Political Journalism: How to report, analyze, and write intelligently on political issues and events. Students will get deep instruction in how to cover political theory, political systems and power, learning how to write with balance, context, and skepticism of spin, as well as essential training in recognizing political news, cultivating sources and conveying meaning in areas of political reporting including elections, legislation, education, social movements and race. This course will survey the work of some of the best political journalists and journalism through history, including insider accounts on working with Bob Woodward, one of the journalists who broke the Watergate scandal. Students will also get hands-on experience writing political stories and creating multimedia political content, with the possibility of being published in Colorado Politics, a statewide political journal.

Newsletters in the email inbox are the latest trend in digital journalism as both high-profile and emerging writers build audiences on publications like Substack. 'Reporters are leaving newsrooms for newsletters, their own ‘mini media empire,’' The Washington Post has reported. But, 'is Substack the media future we want?' asked The New Yorker. Writing for newsletters is different from traditional journalism, but plenty of the same rules apply. Many established publications these days now have their own newsletters. Students in this class will learn about the rise of entrepreneurial newsletter journalism while also learning how to practice it themselves. They will develop their own ideas for a reported newsletter throughout the block, cultivate an audience, and hear from others who have found success with inbox journalism.

This course explores the impacts of secrecy and surveillance on the exercise of democracy. How do secrets affect the governed and the state? How does surveillance affect the watcher and the watched? Is informed consent possible in a national security state? Who defines national security? Who benefits from the definition? How are civil rights safeguarded, and how is privacy redefined? How do secrecy and surveillance, in the digital age influence the practice of journalism and fhe exercise of citizenship? 1 unit - Alters, Lindau.

Taught by Heather Perlberg. Students will learn the nuts and bolts of reporting on business and finance from Heather Perlberg, a CC alum and an award-winning senior reporter for Bloomberg who covers wealth, private equity, Wall Street's biggest firms, and the billionaires who lead them, including their growing role in the world of finance and the impact they have on our lives.

As Colorado's wildfire season starts earlier and lasts longer with experts warning of a 'new normal,' students in this class will learn how media are responding, and develop best practices for reporting on wildfires in the West. Students will hear from those who cover wildfires, will take field trips to sites, meet with scientists, and more.