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JOUR12-180: Investigative and Solutions Journalism

Description

Investigative journalism affects change by exposing injustice, holding power to account, and presenting solutions to challenging social issues. This subject embraces the journalism research opportunities offered by the digital age and empowers you to apply these opportunities to rigorous, compelling reporting on public-interest matters and contemporary social issues. Throughout the subject, you will explore a range of investigative methods, including advanced interviewing, social media reporting, using public records, freedom of information requests, data journalism, rounds reporting, verification and crowdsourcing. You will also learn: investigative traditions, contexts and funding models; how to navigate complex ethical and legal issues; and how to create cross-platform stories and present information in both narrative and visual ways. The project-based assessment invites all students to work collaboratively and individually on a public-interest investigation with strong solutions journalism elements and an emphasis on empowering communities, governments and organisations to generate meaningful change through the reporting process.

Subject details

Type: Undergraduate Subject
Code: JOUR12-180
Faculty: Faculty of Society and Design
Credit: 10
Study areas:
  • Communication, Film, and Creative Media

Learning outcomes

  1. Evaluate a range of traditional and digital investigative methods and apply them to the development of a public-interest investigation.
  2. Develop a sustained research strategy and adapt to challenges to create a major individual or collaborative investigative report.
  3. Consider ethical and legal issues from a variety of perspectives and develop frameworks for best-practice reporting.
  4. Understand the theory, traditions and complex role of investigative journalism in the context of a fast-changing industry landscape, new funding models and new practice models, including solutions journalism.
  5. Generate a cross-platform investigate report in line with industry expectations.
  6. Harness a range of emerging and established digital tools to research, curate and present compelling and rigorous public-interest narratives.

Enrolment requirements

Requisites:

Nil

Assumed knowledge:

Assumed knowledge is the minimum level of knowledge of a subject area that students are assumed to have acquired through previous study. It is the responsibility of students to ensure they meet the assumed knowledge expectations of the subject. Students who do not possess this prior knowledge are strongly recommended against enrolling and do so at their own risk. No concessions will be made for students’ lack of prior knowledge.

While students from other disciplines are welcome to enrol in the subject, some writing or reporting experience is an asset.

Restrictions: