COMM 203 Proposal & Research

Required information is attached and the instruction of the assignment.

here is a few short videos about the topic:

Imagine you are pitching an investigative feature to the Walrus Magazine.

First, take a closer look at their examples to familiarize yourself with what an investigative feature is, the range of topics covered, and extent of research required:

You may choose a topic of current public/media interest, historical interest, or something with a human-interest angle. For inspiration, you may also review the work of Columbia School of Journalism students

Your topic must be investigative, and not just a story. You must dig into a topic to dig up facts and statistics, information and research, insights, and human interest. Please note that part of this assignment is to find your own topic; therefore, the instructor is unable to assign you a topic; however, the instructor can guide you if you are unsure your topic may be appropriate.

This is a course in Canadian non-academic research techniques, so your sources should be non-academic, and your topic should be something where you use Canadian sources to research it.

Prepare a one-to-two-page (600-800 words) proposal with bolded headers (note: this is NOT an essay, and you must follow the structure outlined below) which includes:

 

TOPIC

  • Briefly describe the topic you have chosen for your feature, and explain why you have chosen this topic, and how it would be relevant to the Walrus audience (it is recommended you review the Walrus media kit)
  • What is the anticipated title of your feature? (The title can make or break your feature, and so think hard about it, and use other titles for inspiration)
  • Who will you be pitching the article to? Provide name, title, and contact information.

 

RESEARCH PLAN

  • List in bullets the primary and secondary research sources you will be using (Note: You don’t have to have found every source, but you must identify the organizations or types of organizations where you will go to find those sources. But if you know the sources already, include them.)
  • For each source, briefly describe the specific types of information you will be seeking from those sources and why they are relevant

 

PRELIMINARY RESEARH

Conduct preliminary research using 2-3 sources mentioned above (sources you can more easily access), and share a summary of your findings, and why it is relevant to the article.

 

INTERVIEWEES x3

  • Provide the name, title, and organization of three persons you are planning to interview; any relevant links such as their website, LinkedIn, Twitter etc.
  • Explain why each one of these individuals is important/relevant to the investigation
  • Use your research skills to find them!

 

INTERVIEW

  • List in bullets five questions you plan to ask one of the above subjects (write the questions as if you were asking them directly)
  • Remember they can only answer about things within their jobs/lives/jurisdiction, and you can’t ask them to answer for other people or organizations. Use your interview to ask about their experiences, observations, anecdotes, and opinions, and not to ask about facts or information you can gather through your own research.

 

Format

  • Two pages; 600-800 words; clear and concise writing free of spelling mistakes
  • Include the above bolded headers (this is NOT an essay)
  • No titlepage. Include your name / student number at the top.
  • Word document

Grading Matrix

Clarity / correctness of writing/following of instructions  

/3
Questions 1 /3

/1
Questions 2 /3

/2
Question 3 /3

/1
Question 4

TOTAL

 /3

/5
Question 5   /5
Total /15

 

Tips/Notes

After you carefully review the above details, let me know if you have any specific questions; however, please note that no additional guidelines will be provided since this is a creative exercise. This is an individual assignment, and any signs of collaboration (e.g., similar topics/answers) will be flagged and questioned.

***Not following the instructions may result in penalties***