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Journalism · MS elective · 3 credit hours · 16 sessions

Reporting & Writing

This comprehensive course focuses on the twin pillars of journalism: gathering information (Reporting) and crafting the narrative (Writing). Students will learn to dig for facts using public records, observation, and interviews, and then synthesize that raw data into clear, compelling stories. The course bridges the gap between hard news reporting and feature writing styles.

§ 01 By the end you can
  1. Develop advanced interviewing skills: Building rapport and asking tough questions
  2. Utilize "Computer-Assisted Reporting" (CAR) and public databases
  3. Structure complex narratives using the "Wall Street Journal Formula" (Nut Graf)
  4. Master descriptive writing: Observation and sensory details
  5. Adhere to strict fact-checking protocols and source attribution
§ 02 Sixteen sessions

The whole semester.

  1. 01The Curiosity Impulse: Finding Story Ideas
  2. 02Observation Techniques: Being a Fly on the Wall
  3. 03Sourcing: Primary, Secondary, & Deep Throat
  4. 04Interviewing: The Art of Listening
  5. 05Hard News Structure: The Inverted Pyramid
  6. 06The "Nut Graf": Contextualizing the News
  7. 07Covering Beats: Business, Crime, & Politics
  8. 08 · MidtermMidterm Examination
  9. 09Feature Writing: Structure & Flow
  10. 10The Profile Piece: capturing character
  11. 11Investigative Basics: The Paper Trail
  12. 12Data Reporting: finding the story in numbers
  13. 13Covering Trauma & Sensitive Subjects
  14. 14Editing Your Own Work
  15. 15Pitching to Editors
  16. 16Final Project: The Long-Form Feature

Midterm around session 8. Final project briefed at session 8 or 9 and developed in stages until the juries.

§ 03 Final project

Final Project: The Long-Form Feature

How it’s judged

Recommended reading
  1. The Elements of Journalism by Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel
  2. On Writing Well by William Zinsser
  3. The Art of Fact: A Historical Anthology of Literary Journalism by Kevin Kerrane
  4. Writing for Story by Jon Franklin
  5. Inside Reporting by Tim Harrower
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