Free Journalism Classes

Internet College Courses in Journalism

Free journalism classes let you study journalistic techniques, learn the questions other journalists ask themselves when covering a subject, and explore the media profession before deciding on a major. Even if you don't want to become a print or broadcast journalist, a number of reasons exist why you might want to study journalism for free online.

Now that we live in the information age, everyone can practice a little journalism here and there. You might have a blog where you write your opinions about the news of the day or other topical questions. You might have a personal site which documents your family history or the life of a deceased loved one. You might be active on social networking websites and want to learn how to write effectively or even journalistically.

Whether you keep a journal of your life or you want to write the news professionally, you want to present your words and ideas effectively. So hone your writing and other journalism skills by taking a few free online journalism courses. Below are just a few examples of what's out there.

Word and Image from the Open University free courses list explores how the way a page looks influences a reader's perception of the information on that page. This class discusses both the typography and images used to enhance a page's content. This course would be useful to increase literary creativity for authors and other writers, but also helps the journalistic writer to better make their point.

Expository Writing: Autobiography is a free online course that either authors or journalists could use, but since journalism is almost always about how events affect people's lives, this MIT course seems to dovetail well with journalistic studies.

Documenting Culture is a free online anthropology course for those journalists of a more artistic bent who want to explore the connection between observation and art. Much of the anthropological material in this course includes documentaries and ethnographic movies, but a journalist studying the ethical relationship between the focus of a journalistic film and the filmmaker is ultimately going to study the relationship between a journalist and the people they print news about.

Photography and Truth covers the subject of still photography and how the study of photographs and how they are used to tell the truth and represent a story. You'll study how pictures are used to convey meaning, how to interpret a photograph, and how photos are shaped and interpreted by the social, political, and economic attitudes of the moment.

Free Online College Courses in Journalism

No matter what journalism subject you want to study, you'll be able to find a free online university course to help you study the subject at no charge. You can become a skilled amateur journalist or make journalism a career, but these courses help you improve the skills need to report accurately and ethically.