Certificate in Journalism Assignments

Please check here for assignments.  New assignments will be added every week

Module 3 Research Methods in Journalism and Communication

Module 4: Public Opinion Polling

Draw up a list of contacts for organizations and government ministries in your community.. These should include the name of the organization, the head of that organization and the contact (phone) number. For example Farmers Organization, Musa Jintu, 34600123.

List TEN organizations and ministries

Pick a newspaper or magazine. Go over  at least five letters to the editor and five editorials comments. Summarize in two-three sentences what each letter or commentary is about..

Look at your article which is posted on the AfricanStar. Or look at the editorial summaries you wrote in your first assignment.  Or go over your newspaper, listen to a radio broadcasts.

 

Pick ONE story which contains an ISSUE of public interest and concern.  For example a story on Female Genital Mutilation contains FGM as an issue of public interest and concern. A story on the talks on reestablishing a government in Somalia contains an ISSUE of sovereignty and nationhood for Somaliland.

 

Once you have identified the issue in your story please write down a few Social Science questions that would rise about the issue. For example: Female Genital Mutilation: 1. how many women are affected by this? 2. What is the history of FGM? Where and when did it start? Why was it started?  3. What are the health implications?  4. What is government policy on FGM? 5. Who is to blame for FGM? Government? Society? Parents? What do members of the public think?

 

Next, identify people you could ask for information and answers. For example. Question 1. How many women are affected? Try Ministry of health or some NGOs or women’s organizations that deal with this issue.

Question 2 what is the history of FGM. Go to the Internet. Use for example http://www.altavista.com/ and type in female genital mutilation. Or find some elderly people in your community, or those who practice it to give you a historical background. Or check your local newspapers for any previously publisher d stories about FGM.

Question 3. What are the health implications of FGM?  Check with local doctors.

 

For question 5. Pick about 5-6 members of the public to interview.  

 

IMPORTANT. Please I need to see your plan before you start researching or talking to people.

 

 

 

If you are in a class meet as a class and discuss ONE TOPIC for public opinion polling. If you are an individual student please work on the following by yourself.

 

Step one.  Based on stories that have appeared in your mass media or what you published in the African Star discuss and select ONE TOPIC for public opinion polling. EACH STUDENT must present to the group a topic suggestion. Then out of those topic suggestions the class will select ONE topic. Make sure ALL or MOST group members are agreed on ONE TOPIC. As the class progresses you will work on a questionnaire as well as select between 200 and 500 people to answer your questionnaire. Please send me the class topic for public opinion polling.  This assignment must be completed by July 30.

 

Please just submit the proposed topic. Do not  write questionnaires for this assignment. Do not start any surveys or interviews. Just submit a topic agreed by all. Each individual must submit to me the topic you suggested to the class.

 

Here are some possible topics that appeared in the African Star.

Female Genital Mutilation

Depletion of trees in Somaliland

Electricity shortage in The Gambia

Nationhood and sovereignty for Somaliland

Should Museveni run again in the next presidential elections in Uganda?

Land reform in Namibia

Crisis of governance in Ivory Coast

NGOs in Nigeria

Crisis of governance in Zimbabwe

Operational cleanup in The Gambia

Water shortage in cities in Somaliland

Street kids in Kampala

New constitution debate in Kenya

Refugee crisis in Gambia

HIVAIDS fight in Gambia

ETC. ETC.