This course will consider public affairs through coverage of events such as school board and city council meetings. Additional emphasis will be placed on beat reporting, including but not limited to in-depth coverage of issues emerging from areas such as government, science, and health, the economy, religion, and the legal system. Emphasis will be given to creating and using multi-media components to deliver information. Students will advance their philosophy of freedom of the press through the study of various philosophical orientations.
In this course students will produce news and feature stories as they make use of multi-platform strategies that include the following: the gathering and editing of audio and video, photo slide shows that incorporate narration and/or music, blogging via WordPress, and data visualization and presentation. In addition, students will use social media (Twitter and Instagram) and smart phone technology to cover events. Students will deepen their philosophy of the role of a press in a free society as they develop their ability to work toward fair, balanced, accurate, objective, empathetic, and multiperspectival journalism in a digital world.
Students on an F-1 visa are eligible to work off campus to provide additional experience so long as the employment relates directly to the student's major area of study. The practical experience gained outside the traditional classroom supplements the theoretical and/or applied knowledge as a part of the student's coursework. The registration process for this course must be completed every term (including summers), as students must have their work authorization reissued each term to ensure continued enrollment. Jobs must be approved and verified by the International Programs Office before work may begin.
Students in this course will study freedom of the press through the examination of significant court cases, particularly those that have come before the U.S. Supreme Court. Issues to be studied include libel, privacy, prior restraint and free press v. fair trial. In addition, students will study ethical issues, most of which are inseparable from the legal matters to be considered.