Social Justice
Telling untold stories of people who are disenfranchised, vulnerable or oppressed shines the light on injustice and inequality. If you’re passionate about social justice and exposing wrongdoing, this is the specialization for you. Building upon Medill’s foundation of solid reporting skills, you’ll learn how to conduct interviews, dig deeply and ultimately produce journalism that can make a real difference in Chicago and beyond.
About the Social Justice specialization
The Social Justice specialization focuses on journalism that makes the world a better place. Social justice issues you may explore include criminal justice, drug policy, mental health services, housing segregation, homelessness, poverty and immigration, just to name a few.
You'll produce stories for Medill News Service, which partners with news outlets to publish your work. These clips will form the basis for your portfolio, demonstrating your real-world journalism experience. Your reporting might take you to locations across the U.S.; previous classes have reported on homelessness and drug addiction in Puerto Rico and the payday loan industry in Kansas City, Missouri.
The Social Justice specialization starts in the fall quarter.
Why Social Justice?
If you’ve always wanted to find the answers to difficult societal questions and pursue stories that produce change, you can do that and more in the Social Justice specialization.
What will I learn?
By spending much of your time outside the classroom reporting and gathering news, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of urban communities. You’ll learn to analyze diverse issues and take into account a variety of viewpoints and voices—including many not typically given a platform in the mainstream media. It’s time consuming and intense but also satisfying.