The Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting launched a Journalism Lab in January 2020. The purpose of the lab is to teach students the basic tenets of journalism and the fundamentals of news writing, editing, interviewing and reporting so they can tell stories that reflect their authentic experiences about their school and community. Students are also taught investigative techniques and basic media law.

The hope is that students will gain a full appreciation for the important role of the media in a democratic society and the importance of keeping public officials accountable, listening to different perspectives and going behind the headlines to examine the underlying issues of a problem, as nothing is ever as it seems.

This course also seeks to foster the development of students’ analytical and critical-thinking skills through robust classroom discussions and analysis of news stories, so they can become more engaged public citizens. An effective democracy depends on an engaged, informed and involved populace. And, journalists have a responsibility to provide citizens with unbiased, accurate information so they can make those informed decisions.