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.
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. You also have the opportunity to partner with the Social Justice News Nexus, working with professional fellows to produce in-depth reports on social justice issues.
The Social Justice specialization starts in the fall quarter.
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.
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.
Kotlowitz, a senior lecturer, is the author of three books, including the national bestseller "There Are No Children Here." A former staff writer for The Wall Street Journal, his work has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine and on public radio’s This American Life.
Trained as an attorney, Doppelt holds the Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani endowed chair at Medill. Doppelt has been on the faculty since 1986 and is an expert on social justice and immigration journalism as well as coverage of the Middle East and legal issues in journalism.
Lydersen is lecturer and co-director of the Social Justice News Nexus. She also works as a reporter, covering energy for Midwest Energy News and freelancing for other outlets including the Better Government Association, The Washington Post, People Magazine and The Chicago Reporter.
Katz was awarded the Medill Medal for Courage in Journalism for his coverage of the 2010 Haiti earthquake and subsequent cholera epidemic, which he further explored in his award-winning book. He is a regular New York Times contributor and director of the Media & Journalism Initiative at Duke University's John Hope Franklin Humanities Institute.
An award-winning journalist with nearly 30 years experience in newspaper, public relations and government, Ihejirika currently pens the Sun-Times’ “Chicago Chronicles” column. Previously, she served as press secretary for the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services and operated a niche public relations firm.
Cullen works with the news media and leads NIJC's communications and content strategies to tell stories about the need for fair and humane immigration laws.
