Investigative Reporting/Global warming

This assignment was designed by Dr David Blackall, Senior Lecturer, School of Journalism & Creative Writing, Faculty of Creative Arts. The University of Wollongong.

It is used for assessment in the Investigative Reporting unit of Bachelor of Communications and Media Studies at the University of Wollongong, Australia

Hypothetical
You are provided a leaked and unpublished scientific academic paper by a source in absolute confidence /Link TBA/. The source tells you that the information contained in the document, and associated URLs, is solid and that it will undo the whole theory on man induced, ‘Carbon Dioxide only culprit’ global warming and ‘Carbon Dioxide only culprit’ climate change. If it is reliable, this exclusive release to you will offer you great opportunities to specialise in investigative environment writing, as the paper thoroughly examines the climate science, exposing it as fraud. After doing a wise thing in telling your editor, you are instructed to research and write a report to validate or refute the paper. This must also summarise the possibility for a series of features on climate change and carbon cap and trade to be run in your paper each weekend in a month’s time. You are also to consider the ethics and law in respect to confidentiality that you have accepted by law in receiving the document and associated material; so a brief summary of the main legal danger points would be critical in your report. This is a rare opportunity and your editor warns you to be careful as journalists are often used by sources who have agendas, however from your initial read you can see that if the work stands up to your scrutiny, you may have a journalistic coup in being among the first to report on such an exposé. You should check the veracity of the paper determining whether the argument is based on authentic documents and many other sources. Most of the material can be sourced online. Try to apply the three source rule of say: one document, one Internet site and a reliable and independent expert; or two authentic documents as scientifically authenticated and a ‘passionate’ and subjective source. The science in the document is not overwhelmingly complex, but the area is huge, so you should take a particular angle and examine that for this report. This is a kind of case study research, in taking small chunks and testing them for reliability and trends, then concluding that there would be a tendency for the other ‘chunks’ to also be reliable in the information they convey. The paper and other materials will be provided on the eLearning site in week 2, electronically, by your tutor.

Format
On paper, research report of 1000 words, including point form diary of how you undertook the report; all references, URLs and sources that substantiate or refute each point in section of the paper you have chosen; proof of any primary research undertaken.

Assessment Criteria
Students must display solid research skills and initiative in being able to uncover information. They should be able to show they have been aware of the relevant laws and have started to develop skills in interpreting high level scientific discourse and data, while also being able to see a bigger picture in terms of motivation for corruption and potential for corruption from financiers and the big business end of town. The report must be well written.