Online Journalist Practice Exam

Online Journalist Practice Exam

About Online Journalist Exam

The Online Journalist Practice Exam evaluates your ability to research, write, and publish engaging journalistic content for digital platforms. This exam measures your understanding of news gathering, SEO writing, multimedia integration, editorial ethics, and analytics. Passing demonstrates you can create accurate, compelling, and optimized stories for an online audience.

Who should take the Exam?

• Online journalists and content creators
• Editors and proofreaders
• Social media and digital marketing professionals
• Blogging and content strategy specialists
• Public relations and communications managers
• Journalism students and educators

Skills Required

• Knowledge of journalistic writing principles and news values
• Familiarity with AP Style or equivalent editorial guidelines
• Understanding of content management systems (CMS)
• Ability to use basic multimedia tools (images, video, audio)
• Awareness of SEO fundamentals and audience engagement metrics

Knowledge Gained

• Techniques for researching and fact‑checking digital stories
• Best practices in headline writing and SEO optimization
• Strategies for integrating multimedia into articles
• Standards for digital ethics, attribution, and privacy
• Methods for measuring and interpreting audience analytics

Course Outline

• Domain 1 – Fundamentals of Digital Journalism
  • Principles of news writing and reporting
  • AP Style and editorial standards
  • News values and story selection
• Domain 2 – Research and Fact‑Checking
  • Identifying reliable online and offline sources
  • Verification methods and fact‑checking tools
  • Avoiding misinformation and bias
• Domain 3 – SEO and Headline Writing
  • Conducting keyword research
  • Writing SEO‑friendly headlines and meta descriptions
  • Balancing optimization with readability
• Domain 4 – Multimedia Integration
  • Embedding images, video, and audio
  • Basic editing in CMS and media software
  • Accessibility best practices (alt text, captions)
• Domain 5 – Content Management Systems
  • Overview of common CMS platforms
  • Formatting, scheduling, and publishing workflows
  • Basic HTML and content layout
• Domain 6 – Social Media and Audience Engagement
  • Platform‑specific posting strategies
  • Community management and comment moderation
  • Responding to feedback and metrics
• Domain 7 – Analytics and Performance Measurement
  • Key metrics: page views, time on page, bounce rate
  • Introduction to Google Analytics
  • Using data to refine content strategy
• Domain 8 – Ethics and Legal Considerations
  • Copyright, fair use, and permissions
  • Privacy, defamation, and libel issues
  • Transparency, disclosure, and corrections