StretchLearn Course

Write Stories That Get Published

A practical journalism course covering reporting, writing, sourcing, and freelancing — built for real beginners.

Beginner9 hr 5 minSelf PacedRegistered

Course Overview

What this course is designed to develop

Journalism Foundations gives you a complete working toolkit for the craft — from the inverted pyramid and the perfect lede to on-the-record sourcing, cold-call interviewing, and ethical decision-making in the field. Each lesson is built around the techniques working journalists actually use, illustrated with real story structures and practical exercises. By the end you will be able to report, write, and pitch publishable news and feature stories to real editors.

Learning Outcomes

What the learner should be able to understand, build, or execute.

Write tight, accurate news stories using the inverted pyramid structure

Craft compelling ledes that hook readers and anchor every story

Build and manage a reliable source network across beats

Conduct professional interviews that surface usable quotes and facts

Apply rigorous fact-checking habits before any story goes to an editor

Pitch freelance story ideas that editors actually want to commission

Curriculum Preview

Inside the curriculum: a structured path from fundamentals to execution.

Preview the course structure, see how the modules build on one another, and understand the path this program is designed to take you through.

Module 1

Module 1: The Story Starts Here: Reporting Basics

Understand what makes something newsworthy, how journalists find and develop story ideas, and the fundamental habits of a working reporter.

3 lessons

What Makes a Story: News Values in PracticeContent · 40 min

Preview Enabled

Beat Reporting and the Source NetworkContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Finding Stories: Tips, Documents, and Your Own EyesContent · 40 min

LMS Access

Module 2

Module 2: Writing News: Structure, Ledes, and Clarity

Master the inverted pyramid, the art of the lede, and the writing techniques that make news stories fast, clear, and impossible to put down.

3 lessons

The Inverted Pyramid: Why It Works and How to Use ItContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Writing the Lede: Your First Sentence Does All the WorkContent · 50 min

LMS Access

News Writing Style: Clarity, Quotes, and the Invisible SentenceContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Module 3

Module 3: The Interview and the Source: Getting the Story Out of People

Learn how to prepare for, conduct, and follow up from interviews that surface real information — including how to handle difficult sources and sensitive subjects.

3 lessons

Interview Preparation: Do the Work Before the CallContent · 40 min

LMS Access

Conducting the Interview: Listening, Probing, and Controlling the RoomContent · 50 min

LMS Access

Fact-Checking: The Habit That Protects Your BylineContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Module 4

Module 4: Feature Writing, Ethics, and Breaking Into the Field

Expand from news into feature writing, navigate the ethical decisions that define professional journalism, and learn how to pitch editors and build a freelance career.

3 lessons

Feature Writing: Structure, Voice, and the Long StoryContent · 50 min

LMS Access

Journalism Ethics: The Decisions That Define Your ReputationContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Pitching Editors and Building a Freelance CareerContent · 50 min

LMS Access

Built for Application

A complete learning path, not a one-off inspiration hit.

This program is designed around progression: focused lessons, structured modules, applied resources, assessments, and a course rhythm that turns information into usable capability.

journalismnews writingfeature writingreportinginterviewingfreelance pitchingfact-checkingethics