Journalism in the First Person

3 Credits · Level: Graduate, Undergraduate

How much of a news story can - or should - involve turning a spotlight on the storyteller? This course will explore some of the tradition, debate and process that helps journalists develop their own answers to that question. Students will examine the technique and impact of examples ranging from a simple acknowledgement of the writer serving as a reader proxy to narrative arcs that center the reporting journey to works that turn a journalistic lens on reporters themselves as a way into a larger story — or as the subject itself, with journalism that edges into memoir. Students will analyze the ways first-person reporting has been used from the earliest days of professional journalism on just about every beat and topic and in just about every format possible. What are the benefits, limits and tradeoffs of the approach? Students will read and discuss successful first-person reporting, both historic and current; meet with leading journalists and bestselling authors who have mastered the form; and produce their own first-person journalism, including short-form, long-form, and live presentation.