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Investigative Journalism
Study Course Description
Course Description Statuss:Approved
Course Description Version:6.00
Study Course Accepted:02.02.2024 12:25:41
| Study Course Information | |||||||||
| Course Code: | KSK_261 | LQF level: | Level 6 | ||||||
| Credit Points: | 2.00 | ECTS: | 3.00 | ||||||
| Branch of Science: | Communication Sciences | Target Audience: | Communication Science | ||||||
| Study Course Supervisor | |||||||||
| Course Supervisor: | Anda Rožukalne | ||||||||
| Study Course Implementer | |||||||||
| Structural Unit: | Faculty of Social Sciences | ||||||||
| The Head of Structural Unit: | |||||||||
| Contacts: | Dzirciema street 16, Rīga, szf rsu[pnkts]lv | ||||||||
| Study Course Planning | |||||||||
| Full-Time - Semester No.1 | |||||||||
| Lectures (count) | 5 | Lecture Length (academic hours) | 2 | Total Contact Hours of Lectures | 10 | ||||
| Classes (count) | 7 | Class Length (academic hours) | 2 | Total Contact Hours of Classes | 14 | ||||
| Total Contact Hours | 24 | ||||||||
| Study course description | |||||||||
| Preliminary Knowledge: | Study courses “Introduction to Journalism”, “Introduction to the Studies and Speciality”, “Introduction to Communication Theories”, “News Journalism”, “Methods and Genres of Journalism” have been mastered. | ||||||||
| Objective: | The purpose of the course is to give students an insight into the nature of investigative journalism, its historical aspects and reasons of occurrence at theoretical and practical level. Taking into account the special role of journalism in the functioning of mass media, this course covers the main ethical and professional dilemmas of investigative journalism, the use of information collection methods in investigative journalism, as well as forms and formats of research journalism in mass media of different types – newspapers, magazines, radio, TV, internet. The main task of this course is to achieve that students learn theoretical aspects, history of investigative journalism, material collection methods and approaches to investigative journalism. During the study course, by performing practical tasks, students learn to create investigative journalism works. | ||||||||
| Topic Layout (Full-Time) | |||||||||
| No. | Topic | Type of Implementation | Number | Venue | |||||
| 1 | Preconditions and main principles of development of investigative journalism. | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 2 | Devising and planning of investigative journalism work. Idea, sources of information, course of work. | Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 3 | Information collection methods in investigative journalism. Observation. Experiment. | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 4 | Sources of investigative journalism. Databases of sources, their creation. Critical thinking in journalism. | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 5 | Formats and genres of investigative journalism. Analytical article. | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 6 | Data and journalism. Data journalism. International networks and projects of investigative journalism. Professional ethics problems of investigative journalism. Critical thinking in journalism. | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 7 | Presentation of the course of work to create an article (video or audio story) in investigative journalism. Discussion. Discussion of information methods. Selection and picking of sources. | Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 8 | Analysis of the background and context information of the topics selected for investigative journalism works. Fact-checking task. | Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 9 | Presentation of an analysis of a book on investigative journalism. | Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 10 | Analysis of information in an investigative journalism article (video or audio story), verification of its sufficiency, selection of the genre and planning of the publication. | Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 11 | Verification of facts and opinions in investigative journalism. Fact-checking methods and resources in finished works. | Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 12 | Presentation of the final article (video or audio story) in investigative journalism. | Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| Assessment | |||||||||
| Unaided Work: | To approbate the knowledge provided during lectures and seminars when creating an independent investigative journalism work, analysing a book on investigative journalism, large-scale data analysis for the purposes of investigative journalism. | ||||||||
| Assessment Criteria: | • Participation in lectures. • Participation and activity in seminars. • Fulfilment of all seminar tasks. • Creative project – creation of a work in investigative journalism. | ||||||||
| Final Examination (Full-Time): | Exam (Written) | ||||||||
| Final Examination (Part-Time): | |||||||||
| Learning Outcomes | |||||||||
| Knowledge: | • On conditions of creation of investigative journalism, its topics, types and formats. • On methods of collection of information in investigative journalism. • On tasks, topics, sources of investigative journalism. • On professional ethics in investigative journalism. • On modern development trends of investigative journalism. | ||||||||
| Skills: | • To independently devise, plan and implement an investigative journalism work on different topics for different media platforms. • To collect, select, understand and present information on the needs of investigative journalism. • To create an investigative journalism work in accordance with media content and technical requirements and needs. • To use, process, analyse data for the fulfilment of goals of an investigative journalism work. | ||||||||
| Competencies: | • To evaluate the reality when using information for the creation of investigative journalism works. • Responsibility for the quality of collected and provided information, value and compliance of sources of information, as well as its eventual effects. • Critical attitude to content and form of investigative journalism information. • Self-critical, professionally ethical and responsible attitude to the value of information and compliance of the information provided to the target audience with its needs, when creating an investigative journalism work. • Responsible, knowledge-based use of technologies in the process of creation of investigative journalism works. | ||||||||
| Bibliography | |||||||||
| No. | Reference | ||||||||
| Required Reading | |||||||||
| 1 | Lee Hunter, M. (2012) The Global investigative journalism casebook , UNESDOC Digital Library. | ||||||||
| 2 | Bellincat (n.d.) Bellingcat's Digital Toolkit. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BfLPJpRtyq4RFtHJoNpvWQj… | ||||||||
| 3 | The Investigative Journalism Manual (2016) Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung. http://www.investigative-manual.org/wp-content/uploads/2016… | ||||||||
| 4 | Silverman, C. (n.d.) Verification Handbook for Investigative Reporting. European Journalism Centre. | ||||||||
| 5 | Investigative Journalism Manuals (n.d.) Global Investigative Journalism Network. https://gijn.org/investigative-journalism-manuals/ | ||||||||
| 6 | Matteo Gerli, Marco Mazzoni and Roberto Mincigrucci (2018) Constraints and limitations of investigative journalism in Hungary, Italy, Latvia and Romania. European Journal of Communication 2018, 33(1) 22–36 | ||||||||
| 7 | Brüggemann, Michael, and Sven Engesser. 2017. “Beyond False Balance: How Interpretive Journalism Shapes Media Coverage of Climate Change.” Global Environmental Change 42 (January): 58–67. | ||||||||
| 8 | Stetka, V and Örnebring, H. (2013) Investigative Journalism in Central and Eastern Europe: Autonomy, Business Models, and Democratic Roles. The International Journal of Press/Politics, 18(4), 413-435. | ||||||||
| 9 | Marsh, K. (2013) Investigative Journalism: Secrets, Salience and Storytelling. In: Karen Fowler-Watt and Stuart Allan (eds) Journalism: New Challenges. Centre for Journalism & Communication Research Bournemouth University, 222 - 242. | ||||||||
| 10 | Waisbord, S. (2002) The Challenges of Investigative Journalism. 56 U. Miami L. Rev. 377 (2002) Available at: http://repository.law.miami.edu/umlr/vol56/iss2/6 | ||||||||
| 11 | The Leveson Inquiry (2012) Culture, Practice and Ethics of the Press, Available at: http://www.levesoninquiry.org.uk/ | ||||||||
| 12 | Mocek S (2015) Journalists as critical change agents and popular disseminators. In: Zielonka J (ed.) Media and Politics in New Democracies. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 99–118. | ||||||||
| 13 | 10 free tools for journalists to learn how to code | Media news Investigative Journalism https://www.journalism.co.uk/news/7-free-platforms-for-jour… | ||||||||
| 14 | Pētnieciskā žurnālistika - resursu vai iniciatīvas problēma? Ingus Bērziņš, ttp://luszf.blogspot.com/2006/01/ptniecisk-urnlistika-resursu-vai.html www.DELFI.lv galvenais redaktors. | ||||||||
| 15 | MacIntyre, D. (2012) Rumours of the Death of Investigative Journalism Are Greatly Exaggerated in Mair, J. and Keeble, R. (ed.) (2012) Investigative Journalism: Dead or Alive, Abramis | ||||||||
| 16 | Dubois, Elizabeth, and Grant Blank. 2018. “The Echo Chamber Is Overstated: The Moderating Effect of Political Interest and Diverse Media.” Information, Communication & Society 21 (5): 729–45. | ||||||||
| 17 | Human Trafficking: Investigating an Evil Hidden in Plain Sight - Global Investigative Journalism Networkhttps://gijn.org/2021/06/17/human-trafficking-investigating… | ||||||||
| Additional Reading | |||||||||
| 1 | www.globalinvestigativejournalism.org | ||||||||
| 2 | www.dicar.org | ||||||||
| 3 | www.ire.org | ||||||||
| 4 | www.lmdmc.lv | ||||||||
| 5 | www.vvoj.org | ||||||||
| 6 | http://www.neliesi.lv/index.php?interesantakais | ||||||||
| 7 | What I learned: Python for Data Journalists – dana branham https://danabranham.com/journalism-musings/what-i-learned-p… | ||||||||
| 8 | Punting on the obstruction question.https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2019/04/muelle… | ||||||||
| 9 | How they did it: Investigative reporting tips from the 2019 Goldsmith Prize finalists https://journalistsresource.org/tag/goldsmith-finalists-201… | ||||||||
| 10 | Ntibinyane, N. (2018) INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM IN AFRICA: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY OF NON-PROFIT INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM ORGANIZATIONS IN AFRICA. Reuters Institute Fellowship Paper University of Oxford. | ||||||||
| 11 | verificationhandbook.com | ||||||||
| Other Information Sources | |||||||||
| 1 | washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker | ||||||||
| 2 | factcheckingday.com/#how-to, poynter.org/fact-checkers-code-of-principles | ||||||||
