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Write news stories from court proceedings for applied journalism
Level
6
Credits
15
Purpose
This unit standard is for people who are employed in news media outlets and
who are required to write news stories from court proceedings.
People credited with this unit standard are able to: arrange meetings with
court personnel, and record information; identify priority stories for news
coverage of court proceedings, and gather information for the stories; and
write news stories from court proceedings.
Subfield
Journalism
Domain
Applied Journalism
Status
Registered
Status date
20 March 2009
Date version published
20 March 2009
Planned review date
31 December 2013
Entry information
Open.
Accreditation
Evaluation of documentation and visit by NZQA and
industry.
Standard setting body (SSB)
Competenz
Accreditation and Moderation Action Plan (AMAP) reference
0002
This AMAP can be accessed at http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/framework/search/index.do.
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Special notes
1
Evidence presented for award of credit must be in accordance with the required
standards for applied journalism, found in the current editions of: Statement of
Principles (Wellington: New Zealand Press Council, 2006) available at
http://www.presscouncil.org.nz/principles.html – for print journalism; Radio Code of
Broadcasting Practice (Wellington: New Zealand Broadcasting Standards Authority,
July 2008) available at http://www.bsa.govt.nz/codesstandards-radio.php – for radio
mode; Pay Television Code of Broadcasting Practice (Wellington: New Zealand
Broadcasting Standards Authority, January 2008) available at
http://www.bsa.govt.nz/codesstandards-paytv.php; and the Free-to-Air Television
Code of Broadcasting Practice (Wellington: New Zealand Broadcasting Standards
Authority, August 2006) available at http://www.bsa.govt.nz/codesstandardsfreetv.php.
2
Relevant texts may include but are not limited to:
Burrows, John, A Journalist's Guide to the Law (Wellington: New Zealand Journalists
Training Organisation, Wellington, 5th ed, 2006);
Burrows, John, and Cheer, Ursula, Media Law in NZ, (South Melbourne: Oxford
University Press, 5th ed, 2005);
Ministry of Justice, Media Guide for Reporting the Courts (Wellington: Ministry of
Justice, October 2008);
Price, Steven, Media Minefield: A journalist’s guide to media regulation in New
Zealand (Wellington: New Zealand Journalists Training Organisation, 2007);
Tully, Jim (ed), Intro: A beginner's guide to professional news journalism (Wellington:
New Zealand Journalists Training Organisation, 4th edition, revised 2008). This
publication can be obtained from the NZJTO website www.journalismtraining.co.nz,
under the Bookshop section.
3
Relevant legislation:
Care of Children Act 2004;
Children, Young Persons, and Their Families Act 1989;
Coroners Act 2006;
Crimes Act 1961;
Criminal Justice Act 1985;
New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990;
Official Information Act 1982;
Resource Management Amendment Act 1996.
4
This unit standard has been designed for learning and assessment in the workplace.
For assessment against this unit standard candidates will submit a portfolio of five
news stories, which represent a range of cases heard. The stories will have been
developed and written by the candidate from information gathered using skills
learned during their workplace training. The stories submitted will have been
completed within times set by the news media outlet, and will have been published or
broadcast on radio or television.
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5
Definitions
broadcast refers to broadcast on television or radio depending on the activities of the
workplace;
industry standards refers to the required standards for applied journalism and the
industry texts and sources cited in the special notes as well as documented policies
and procedures set down by the workplace;
publication refers to publication in newspapers, magazines, or periodicals, depending
on the activities of the workplace.
Elements and performance criteria
Element 1
Arrange meetings with court personnel, and record information.
Performance criteria
1.1
Introductory meetings with court personnel are arranged, and information
resulting from the meetings is recorded in accordance with industry standards.
Range
evidence is required for a minimum of four meetings with different
personnel;
personnel may include but are not limited to – justices, associate
justices of the high court, district court judges, juries, counsel,
registrar, probation officers, coroners, bailiffs, victims, justices of
the peace, police prosecutors.
Element 2
Identify priority stories for news coverage of court proceedings, and gather information for
the stories.
Performance criteria
2.1
The court list is accessed using the workplace court diary system, and
information from the list is used to identify priority cases for reporting, in
accordance with industry standards.
2.2
List of priority cases is justified and approved in accordance with industry
standards.
2.3
Information relevant to court proceedings for priority cases is obtained from
court documents and personnel.
Range
documents and personnel may include but are not limited to –
registrar, prosecutor, defence counsel, charge sheet, court
register, prosecutor's summary.
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2.4
Applications are made, in accordance with industry standards, for reporting on
court proceedings on identified priority cases.
Range
2.5
applications may include but are not limited to applications for –
filming, photographing or recording during court proceedings;
official information from the Official Information Act; name
suppression.
Backgrounders and/or issues arising from identified priority stories are
identified, and information is gathered for use in follow-up stories.
Element 3
Write news stories from court proceedings, in accordance with industry standards.
Range
essential information, where available, in each story includes, but is not limited
to – news angles; supporting information; defendant details; charge; plea;
evidence; verdict; sentence; mitigation pleas; judge's comments; name of the
court; name of the judge; name of the prosecutor; name of the defence counsel;
date, time and place of hearing; statements by defence and prosecution;
evidence from witnesses.
Performance criteria
3.1
News stories comply with the requirements of court orders.
Range
court orders include – suppression of information, contempt of
court rules, injunction.
3.2
News stories meet editorial requirements for publication or broadcast.
3.3
News stories are written in accordance with media law requirements.
Please note
Providers must be accredited by NZQA, or an inter-institutional body with delegated
authority for quality assurance, before they can report credits from assessment against
unit standards or deliver courses of study leading to that assessment.
Industry Training Organisations must be accredited by NZQA before they can register
credits from assessment against unit standards.
Accredited providers and Industry Training Organisations assessing against unit standards
must engage with the moderation system that applies to those standards.
Accreditation requirements and an outline of the moderation system that applies to this
standard are outlined in the Accreditation and Moderation Action Plan (AMAP). The
AMAP also includes useful information about special requirements for organisations
wishing to develop education and training programmes, such as minimum qualifications for
tutors and assessors, and special resource requirements.
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Comments on this unit standard
Please contact Competenz info@competenz.org.nz if you wish to suggest changes to the
content of this unit standard.
 New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2016