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Communication & Public SpeakingObjective Test

Journalism

News writing, media law and ethics, reporting fundamentals, and the modern news industry.

About this event

Journalism tests the fundamentals of news reporting and the media industry. Expect questions on news writing structure (inverted pyramid, lede writing), interviewing technique, media law and ethics (libel, fair use, shield laws), the difference between news and opinion, editing and AP style basics, and how digital media has reshaped the news business.

Test day

What to expect

60 minutes, 100 questions

You have 60 minutes to answer 100 multiple-choice questions. Each question has four options (A, B, C, D) with exactly one correct answer. There is no penalty for wrong answers -- always fill in your best guess.

Computer-graded, instant results

Tests are machine-scored. Questions are drawn from the official FBLA topic outline for this event, distributed proportionally across all topic areas. Expect a mix of recall (definitions, formulas), application (scenario-based), and analysis questions.

Top scorers advance

The highest-scoring competitors at each regional advance to the state competition. State winners compete at the National Leadership Conference (NLC). Study the official FBLA topic outline -- it lists the exact subject areas and their approximate weight on the test.

What's on the test

News writing & the inverted pyramidLede writingInterviewing techniqueMedia law (libel, fair use, shield laws)Journalism ethicsAP style basicsNews vs. opinionDigital & social media journalism

Study resources

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