The Center for Journalism & Democracy at Howard University in Washington D.C. has established a new multi-campus course about news reporting that will be available for students at nine historically Black colleges and universities. The course, Investigative Journalism I, will be led by Nikole Hannah-Jones, founder of the Center for Journalism & Democracy and the Knight Chair in Race and Journalism in Howard’s Cathy Hughes School of Communications.
The new course will launch in the fall 2024 semester for students at Howard University, Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, North Carolina A&T State University, North Carolina Central University, Savannah State University in Georgia, Texas Southern University, and the University of the District of Columbia. Beginning in 2025, the course will also be available to students from Florida A&M University and Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland.
Students who enroll in Investigative Journalism I will learn about essential reporting skills such as accessing public records, interviewing, sourcing, and archival researching. Each week, students will participate in one virtual lecture held by Professor Hannah-Jones and one session of experiential lab sessions at each participating HBCU.
“Our communities are disproportionately affected by many of the ills and wrongdoings that journalism uncovers, and our students have the will and determination to investigate these issues and hold power accountable,” said Hannah-Jones. “Now, they will have the skills to match their determination.”
Professor Hannah-Jones is a Pulitzer prize-winning author and a staff writer at The New York Times Magazine. Throughout her career in journalism, she has investigated racial inequality and injustice. She is the author of the award-winning The 1619 Project (One World, 2021), which has been made into a six-part documentary series on Hulu. She is also the co-founder of the Ida B. Wells Society for Investigate Reporting and founder of the 1619 Freedom School in Iowa.
Professor Hannah-Jones is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame, where she double-majored in history and African American studies. She holds a master’s degree in mass communication from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
