Don’t just read the news, write the news! — A course about writing economics for the media

Abstract

The author of this article describes an upper-level economics course where students learn to write economic news articles, which improves communication and audience-targeting skills. The course was created in partnership with a media outlet and designed around authentic assessments to provide students with a genuine experience based on academic and journalistic standards. The interactive nature of the course allows students to benefit from workshops, one-on-one discussions, and peer-learning. Articles target a general audience and must convincingly address a piece of economic news. Students must apply the theoretical knowledge accumulated in preceding economics courses to analyze and explain real-world situations. If students can meet the media partner’s standards, they are offered the opportunity to publish their articles.