Investigative Reporting at Stanford and Northwestern Shows Student Journalists Can Make a Difference

Every semester I tell my students the story of Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, the Washington Post reporters whose investigative reporting on the Watergate scandal ultimately led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon.

But you don’t have to work for The Washington Post or The New York Times to do deep-digging reporting that brings about real change. Just look at what happened recently at the student newspapers at Stanford and Northwestern.

At Stanford, President Dr. Marc Tessier-Lavigne resigned after The Stanford Daily student paper revealed irregularities in some research papers he had authored or co-authored.

And at Northwestern, head football coach Pat Fitzgerald was sacked following reports in The Daily Northwestern that some players had taken part in hazing rituals, and that a racist culture plagued the football program.

Theo Baker, The Stanford Daily reporter who wrote the Tessier-Lavigne stories, is the son of the Times’ chief White House correspondent, Peter Baker. He told his dad’s publication that “more than anything, to me, this should raise conversations about the value of student journalism. If you love a place, and I really do love Stanford, you want to push it to be more transparent.”

Granted, both these examples are at prestigious universities with undoubtedly well-funded journalism programs. But investigative journalism programs can increasingly be found at j-schools all over the country.

One example close to home (for me): Last year Temple University in Philadelphia launched the Logan Center for Urban Investigative Reporting, where students report on issues like gun violence, economic inequality, and education and health disparities, with stories that aim not just to reveal problems but to seek out solutions. The program partnered with a local news website to report on educational disparities in the Philadelphia School District.

Indeed, the Global Investigative Journalism Network reports that investigative reporting programs are springing up not just in the U.S. but at universities around the globe. In one case, a Norwegian journalist was so inspired by the investigative reporting program he witnessed at UC-Berkeley that he helped start a similar program at the University of Bergen.

And students in programs like these can bring the skills they acquire to the stories they do for their college papers. Indeed, those aspiring to be the next Woodward or Bernstein would do well to take an investigative reporting course to pick up the skills necessary for doing deep-dive journalism. If that’s not possible, seek out a mentor, maybe a journalism professor or local reporter, for tips and advice on how to track down such stories.

Of course, doing investigative reporting is never easy. Woodward and Bernstein faced enormous pressure from the White House as their reports zeroed in on the corruption at the heart of the Nixon administration. And Theo Baker received threatening letters from attorneys demanding retractions of his articles.

But in addition to reporting skills, investigative journos must possess a healthy dose of intestinal fortitude to question authority and stand up to those in power, especially when the powerful try to attack the messenger.

More on that in a future post.

Can Reporters, Objective or Otherwise, Uncover Every Kind of Truth?

Many journalists say it’s time to jettison traditional objectivity and focus more directly on pursuing the truth. As I’ve said before, I think objectivity is still a valuable newsgathering tool.

For Journalists, Objectivity Should Be a Tool, Not a Crutch

Every few years, an old debate re-emerges in journalism: Is objectivity a good thing?

Here’s How to Cover a Town Government or School Board Meeting

Town governments and school boards deal with a wide range of issues. Some are important and interesting, some are mundane and, frankly, dull. So the reporter covering these meetings must quickly learn to separate the wheat from the chaff.

Young Reporters Cover the Biggest Story of Their Careers When Four Men are Slain in Bucolic Bucks County

It was the kind of case one might expect to find in Philadelphia to the south or New York to the north, but the slayings of four young men over a few sweltering days in July became one of the biggest and most tragic stories to come out of the bucolic Bucks County suburbs in years.

Remembering Pete Hamill, Through His Writing

The one and only time I worked with an honest-to-god legend in my career as an ink-stained wretch was when, for a brief period in the 1990s, Pete Hamill was editor in chief of the New York Daily News, and I was an editor on the national desk. I didn’t interact with Pete much; he was, understandably, primarily focused on coverage of the city, the tabloid’s raison d’etre. I do recall coming in late to work one morning at the paper’s old West 33rd Street headquarters. Speed-walking down the corridor lined with famous Daily News front pages, I suddenly found Pete next to me, headed in the same direction. We chatted for a minute or so about this and that – in addition to his myriad achievements Pete was a genuinely nice guy – then went our separate ways as we entered the football field-sized newsroom. I practically levitated the rest of the way to my desk.

Here Are Some Common Mistakes I See When Journalism Students Write Their First Articles

It’s early in the semester and students at the college where I teach journalism have just turned in their first articles for the student newspaper. Most of them are really good, but as always there are a few common mistakes that students make early on.

Should Reporters Record Interviews, or Just Take Notes?

I’m a journalism professor, and one of the questions I’m most often asked by students is this: “Should I record my interviews, or just take notes?”

Six Tips on How to Conduct an Effective Interview

Journalism students tend to fret a lot about learning the newswriting format. But learning to write a news story is relatively easy, and any experienced journalist will tell you that reporting is at the heart of what the news business is all about. And when it comes to reporting, there is nothing more important than learning to be a good interviewer.

Focus Your Lead on What Makes the Story Interesting

I’ve already talked about the basics of writing a lead, and the idea that it should summarize the main points of the story using the 5W’s and the H.

But experienced reporters know there’s another important element to writing a lead – grabbing the reader’s attention.