This course will introduce students to the challenges facing democracy and the role that journalism plays in addressing them. Students will learn the basic principles of reporting (interviewing skills, AP style, and ethics) by working closely with nonpartisan investigative news organizations that serve vulnerable communities in a battleground state. Our classroom will become a virtual newsroom. We will engage in a virtual listening tour, conduct professional research, and write our own stories about the stakes in the swingiest of swing states. We will learn, at the highest ethical and professional levels, how to find and follow the news.