Your assignment is to read one investigative print or broadcast story and evaluate the story for content and sources. You should select a story from your course of study (i.e. newspaper, online magazine, print magazine or broadcast program). You are then to prepare at least a two page (single spaced and typed) assessment of the story.

The story must be at either at least 10 minutes long (broadcast) or 1500 words. The longer the story, the better. The story must be investigative in nature. It should not be a feature story -- be careful of Time and Newsweek stories which often sum up known information. Your ability to determine what is investigative is important. If you have trouble finding a story, look online. Here are two examples of investigative stories I found on the web.

• Baltimore Sun - The Cigar Caper
• Baltimore Sun - Shipbreaking

Good sources for investigative stories are Mother Jones, The Nation and Covert Action Quarterly.

You should answer all of the following questions (if relevent) in your assessment.

1. What is the story about?
2. Why is it an important story (or not important)?
3. What sources were used in the story (people, public records, eyewitness accounts)? Remember that a good story provides attributes for every piece of factual information it includes.  Can you thinkof any sources that should have been used?
4. Were there any unnamed sources or hidden cameras in the story?
5. How necessary were the unnamed sources or hidden cameras to the story?
6. Did the story prove the lead or nutgraf of the story (the main contention)?
7. Did the story exaggerate or not prove any key components?
8. What was good about the story?
9. What was bad about the story?
10. What would you do different?
11. Every story leaves you with a few (or many) questions when you are done reading/viewing it. What questions do you have about what was included, or more importantly, not included in the story (i.e. did you try to talk to the victims wife or what happened to the stolen money)?

The assignment is due February 27. You can turn it in early if you want to.