Social Justice–Investigative Reporting News Nexus

The initial proposal set out to 1) define and nurture social justice journalism and its unique features, while preserving the credibility and objectivity of the journalists who practice it; 2) connect with communities and journalists to guide in-depth reporting that calls attention to important issues in local communities; 3) cultivate a new group of graduate journalism students to become social justice journalists in anticipation of a formal social justice journalism concentration within Medill; and 4) select a series of specific social justice areas and create a sustainable news nexus to increase the opportunities to have a collective impact. The goal continues to be to engage professional journalists, graduate students, and community leaders in reporting issues of importance to marginalized communities through the lens of social justice. As described in the original proposal, “The program we are introducing in Social Justice Journalism exposes Medill students to opportunities to (a) report in-depth on societal inequities and systemic abuses, particularly those that foster discrimination, economic exploitation, and human rights and civil liberties violations, (b) depict the impact on individuals and communities, and (c) drive collective engagement and change on those issues.