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Depth Reporting

Depth Reporting: NIL and the Sports Portal

The Project The Class The Program The Team
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It takes hard work and determination to tell the big stories. And NIL and the sports portal is a defining story of our time. 

In Fall 2024, the College of Journalism and Mass Communications' award-winning Depth Reporting program will investigate the stories of NIL and the sports portal. An energetic team of passionate writers, photographers and videographers will research, analyze and develop multimedia stories throughout the semester.  

About the Project

This is an in-depth reporting course that will challenge your investigative skills as a TV reporter and/or podcaster. You, working individually and with partners in this course, will produce a multimedia package of stories about the impacts of NIL and the sports portal on college sports focused on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. You will produce the deepest-reported, best-written and most in-depth stories you have done across various platforms. Much of your work will happen outside of our class time.

About the Class

Investigative Depth Reporting: NIL and the sports portal will be offered in Fall 2024.

  • Students will enroll in JOUR 491/891.001 Investigative Depth Reporting
  • The class meets on Mondays and Wednesdays from 1:30 p.m. to 3:20 p.m.
  • Students should expect to spend 10-15 hours outside class working on their projects.
  • Travel to locations within Nebraska may be needed to complete stories. Group travel, if necessary, will be covered by the fund and will not be the responsibility of the student. 
  • Benefit to you: You will learn how to investigate topics, and you will be pushed to advance your journalism skills. Your work may be entered into national prestige contests, some of which may carry monetary awards.  

About the Program

The College of Journalism and Mass Communications Depth Reporting program is led by the Deepe Endowed Chairs in Depth Reporting Chris Graves and Linda White. The program focuses on producing professional-quality depth reports on topics of social importance. 

Previous projects include Wounds of Whiteclay, the 2017 winner of the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Grand Prize, that explored the devastating effects of alcohol sales in Whiteclay, Nebraska, to residents of the nearby Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. State of Waste was a 2021 podcast that explored what happens to garbage after it leaves the house in Nebraska.

The College of Journalism and Mass Communications Depth Reporting program is supported by the Deepe Family Endowment. The Endowment was established with the proceeds from the $4.65 million sale of farmlands donated by the estate of Martin and Doris Deepe from Hebron, Nebraska. The gift will elevate journalism education and investigative reporting at the university, ensuring that future generations of UNL graduates are equipped with the necessary skills to uncover and share stories of significance, particularly in the Great Plains and tribal communities.

Meet the Team

Dr. Linda White

Dr. White spent 25 years as a TV anchor/reporter in the Midwest and Southeast at NBC and ABC affiliates. She has won an Emmy, MAB, NABJ, and regional Murrow Awards. As an investigative reporter, she has asked the tough questions of adoption agencies, builders, educators, and more.

Contact lwhite28@unl.edu with questions.

Apply Now

To apply students must submit a course application, two faculty references, a writing sample, a photo sample and a video sample demonstrating competency in these skills and complete an interview. Applications for Fall 2024 are due April 12.

Apply Now

Contact lwhite28@unl.edu with questions.

Frequently Asked Questions

I am not a journalism or broadcast major, can I still apply? Yes, as long as you can write, take photographs and shoot video effectively, you are welcome to apply. Show us your skills!

I am not in the College of Journalism of Mass Communications, can I still apply? Yes, as long as you can write, take photographs and shoot video effectively, you are welcome to apply. Show us your skills!

What does the class entail? This is a hands-on reporting and writing course and while there may be a few lectures, you should consider the professor more like your news director who is guiding your work, editing and providing feedback. You may be going into communities and talking with sources/subjects that may come from different experiences and situations than your background. You will likely also be talking with official sources as well in the college sports world. There will be multiple deadlines, some overlapping. Your work will be critiqued and often sent back for revisions or more reporting. This is natural and to be expected. The work, regardless of platform, will be published. 

Are there prerequisites? Yes.

  • CoJMC students must complete prerequisite courses, including JOMC 101, JOMC 130-134, and JOUR 200A with a grade of C or higher, as well as either ADPR 151, ADPR 221, ADPR 283, or BRDC 227, BRDC 269, BRDC 260, or SPMC 150, SPMC 250, or JOUR 200B with a grade of C or higher.
  • For non-CoJMC students: At least a junior in good academic standing.
  • There is an application process for course admission.

What will I need to provide to apply? Broadcasting/podcasting samples and provide references from two UNL professors, including at least one from your home college.  You will also complete a questionnaire and be interviewed by Dr. White.