Student journalists and news literacy

One of the questions framing this conference asks whether we are educating journalists to be investigative. Weinberg (1996) argues it would be wonderful to say every journalist is an investigative journalist, but it would be untrue. Rather, every journalist can be an investigative journalist. This paper reports on a strategy to help students become better (investigative) journalists by becoming news literate journalists. This is essential grounding for our future journalists at a time when 'a cacophonous and uneven information ecosystem', populated by 'partisans, charlatans, experts, and amateurs of all stripes and competences', delivers a daily torrent of 'news' and commentary – much of it not vetted or sourced (Adler 2014). Journalists and news consumers alike need to know what information or source is trustworthy, how to determine the accuracy of sourcing and why these things matter