Deadline: Sunday, November 7th, 2021 at 11:59pm
Program Overview
This semester-long investigative journalism internship is coordinated through the Piper Center’s recently-launched “Ole Career Launcher” program.
During the spring semester, students will generate an investigative journalism project, learning to apply critical thinking to identify a significant and suitable topic; dig for information, sources and documents; pursue best practices in interviewing, research and fact-checking; be fair and accurate. Fieldwork will generate a finished journalism article or series that will enlighten readers and be worthy of publication.
Over the spring semester, students will meet once weekly for a three hour workshop led by alumni and industry experts Gretchen Morgenson ’76 and Karla Hult ’95. There will also be group sessions meeting at least once per week to work collaboratively on the project. Workshop leaders will also host weekly office hours to allow for time to check in on progress, and answer any questions. This experience will require a (minimum) average of 10 hours per week during the spring semester.
Program Purpose
The specific objectives of this program are to:
- Students will gain experience in hands-on journalism, and more specifically, how to do investigations
- Identify a topic or issue that is being overlooked
- Develop a project, run an investigation, serve as reporters
- Write a story, or series of stories for potential publication
- Clips to be leveraged in future internship/job applications
- Students will learn about and apply key skills required for investigative journalism (i.e. writing style, ethics, objectivity, news values)
Workshop Leaders
Gretchen Morgenson ’76
Karla Hult ’95
Program Details
During one semester, students will generate an investigative journalism project, learning to: apply critical thinking to identify a significant and suitable topic; dig for information, sources and documents; pursue best practices in interviewing, research and fact-checking; be fair and accurate. Fieldwork will generate a finished journalism article or series that will enlighten readers and be worthy of publication.
1.0 academic credit will be offered for the opportunity. (Students enroll in Film/Media 294 course.) Karla Hult serves as “instructor/faculty supervisor,” and Gretchen Morgenson serves as your “site supervisor.” The internship project plus the supplemental academic work must total a minimum of 160 hours (120 devoted to internship project). See here for more information on the academic internship program, and applying for credit: https://wp.stolaf.edu/pipercenter/find-internships-research-opportunities/getting-academic-credit-for-an-internship/domestic-academic-internships/
Workshop Topics:
- Identifying an investigation subject that will compel and enlighten readers.
- Finding and cultivating sources.
- Understanding the crucial role documents play in investigations, where to find them, how to interpret them.
- The use of court documents and legal proceedings.
- Honing your interviewing skills.
- Ensuring the reporting is fair.
- The importance of fact-checking and reliance on primary sources.
- Synthesizing your findings into words; how to write cogently and simply and keep your reader reading.
- How to present your reporting on multiple platforms (digital, text, social)
- Diversity, Equity and Inclusion