2023 – Summer

Toolkit: Breaking Into Journalism (2-credit) (6/1 – 6/29)

Course Number: SS0: JOUR-UA 25.002

Day & Time: Mon/Thu 5:00-8:00 pm

Location: 20 Cooper Sq.

Instructor: Nikita Richardson

Syllabus: Download

Albert Class Number: 4986

Getting your first job in journalism, whether it’s having a freelance pitch accepted or landing a junior position at a major publication, isn’t easy. And even once you do land the job, there’s an expectation that you be a jack-of-all-trades who is able to come at a story from all angles: generating ideas with a headline in mind, fact-checking, creating social media assets or creating supplemental stories to accompany larger features. The goal of this course is to prepare students for what’s to come through lessons on the ins-and-outs of edit tests, writing pitch emails, turning articles around in just a few hours or days, finding story ideas, and understanding the breadth of jobs that fall under the journalism banner.

Nikita Richardson is an editor for the Food section at The New York Times with 10 years of experience in journalism, including as a staff reporter. She’s landed highly competitive positions at award-winning publications like Fast Company, Bon Appétit and New York magazine, and has worked with many talented writers and editors.