Intersecting my future & Investigative Reporting
How will this class equip me for the future?
The textbook Story-based inquiry: a manual for investigative journalists published by UNESCO, defines investigative journalism as:
“…exposing to the public matters that are concealed–either deliberately by someone in a position of power, or accidentally, behind a chaotic mass of facts and circumstances that obscure understanding. It requires using both secret and open sources and documents.”
According to the class syllabus, in this investigative reporting class we will learn to develop stories through research. We will discuss research methods, learn to analyze financial documents, properly review reports, interview and evaluate sources, and how to make sound observations.
I believe that many of the skills taught in this class are imperative to my career as a journalist — regardless of if I pursue photojournalism, advocacy journalism, arts journalism or anything in between.
What am I looking to learn from this class?
Through this course I am hoping to fine-tune my research skills and learn new methods for gaining and analyzing information. Investigative journalism is something that I have been curious about for a long time, so I am excited to grow my understanding of the topic.
Anyone with access to the internet can write about why they believe a crazy conspiracy theory is true; in this class I am eager to learn how to turn my stories into factual pieces that expose corruption rather than an opinion piece with little solid proof behind it.
How will this class develop my skills for the future?
In the future I hope to work in the journalism industry, but if I somehow wind up with another career I believe that having a good background in research, communication and writing can be beneficial to many professions.
With the weekly news quizzes I will be forced to stay up to date with current news, which will be a good habit to maintain throughout my adult life. Other aspects of the class, such as the blog posts and writing assignments, will keep my writing sharp and in practice.
I intend to use the skills I gain in this course to better my writing and research ability, as well as stretch my adaptability so that I can confidently cover any story that comes my way.
