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SOUTH AFRICAN QUALIFICATIONS AUTHORITY 
REGISTERED UNIT STANDARD THAT HAS PASSED THE END DATE: 

Perform journalism-related tasks and generate journalistic material in an editorial environment 
SAQA US ID UNIT STANDARD TITLE
110359  Perform journalism-related tasks and generate journalistic material in an editorial environment 
ORIGINATOR
SGB Journalism 
PRIMARY OR DELEGATED QUALITY ASSURANCE FUNCTIONARY
-  
FIELD SUBFIELD
Field 04 - Communication Studies and Language Media Studies 
ABET BAND UNIT STANDARD TYPE PRE-2009 NQF LEVEL NQF LEVEL CREDITS
Undefined  Regular  Level 5  Level TBA: Pre-2009 was L5  20 
REGISTRATION STATUS REGISTRATION START DATE REGISTRATION END DATE SAQA DECISION NUMBER
Passed the End Date -
Status was "Reregistered" 		 2018-07-01  2023-06-30  SAQA 06120/18 
LAST DATE FOR ENROLMENT LAST DATE FOR ACHIEVEMENT
2024-06-30   2027-06-30  

In all of the tables in this document, both the pre-2009 NQF Level and the NQF Level is shown. In the text (purpose statements, qualification rules, etc), any references to NQF Levels are to the pre-2009 levels unless specifically stated otherwise.  

This unit standard does not replace any other unit standard and is not replaced by any other unit standard. 

PURPOSE OF THE UNIT STANDARD 
This unit standard will assist learners who wish to work as cadets or entry-level journalists in electronic, news or print media.
Learners credited with this standard will be able to:
  • Demonstrate understanding of the production processes and performance requirements of an editorial environment
  • Perform journalism-related tasks
  • Generate journalistic material in an editorial environment 
    		•

    LEARNING ASSUMED TO BE IN PLACE AND RECOGNITION OF PRIOR LEARNING 
    It is assumed that learners accessing this unit standard will be competent in:
  • Research techniques
  • Basic computer literacy skills
  • Basic communicaton skills 
    		•

    UNIT STANDARD RANGE 
    The editorial environment may be located in the print or electronic or news media fields and must have the potential to produce an actual journalistic product. 

    Specific Outcomes and Assessment Criteria: 

    SPECIFIC OUTCOME 1 
    Demonstrate understanding of production processes and performance requirements. 
    OUTCOME NOTES 
    Demonstrate understanding of production processes and performance requirements in an editorial environment. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERIA     

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 1 
    Regular communication, both proactive and reactive, takes place with line authority and colleagues. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 2 
    Communication within the work place demonstrates contextual knowledge of relevant issues and events. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 3 
    House style, operational requirements, dress and ethical codes are complied with. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 4 
    Ideas, suggestions and offers of assistance are made timeously, in the appropriate forums and to the appropriate people. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 5 
    Equipment and systems are operated and used safely and effectively. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 6 
    People interacting with the editorial environment and staff are treated courteously and appropriately. 

    SPECIFIC OUTCOME 2 
    Perform journalism-related tasks. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERIA     

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 1 
    Messages are accurately reflected and relayed timeously to intended recipients. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 2 
    Accurate, relevant information is timeously produced in assigned research tasks. 
    ASSESSMENT CRITERION RANGE 
    Interviews, library and internet searches, reference material searches, field trips, fact checking.
     

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 3 
    Requested material is delivered timeously to intended recipients. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 4 
    Familiarity with current and breaking news is demonstrated in line with professional practice. 
    ASSESSMENT CRITERION RANGE 
    Reading relevant newspapers and magazines, listening to relevant radio, watching relevant television.
     

    SPECIFIC OUTCOME 3 
    Generate journalistic text. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERIA     

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 1 
    Journalistic text to be generated is agreed upon with line authority. 
    ASSESSMENT CRITERION RANGE 
    Interview information, story, caption, questions, briefing or background document, audio material, bulletin story, visual element, introduction, caption, summary.
     

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 2 
    Text is relevant to the target audience and the agreed upon brief. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 3 
    Text demonstrates knowledge of news values of the editorial environment. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 4 
    Text is in the required format and to the required standard and can be retrieved from prescribed storage location. 
    ASSESSMENT CRITERION RANGE 
    Computer system or electronic recording device.
     

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 5 
    Text complies with house style and ethics. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 6 
    Text demonstrates thorough comprehension of language of the output of the editorial environment. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 7 
    Text demonstrates thorough comprehension of the operation of equipment used in the editorial environment. 


    UNIT STANDARD ACCREDITATION AND MODERATION OPTIONS 
    Providers of learning towards this unit standard will need to meet the accreditation requirements of the appropriate relevant ETQA.
    Anyone assessing a learner against this unit standard must be registered as an assessor with the appropriate ETQA.

    Moderation Option

    The moderation requirements of the relevant ETQA must be met in order to award credit to learners for this unit standard. 

    UNIT STANDARD ESSENTIAL EMBEDDED KNOWLEDGE 
    Essential embedded knowledge will be assessed through assessment of the specific outcomes in terms of the stipulated assessment criteria. Learners are unlikely to achieve all the specific outcomes, to the level of the standards described in the assessment criteria, without knowledge of the listed embedded knowledge.

    This means that for the most part, the possession or lack of knowledge can be directly inferred from the quality of the learners` performance. Where direct assessment of knowledge is required, assessment criteria have been included in the body of the unit standard.

    The following embedded knowledge is addressed in an integrated way in the unit standard:

    1. Codes of Conduct and operational guidelines of the environment.
    2. News values of the editorial environment.
    3. Ethics applicable in the editorial environment
    4. Deadlines applicable in the editorial environment.
    5. Meeting times and purposes in the editorial environment.
    6. Work or shift times in the editorial environment.
    7. Roles and functions of individuals and lines of authority in the editorial environment.
    8. Production processes applicable in the editorial environment. 

    UNIT STANDARD DEVELOPMENTAL OUTCOME 
    N/A 

    UNIT STANDARD LINKAGES 
    N/A 


    Critical Cross-field Outcomes (CCFO): 

    UNIT STANDARD CCFO IDENTIFYING 
    Identify and solve problems relating to assigned work and make decisions using critical and creative thinking to take remedial action to edit text. 

    UNIT STANDARD CCFO WORKING 
    Work effectively with editorial staff as a member of an editorial team to achieve production requirements. 

    UNIT STANDARD CCFO ORGANISING 
    Organise and manage themselves (in the editorial environment) and their activities responsibly and effectively to complete work operations within deadlines. 

    UNIT STANDARD CCFO COLLECTING 
    Collect and analyse editorial production information and critically evaluate the effect of it on production. 

    UNIT STANDARD CCFO COMMUNICATING 
    Communicate effectively with editorial staff, using visual and / or language skills. 

    UNIT STANDARD CCFO SCIENCE 
    Use science and technology (editorial environment equipment and journalistic equipment) effectively and show responsibility both towards the environment (editorial and other environments where carrying out journalistic task) and health of others (editorial staff and public). 

    UNIT STANDARD CCFO DEMONSTRATING 
    Demonstrate an understanding that the editorial world is a set of related systems and that problem-solving does not occur in isolation. 

    UNIT STANDARD ASSESSOR CRITERIA 
    Assessors should keep the following principles in mind when designing and conducting assessments against this unit standard:

    1. Focus the assessment activities on gathering evidence in terms of the main outcome expressed in the title to ensure assessment is integrated rather than fragmented. Remember we want to declare the learner competent in terms of the title. Where assessment at title level is unmanageable, then focus assessment around each specific outcome, or groups of specific outcomes.

    2. Make sure evidence is gathered across the entire range, wherever it applies. Assessment activities should be as close to the real performance as possible, and where simulations or role-plays are used, there should be supporting evidence to show the learner is able to perform in the real situation.

    3. Do not focus the assessment activities on each assessment criterion in isolation. Rather make sure the assessment activities focus on outcomes and are sufficient to enable evidence to be gathered around all the assessment criteria.

    4. The assessment criteria provide the specifications against which assessment judgements should be made. In most cases, knowledge can be inferred from the quality of the performances, but in other cases, knowledge and understanding will have to be tested through questioning techniques. Where this is required, there will be assessment criteria to specify the standard required.

    5. The task of the assessor is to gather sufficient evidence, of the prescribed type and quality, as specified in this unit standard, that the learner can achieve the outcomes again and again and again. This means assessors will have to judge how many repeat performances are required before they believe the performance is reproducible.

    6. All assessments should be conducted in line with the following well documented principles that assessment should be: appropriate, fair, manageable, integrated into work or learning, valid, direct, authentic, sufficient, systematic, open and consistent. 

    REREGISTRATION HISTORY 
    As per the SAQA Board decision/s at that time, this unit standard was Reregistered in 2012; 2015. 

    UNIT STANDARD NOTES 
    N/A 

    QUALIFICATIONS UTILISING THIS UNIT STANDARD: 
      ID QUALIFICATION TITLE PRE-2009 NQF LEVEL NQF LEVEL STATUS END DATE PRIMARY OR DELEGATED QA FUNCTIONARY
    Core  49123   National Certificate: Journalism  Level 5  Level TBA: Pre-2009 was L5  Passed the End Date -
    Status was "Registered"     		 2007-10-18  Was MICTS until Last Date for Achievement 
    Core  58978   National Certificate: Journalism  Level 5  Level TBA: Pre-2009 was L5  Passed the End Date -
    Status was "Reregistered"     		 2023-06-30  MICTS 


    PROVIDERS CURRENTLY ACCREDITED TO OFFER THIS UNIT STANDARD: 
    This information shows the current accreditations (i.e. those not past their accreditation end dates), and is the most complete record available to SAQA as of today. Some Primary or Delegated Quality Assurance Functionaries have a lag in their recording systems for provider accreditation, in turn leading to a lag in notifying SAQA of all the providers that they have accredited to offer qualifications and unit standards, as well as any extensions to accreditation end dates. The relevant Primary or Delegated Quality Assurance Functionary should be notified if a record appears to be missing from here.
     
    1. Frayintermedia Cc 
    2. HILLCROSS BUSINESS SCHOOL (PTY 
    3. Jeppe College of Commerce and 
    4. MBOWA COLLEGE PTY LTD 
    5. Musengavhadzimu Media 
    6. Posh Multimedia 
    7. Pretoria Technical College 
    8. Together Lifestyle Resort Pty Ltd 
    9. TSP COLLEGE 
    10. Varsity Institute of Science & Technology (Pty)Ltd 
    11. VUTHLARI MARKETING CONSULTING 
    12. Whitestone College 


    All qualifications and part qualifications registered on the National Qualifications Framework are public property. Thus the only payment that can be made for them is for service and reproduction. It is illegal to sell this material for profit. If the material is reproduced or quoted, the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) should be acknowledged as the source.