COM 466 - Investigative Journalism

Description:
In this course, students will learn the skills needed to conceive, report and write investigative stories based on documents, data and interviews to be published in newspapers, magazines and online publications.

Prerequisites:
Prerequisites: COM 226 and COM 347 and COM 321.

Credits: (4)

Learner Outcomes:
Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

Identify subjects to investigate and create a comprehensive budget of story ideas and multimedia components to tackle the subject.
Identify appropriate human sources and persuade them to talk on the record.
Utilize the federal Freedom of Information Act and state open records laws to obtain documents and data, both paper and electronic.
Locate and download databases from the Internet
Draw accurate conclusions from the data using spreadsheet, database and mapping software.
Organize large amounts of material, including multi-media elements, and present it in a compelling way.
Demonstrate understanding of the legal and ethical issues involved in investigative reporting.

Learner Outcomes Approval Date:
3/5/21

Anticipated Course Offering Terms and Locations:
Winter Locations: Ellensburg, Online