2026 - Fall

Investigating Journalism: Ethics and Practice

Course Number: JOUR-UA 50.001

Day & Time: Wed | 11:00 AM – 1:30 PM

Location: Silver, Room 208

Prerequisites: Expository Writing Requirement or the equivalent.

This lecture course is an introduction to journalism — and the stresses and
tensions that define American journalism in the 21st century. Indeed, it is something of a
guide to the political and social struggle that America and other Western nations find
themselves engaged in, for journalism (and the nature of truth and objectivity) are at the
very heart of that struggle.

On one level, this course is about the rich and peculiar history of journalism in the
United States — the importance of the First Amendment and the tensions between it and
other rights and liberties that are codified in American law.

On another, the course is about how journalists function — and how they define
themselves — not just against the framework of that historical context, but within the very
rapidly changing political and technological environment: an environment that presents
novel challenges to the traditional ideas of free speech and the free press.

On yet another level, this course explores the nature of truth, of objectivity, of
authority, of trust, of bias, and of mechanisms by which we attempt to overcome our own
biases (or, conversely, attempt to impose our biases on others.)

Notes: Required for the journalism major. Counts as an elective for both journalism minors.

Questions? Email undergraduate.journalism@nyu.edu.