CQUniversity Unit Profile

COMM12016 - Media Industries

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All details in this unit profile for COMM12016 have been officially approved by CQUniversity and represent a learning partnership between the University and you (our student).
The information will not be changed unless absolutely necessary and any change will be clearly indicated by an approved correction included in the profile.

General Information

Overview

Public Relations and journalism are inextricably linked. An understanding of the complexities of the modern digital media environment is critical because it shapes the work a public relations practitioner performs and the manner in which it is undertaken. This unit provides you with a range of contemporary perspectives on Australian and international media industries. It analyses political and social contexts, important issues such as media ownership, diversity and independence, as well as identifying professional and technological changes in media practices and organisations. The unit encourages an understanding of the institutions and industries in which media practitioners work and demonstrates how public relations practitioners can work outside established news organisations through social journalism. As an important part of public relations practice, the unit also promotes research, verification and writing skills (both in an online and offline context) in order to further your training and awareness.

Details

Career Level: Undergraduate

Unit Level: Level 2

Credit Points: 6

Student Contribution Band: 10

Fraction of Full-Time Student Load: 0.125

Pre-requisites or Co-requisites

Minimum of 36 credit points

Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).

Offerings For Term 2 - 2025

Online

Attendance Requirements

All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).

Website

This unit has a website, within the Moodle system, which is available two weeks before the start of term. It is important that you visit your Moodle site throughout the term. Please visit Moodle for more information.

Class and Assessment Overview

Recommended Student Time Commitment

Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.

Class Timetable

Regional Campuses

Bundaberg, Cairns, Emerald, Gladstone, Mackay, Rockhampton, Townsville

Metropolitan Campuses

Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney

Assessment Overview

1. Group Discussion

Weighting: 20%

2. Written Assessment

Weighting: 35%

3. Portfolio

Weighting: 45%

Assessment Grading

This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of 'pass' in order to pass the unit. If any 'pass/fail' tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully ('pass' grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the 'assessment task' section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University's Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.

CQUniversity Policies

All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.

You may wish to view these policies:

Grades and Results Policy
Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
Review of Grade Procedure
Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - Domestic Students
Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - International Students
Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
Student Feedback - Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure

This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.

Previous Student Feedback

Feedback, Recommendations and Responses

Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.

Feedback from Student Evaluation Survey

Feedback

Students would appreciate more opportunities to engage with other learners in the unit

Recommendation

Encourage greater student participation in synchronous learning opportunities.

Feedback from Teaching Staff Evaluation

Feedback

Learning materials should be adapted and updated to meet the needs of a diverse learner cohort

Recommendation

Continue to adapt and update unit learning materials to meet the needs of a diverse learner cohort

Unit Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

Analyse examples of contemporary journalistic practice in Australian and international contexts
Review coverage of controversial current affairs in the mediasphere
Critically evaluate the effect of social media and technological development on media industry practices and ethics, with a social journalism focus.

n/a

Alignment of Learning Outcomes, Assessment and Graduate Attributes

N/A Level

Introductory Level

Intermediate Level

Graduate Level

Professional Level

Advanced Level

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes

Assessment Tasks	Learning Outcomes
	1	2	3
1 - Group Discussion - 20%
2 - Written Assessment - 35%
3 - Portfolio - 45%

Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes

Graduate Attributes	Learning Outcomes
	1	2	3
1 - Communication
2 - Problem Solving
3 - Critical Thinking
4 - Information Literacy
5 - Team Work
6 - Information Technology Competence
7 - Cross Cultural Competence
8 - Ethical practice
9 - Social Innovation
10 - First Nations Knowledges
11 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes

Assessment Tasks	Graduate Attributes
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11
1 - Group Discussion - 20%
2 - Written Assessment - 35%
3 - Portfolio - 45%

Textbooks and Resources

Textbooks

There are no required textbooks.

IT Resources

You will need access to the following IT resources:

CQUniversity Student Email
Internet
Unit Website (Moodle)
Microsoft Teams

Referencing Style

All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: American Psychological Association 7th Edition (APA 7th edition)

For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.

Teaching Contacts

See e-reading list on Moodle.

Events and Submissions/Topic

Assessment 1 deadline - 15 August

Begin Date: 08 Sep 2025

Module/Topic

Community building: From mass to niche audiences

Chapter

See e-reading list on Moodle.

Events and Submissions/Topic

Events and Submissions/Topic

Portfolio Due: Week 12 Friday (10 Oct 2025) 10:00 pm AEST

Review/Exam Week

Begin Date: 13 Oct 2025

Module/Topic

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Exam Week

Begin Date: 20 Oct 2025

Module/Topic

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Assessment Tasks

1 Group Discussion

Assessment Title

News media analysis

Task Description

Assessment 1: News Media Analysis Forum Discussion (20% of total unit grade)

Due: 15 August 2025 (Week 5)

Word count: 800 words

In this assessment, you will analyse how the news is reported to shape the way audiences receive, believe, and act in response to a story. This is a collaborative assessment that requires you to participate in and comment on the creative and analytical insights of other students through online engagement in discussion forum posts.

Task instructions

There are two assessable components to this assessment

Part ONE (10% of the total grade for this assessment). You will locate a media story that has been recently (last 4 weeks) covered by traditional mass media, for example, from broadcast news (TV or radio), a print newspaper or an online news site and post a link/media upload to the Assessment 1 Discussion forum on the Moodle site. Your post should include a 400-word analysis of the following news elements:

The news values evident in the story
The audience being targeted through that platform
The key messages being communicated through the story
The framing techniques used by journalists or editors - think also about whether any important information has been excluded and how journalists perceive their role.

Part TWO (10% of the total grade for this assessment = 5% for each response) - Once you have posted your analysis, you will be able to see the posts of other students (after the 30-minute editing time has lapsed). You will need to reply to the posts of TWO other students (200 words each = 400 words in total), providing feedback and suggestions for deepening understanding of the 4 elements outlined above. This peer review exercise must be conducted professionally, with respect, and identify constructive feedback for improvement as well as observations of any analytical strength. This component provides students an opportunity to learn from one another, to share valuable insights and resources related to unit content and to ignite discussion among peers.

Referencing and Format

In explaining and analysing your media piece for Part one, you will need to use at least three (3) academic sources, referenced at the bottom of the post in the APA 7 format. The Discussion Post should be presented with the use of headings and formatting (see Assessment explainer video on Moodle) to enhance clarity and meaning. Also pay attention to spelling and grammar.

Response posts for Part two should be similarly formatted, using headings or other signposts to respond clearly to the points made by the poster. At least one (1) reference should be recommended in your response to help build your peers' reference list.

Use of GenAI tools in this assessment

AI Assessment scale tool: Level 2 - You may use Al for planning, idea development, and research. Your final submission should show how you have developed and refined these ideas. Any misuse or lack of disclosure regarding the use of AI tools will be considered a breach of academic integrity.

Assessment Due Date

Week 5 Friday (15 Aug 2025) 10:00 pm AEST

Submit via Assessment 1 Discussion Forum

Return Date to Students

Week 6 Friday (29 Aug 2025)

Assignments will be returned within two weeks of on-time submission.

Weighting

20%

Assessment Criteria

Student work will be assessed using the following marking criteria:

Analysis and application: Identification and discussion of each news element, including application of relevant theories and concepts to the media story (30%)
Quality of peer feedback: The constructiveness and comprehensiveness of feedback provided to two student responses on the Discussion Forum, including suggestions for improvements and additional reading/research (20% for each post - 40% total available)
Presentation and formatting: Appropriate use of headings and formatting tools to convey ideas; inclusion of link/media upload to the media story (10%)
Research and referencing: Demonstrated research through use of relevant references within the post (minimum of 3); inclusion of full reference list, using the APA 7 style (10%)
Written expression: Clarity of writing and attention to grammatical and spelling conventions (10%)

Referencing Style

American Psychological Association 7th Edition (APA 7th edition)

Submission

Online

Submission Instructions

Students will post their PART 1 response to the Assessment 1 Discussion Forum and then add replies to TWO other students' posts for PART 2.

Learning Outcomes Assessed

Analyse examples of contemporary journalistic practice in Australian and international contexts

Graduate Attributes

Communication
Critical Thinking
Information Literacy
Team Work
Cross Cultural Competence
Ethical practice

2 Written Assessment

Assessment Title

Media monitoring log and report

Task Description

In this assessment, you will monitor the news reporting of controversial issues through traditional and social media platforms. The task will help you to scrutinise the content and claims of online news sources, and to assess the professional values, principles and approaches to contemporary journalism.

Your Task

You will be provided a media monitoring template to record the way a single issue is reported on by different media outlets and across different platforms. You will use your findings to discuss how online and social media have changed journalism practice.

Step 1: Choose a controversial issue or event to monitor. You can choose from the list below or select a topic of your own choosing in consultation with the Unit Coordinator:

Housing affordability crisis and government policy response
Nuclear energy debate
Social media age restrictions for children
State or Federal election
Cybersecurity incident
Natural disaster
Immigration policy changes
Royal Commission inquiries
Indigenous land rights disputes

Step 2: Do a quick sweep of media coverage. Do a Google search to ensure the issue is covered across multiple platforms i.e. online newspapers and social media networks.

Step 3. Set up your monitoring procedure

For mass media:

Subscribe to 3 different news media outlets (e.g. The Guardian, The Conversation, Sydney Morning Herald, ABC, SBS etc).
Set up Google Alerts so that you can track new stories that are published about your topic/issue. These alerts are sent to your email account (for information is provided on the Moodle Unit site)

For socials:

Follow or like the social media accounts of 2 news media outlets (e.g. @TheGuardian on Twitter/X, Facebook or Instagram)

For Twitter/X, identify relevant hashtags to follow related to the topic/issue you are focusing on
For Facebook, set up notifications to alert you to stories about your chosen topic/issue
For Instagram, set up hashtag following for key terms

Step 4. Monitor and record news coverage. You should collect 10 articles/posts (5 from online news and 5 from social platforms) about your topic/issue on two different days over a 5-day interval and you will need to provide evidence in the form of screenshots and a media monitor log to show what data you collected.

Step 5. Write up of findings (1200 words). The report is the main part of the assessment and enables you to review your data and reflect on the differences in news reporting between online and social media sites. You are free to format your report in any way that suits your findings, but you should ensure your discussion includes the following elements:

Introduction and overview of the topic/issue being analysed and brief justification for why you selected this option
Explanation of the media monitoring process - how you collected the data, which news site and social media platform did you focus on and why
Consideration of the credibility and accuracy of news reporting across the two platforms and whether one platform is more authentic than the other
Reflection on any differences in framing, tone or approach taken by different journalists who may be reporting the same issue for the same media organisation but on a different platform (comparing online content to social media coverage)
Consideration of whether, and how, the different forms of media (online vs social media) provide opportunities for community building and engaged journalism, drawing on examples from your media monitoring data to illustrate your point
Conclusion summarising if and how social media has changed journalistic content or practice
Appendix with your media monitoring log and other evidence of data collection

Additional information and support

When you monitor the news is up to you but the sources you collect must be current and from within the one-week window of monitoring (i.e. do not use old or previously published stories/posts, they should have been released on the day of or prior to your monitoring of it).

More guidance on this assessment will be provided during the weekly online class and on the Moodle site.

You can use headings in this report.

Use of GenAI tools in this assessment

AI Assessment scale tool: Level 2 - You may use Al for planning, idea development, and research. Your final submission should show how you have developed and refined these ideas. Any misuse or lack of disclosure regarding the use of AI tools will be considered a breach of academic integrity.

Assessment Due Date

Week 8 Friday (12 Sept 2025) 10:00 pm AEST

Submit via Moodle

Return Date to Students

Week 10 Friday (26 Sept 2025)

Assignments will be returned within two weeks of on-time submission.

Weighting

35%

Assessment Criteria

A detailed assessment criteria is available on Moodle.

You will be assessed as per the criteria, which covers:

Content: Quality of the explanation and rationale; appropriateness of the methods used to conduct and to report media monitoring findings (20%)
Analysis: Quality of reflection and analysis regarding the authenticity and differences between online and social media platforms in relation to core concepts (20%)
Application: Demonstrative examples of the ways online and social media enable journalists to engage audiences; clear and logical conclusions stated (20%)
Presentation: Completion and inclusion of media monitoring log and other evidence in the appendix; logical structure and layout of ideas, using appropriate formatting (15%)
Research and referencing: Analysis is supported by academic research and references are used in-text and in the reference list to support claims, adhering to APA 7 conventions (15%)
Written expression: Clarity of writing and attention to grammatical and spelling conventions (10%)

Referencing Style

American Psychological Association 7th Edition (APA 7th edition)

Submission

Online

Learning Outcomes Assessed

Review coverage of controversial current affairs in the mediasphere

Graduate Attributes

Communication
Critical Thinking
Information Technology Competence
Cross Cultural Competence
Ethical practice
Social Innovation

3 Portfolio

Assessment Title

Portfolio

Task Description

The decision whether or not to use AI and automated content for news production is an ongoing ethical dilemma in journalism practice. Ethical dilemmas occur often in professional practice, both at an organisational and a professional/personal level. This assessment will help you to recognise, assess and resolve these dilemmas in an online and AI context so that you can prevent similar mistakes from reoccurring.

In this assessment, we will test your knowledge of ethical frameworks, principles and regulatory practices as they apply to the Australian Broadcasting Company (ABC).

The assessment has two parts. The following scenario will apply to both parts:

Scenario

The ABC is piloting the use of AI to generate brief online weather updates for regional areas using Bureau of Meteorology data. During a severe flooding event in Queensland, an automated weather summary was published on the ABC website and shared across social media platforms. The report was later found to contain serious factual errors and incorrectly downplayed flood risks in several communities.

On further investigation, it was found the content wasn't properly labeled as AI-generated, and the usual human editorial oversight did not occur due to after-hours publishing protocols.

The ethical dilemma: Should the ABC continue to use AI to auto-generate content for weather reports?

Part ONE - Analysing ethical frameworks (1000 words)

Your task is to evaluate this dilemma through two ethical frameworks (e.g. Utilitarianism, Deontology, Virtue ethics, Consequentialism) so that you can make an ethical decision about whether the ABC should continue using AI for weather reporting.

Your response should consider the ethical issues of this incident and its impact on:

journalists
the journalism professional
the editorial process
key audiences
the institution's reputation.

You should also consider the scenario in relation to the ethical principles that guide professional practice at the ABC (e.g. providing accuracy; avoiding harm and offence).

This task requires you to read around the ABC regulatory framework and AI policy, as well as reviewing the policies used by other media institutions.

Structure and format

Your analysis should begin with a brief introduction of the ABC scenario and any information relevant to the case and a summary of the two ethical frameworks you have chosen to apply to the dilemma. You may use headings if you wish. As you will be referring to issues related to media ethics, regulation, law and AI you must include in-text references in your analysis.

Part TWO - Producing ethical guidelines (400-500 words)

Following the outcome of your analysis in Part ONE, you will establish ethical guidelines to regulate the use of AI content at the ABC.

You will produce a set of principles to guide the ethical use of AI when reporting the weather. The guidelines will be presented in a table format to clearly identify what and when AI use is considered acceptable and unacceptable, with illustrative examples to demonstrate the point. You will also provide a rationale for how these principles uphold the ABC's code of ethics. A template will be provided to assist with this task and example guidelines will be shared during tutorials.

Structure and format

The guidelines should be added as an appendix to the Part ONE task and labelled appropriately. This document should be of professional standard and provide a quick and easy reference to AI use for staff at the ABC so think about the presentation. To maintain the accessibility of this document, you can use footnote references for this task.

Use of AI tools

This assessment uses the AI Assessment scale tool Level 2:

You may use Al for planning, idea development, and research. Your final submission should show how you have developed and refined these ideas. Any misuse or lack of disclosure regarding the use of AI tools will be considered a breach of academic integrity.

Assessment Due Date

Week 12 Friday (10 Oct 2025) 10:00 pm AEST

Submit via Moodle

Return Date to Students

Exam Week Friday (24 Oct 2025)

Assignments will be returned within two weeks of on-time submission.

Weighting

45%

Assessment Criteria

You will be assessed as per the criteria, which includes:

Ethical Framework Analysis and Application (30%) - Identifies and applies two ethical frameworks to the ABC scenario, demonstrating understanding of how each framework addresses the AI weather reporting dilemma
Stakeholder Impact Analysis (25%) - Analyses impacts on key stakeholders (journalists, journalism profession, editorial processes, audiences, ABC's reputation) with consideration of consequences to those stakeholders
Ethical Guidelines (20%) - Provides guidelines in table format that address identified ethical issues and provides rationale linking to ABC's code of ethics
Professional Presentation (5%) - Guidelines are labelled correctly and presented professionally, in an accessible format for quick reference
Written expression (10%) - Writes concisely, using paragraph breaks and sentence spacing to punctuate ideas, adequate use of grammar and spelling
Research (10%) - Conducts adequate research from credible academic and industry sources, uses APA 7 referencing conventions accurately and consistently.

Referencing Style

American Psychological Association 7th Edition (APA 7th edition)

Submission

Online

Submission Instructions

Submit the assessment via the unit Moodle site as a single Word document.

Learning Outcomes Assessed

Critically evaluate the effect of social media and technological development on media industry practices and ethics, with a social journalism focus.

Graduate Attributes

Communication
Critical Thinking
Information Literacy
Cross Cultural Competence
Ethical practice
Social Innovation

Academic Integrity Statement

As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.

Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.

When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.

Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.

As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.

What is a breach of academic integrity?

A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.

Why is academic integrity important?

A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.

Where can I get assistance?

For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.