NZQA registered unit standard
26842 version 1
Page 1 of 6
Title
Produce news and feature photojournalism assignments for
publication
Level
6
Purpose
Credits
20
This unit standard is for people who are employed in news
media outlets and who are required to take and produce
photographs and write captions and photo-stories for
publication.
People credited with this unit standard are able to: plan news
and feature photographs and photojournalism assignments for
a news publication; select and configure photographic
equipment in accordance with the brief; take and download
photographs in accordance with the brief; prepare and edit
selected photographs in accordance with the brief; write
captions and stories to a publishable standard; and produce
photojournalism assignments to a publishable standard in
accordance with the brief.
Classification
Journalism > Applied Journalism
Available grade
Achieved
Entry information
Recommended skills
and knowledge
Unit 25361, Develop rounds, gather information, and plan
stories for publication or broadcast; and Unit 25362, Identify
and write news stories for print publication.
Explanatory notes
1
Evidence presented for award of credit must be in accordance with the New Zealand
Press Council standards for applied journalism which can be accessed here:
http://www.presscouncil.org.nz/principles.php.
2
Relevant legislation may include:
Broadcasting Act 1989;
Copyright Act 1994;
Defamation Act 1992;
Electoral Act 1993;
Harassment Act 1997;
Human Rights Act 1993;
New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990;
Personal Property Securities Act 1999 (Section 173, sub-section k);
Competenz
SSB Code 101571
 New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2016
NZQA registered unit standard
26842 version 1
Page 2 of 6
Privacy Act 1993;
Telecommunications Act 2001;
Terrorism Suppression Act 2002;
Trespass Act 1980;
Victims' Rights Act 2002.
Relevant laws and legal conventions as described in the standards and texts listed in
explanatory notes 1 and 3 may include:
Court Newspaper Rule;
Law of breach of confidence;
Rules on reporting Parliament;
Tort of breach of privacy;
Tort of defamation;
Tort of trespass;
Tort of decency.
3
Industry texts:
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 New Zealand (South Melbourne:
Oxford University Press, 5th ed, 2005).
4
For assessment against this unit standard, the candidate is required to submit a
portfolio containing:
 three published photojournalism assignments which include six photographs
(three news and three feature) and captions written by the candidate; and
 a brief and a plan for each assignment.
5
Definitions
a brief describes the main purpose of the proposed assignment and contains the
who, why, what, where, and when elements of the photographs and story. Approval
for the brief will be given by the appropriate person in accordance with workplace
practices;
a caption refers to the short text that identifies the photograph and its subjects;
a feature photograph is a photograph that is not time-critical, can be published on its
own, or that illustrates a feature story;
a feature story (also known as feature article or news backgrounder) is a story that
does not necessarily break news, but takes an in-depth look at a subject. It offers a
broader perspective of a news event, issue, or a profile of a person in the news or
who is important to a community;
a news photograph is a photograph that illustrates a timely event of public interest;
a news story is a timely and succinct account of unfolding events of public interest;
photojournalism combines photographs and words to tell a news or feature story for
print and the internet;
photojournalism assignment refers to the compilation of photographs and words
required for telling the story;
a plan outlines how the requirements of the brief will be achieved. The plan may
include how resources such as time, expertise, and materials will be used;
photographic specifications; deadlines; and any editorial requirements;
Competenz
SSB Code 101571
 New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2016
NZQA registered unit standard
26842 version 1
Page 3 of 6
publication refers to publication in newspapers, magazines, periodicals, or on the
internet;
publishable standard refers to the standard required by news media outlets for them
to consider material for publication;
workplace practices refer to the documented policies and procedures for the
workplace, and the required standards for applied journalism.
6
This unit standard is designed for on-job assessment and the performance of all of
the outcomes of this unit standard must be in accordance with workplace practices.
Outcomes and evidence requirements
Outcome 1
Plan news and feature photographs and photojournalism assignments for a news
publication.
Evidence requirements
1.1
Brief is developed that identifies the requirements for a news publication.
1.2
Plan is developed in accordance with the brief.
1.3
Brief and plan are approved.
Outcome 2
Select and configure photographic equipment in accordance with the brief.
Evidence requirements
2.1
Camera is selected.
Range
2.2
Camera is configured.
Range
2.3
may include – single lens reflex (SLR), compact, cellphone, video.
may include but is not limited to –
lenses – fixed, zoom (optical and digital), panoramic (wide angle),
close up (macro);
filters – ultra-violet (UV), polarising, infra-red (IR), neutral density,
white balance, resolution, image format (tiff, jpeg, raw), camera
mode.
Other equipment and/or resources are selected and prepared.
Range
Competenz
SSB Code 101571
may include but is not limited to – tripod, batteries, tapes, disks,
cables, computer equipment, internet access, memory cards,
cleaning material, storage.
 New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2016
NZQA registered unit standard
26842 version 1
Page 4 of 6
Outcome 3
Take and download photographs in accordance with the brief.
Evidence requirements
3.1
Photographs are taken.
Range
3.2
may include but are not limited to – action, landscape, portrait,
close-up, head and shoulders.
Subjects are consulted as required by law and photographs are taken in
accordance with individual, group, and cultural protocols.
Range
may include but is not limited to – ethical and legal issues that
cover intrusion, privacy, consent, trespass, use of telescopic
lenses, children’s rights.
3.3
Photographs are downloaded and viewed.
3.4
Photograph files are saved and named for retrieval.
Outcome 4
Prepare and edit selected photographs in accordance with the brief.
Evidence requirements
4.1
Suitable photographs are selected from those previously taken.
Range
4.2
Selected photographs are digitally adjusted.
Range
4.3
considerations for selection may include but are not limited to –
composition, focus, depth of field, exposure, movement,
sharpness, colours, resolution, tonal range, subjects facing ‘in‘ and
’out’ of a page.
may include but is not limited to – contrast, brightness, colours,
lightness, composition, red eye, blemishes/spots removed,
sharpened, physical size, resolution.
Selected photographs are formatted and saved.
Range
Competenz
SSB Code 101571
includes but is not limited to – file format, file size, colour space, bit
depth.
 New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2016
NZQA registered unit standard
26842 version 1
Page 5 of 6
Outcome 5
Write captions and stories to a publishable standard.
Evidence requirements
5.1
Captions are written for photographs.
5.2
Stories are written for photojournalism assignments.
Outcome 6
Produce photojournalism assignments to a publishable standard in accordance with the
brief.
Evidence requirements
6.1
Draft news and feature photographs and photojournalism assignments are
prepared, proofed, and edited.
6.2
News and feature photographs and photojournalism assignments are finalised.
6.3
News and feature photographs and photojournalism assignments are approved
and published.
Planned review date
31 December 2013
Status information and last date for assessment for superseded versions
Process
Version Date
Last Date for Assessment
Registration
1
19 November 2010
N/A
Accreditation and Moderation Action Plan (AMAP) reference
0002
This AMAP can be accessed at http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/framework/search/index.do.
Please note
Providers must be granted consent to assess against standards (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 granted consent to assess against standards by
NZQA before they can register credits from assessment against unit standards.
Providers and Industry Training Organisations, which have been granted consent and
which are assessing against unit standards must engage with the moderation system that
applies to those standards.
Competenz
SSB Code 101571
 New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2016
NZQA registered unit standard
26842 version 1
Page 6 of 6
Consent 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.
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.
Competenz
SSB Code 101571
 New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2016