This course introduces students to a movement-centered approach to writing labour stories for publishing.
Writing Worker Stories
Introducing Movement-Centered Labour Journalism
Course Description
This course introduces students to a movement-centered approach to writing labour stories for publishing. We teach the values and perspectives of this approach, and the practical storytelling skills necessary to tell compelling workers’ stories.
This course requires no prior experience in labour journalism. It is ideal for someone wishing to learn the basic elements of writing labour stories.
- Teaching: 6 Online Sessions, Once Every Two Weeks
- Course Fee: USD$60 (Regular Price) / USD$40 (Students/Workers/Unemployed)
- Class Size: Class Limited to 15 Students
Course Facilitator: Chie Matsumoto
Chie Matsumoto is a journalist at media cooperative Unfiltered and an adjunct media instructor in the Faculty of Law at Hosei University in Japan. Matsumoto was a correspondent for German Press Agency, dpa, and a reporter for the International Herald Tribune/The Asahi Shimbun. Her works appear in books, Gender Expression Guidebook (Shogakukan Publishing, 2022), State of Sexual Harassment in Media (Bungei Shunju Publishing, 2020) among others, and in translation of The Purpose of Power (co-translator, Akashi Publishing, 2021).
Class Time
- 4pm: Pakistan
- 4:30pm: India/Sri Lanka
- 5pm: Bangladesh
- 5:30pm: Myanmar
- 5:45pm: Nepal
- 6pm: Indonesia/Thailand/Cambodia/Vietnam
- 7pm: Hong Kong/Taiwan/China/Philippines/Singapore/Malaysia
- 8pm: Japan/Korea
Class Project
As part of the course, the course facilitator will guide students in developing and writing a story. We will support the pitching and publishing of these stories.
Biweekly Class Schedule
Session 1 – Sept 16, 2024: What is Labour Journalism?
What are the principles and values of labour journalism? How is it different from mainstream journalism?
Session 2 – Sept 30, 2024: What is the Story?
How to identify the issues and setting the angle of your story What makes a compelling story that helps readers understand workers?
Session 3 – Oct 14, 2024: Background Research
How to conduct background research? What sources? How much research is enough?
Session 4 – Oct 28, 2024: Interview Skills
How can you win the trust of your interviewees? How long is too long? how far can we dig into someone’s life?
Session 5 – Nov 11, 2024: Structure Your Story
How do you structure your story? What, once again, is the story you are trying to tell?
Session 6 – Nov 25, 2024: Pitching Your Story
How to pitch your story to labour and social movement publications?
This course has been filled up, and will no longer accept new registrations.
To contact us: convenor@labourschool.org
