JOUR 5131:
Capstone: In-Depth Reporting
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Basic Information
Prerequisites
Course Description
Expected Competencies
Competency Goals
Assignments
Workload
JOUR 5131: Capstone: In-Depth Reporting (3 credits)
- Senior-level course
- Qualifies as capstone course
- Project-level reporting assignments
Prerequisites
- Major status
- JOUR 3004W, JOUR 3101, JOUR 3121
Course Description
Journalism 5131 is an upper level reporting course and a SJMC capstone course. Therefore, the approach to the class will be dual: First, there is an academic component – studying the best examples in-depth reporting from muckrakers to yesterday’s New York Times. This part of the course will be presented in a seminar style with a high-expectation for student involvement. Second, there is a hands-on component – giving you the opportunity to exercise what you learn in this class and elsewhere in your journalism program. This part of the course will require you to identify appropriate stories for in-depth reporting, outline the proposed stories to your editor (me), thoroughly report the stories and write them at a level appropriate for publication. The class topics will be organized around essential social issues, such as health care and politics.
Expected Competencies
News judgment
- News values – such as relevance, proximity, timeliness, impact or prominence
- Story identification – such as identifying areas worthy of in-depth coverage and discerning relevant social issues and trends
Reporting
- Focus on facts and accuracy, not opinions
- Enhanced interviewing skills
- Building sources, especially as appropriate to covering a beat
- Locating and understanding official records, transcripts and data
- Understanding the application of federal and
Writing
- Selecting appropriate lead-writing styles for differing stories
- Organizing and writing longer-form journalism with accuracy and clarity
- Developing a repertoire of storytelling techniques
- Effective use of complex data and numbers
Analysis
- Credibility of sources
- Math and data interpretation skills
- Basic computer-assisted reporting skills
- The synthesizing of disparate sources and complex issues
Application: Students know how to report on:
- A police report
- A civil court case and a criminal court case
- A legislative action (at a local and/or state level)
- A political campaign or issue
- A broad social issue, controversy or trend
- An analysis of a business or corporate action
- Specialized reporting in health, environment, energy, nonprofits, or some other area
Competency goals for 5131
Knowledge of:
Types of in-depth reporting, including:
- Investigative journalism
- Explanatory journalism
- Civic or public journalism
- Literary journalism
- Computer assisted reporting (on a limited basis)
Best examples of in-depth reporting in the following areas:
- Space and science
- workplace,
- environment,
- civil rights,
- governmental corruption,
- social problems (children, native Americans, poverty, etc.)
- international issues (including war coverage)
- health care
- justice system,
- business
- entertainment industry
Understand and be able to demonstrate capabilities in long-form journalism that include:
- Originating and developing project-level story ideas
- Managing the process from inception to completion of reporting projects that span weeks or months
- Dealing with editors while planning and executing long-term projects
- Organization of long, complex stories
- Intense interviewing
- Intimate journalism techniques
- Special ethical considerations
Assignments
Most instructors have required the production of two or three project-level, publishable stories. While the formality of the process differs, in generally instructors require:
- A story proposal
- An interim update
- Final story
- Perhaps, an opportunity for a rewrite
Learning from the best examples of in-depth reporting and the oral presentation of story concepts. This instructor’s assignments include:
- Close examination of some of 100 best examples of journalism
- Student presentations on issue areas as well as examples in those areas