa release about the number of homeowners who don’t have overland flood insurance and what services
they could provide to people concerned about future flooding.