FEATURE
Combining Forces
Medill and Pritzker’s FOIA Practicum promotes transparency and accountability.
By Victoria Ryan
The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) is arguably one of the most important tools a journalist possesses. By allowing for access to public records, the FOIA aids journalists in their role as watchdogs, holding officials accountable.
A major barrier to utilizing this tool is a lack of training on how to use the FOIA. The Media Law & Government Transparency Practicum looks to change that.
The Practicum began in 2021 and is a partnership between Medill’s Master of Science in Journalism program and the Pritzker School of Law. The program combines traditional classroom learning with placement at a Practicum partner, providing law students with the chance to work in the legal departments of newsrooms and press advocacy organizations and journalism students with the opportunity to gain reporting experience in a professional newsroom. The most recent cohort consisted of 12 law students and 13 journalism students, the biggest group yet.
Associate Professor Doreen Weisenhaus, director of the Media Law and Policy Initiative at Medill, is the mastermind behind the Practicum. Taking advantage of her joint appointment as a Senior Lecturer at Pritzker, she worked with the law school’s Dean at the time to combine experiential learning with seminar-style curriculum.
“The idea was to teach about government transparency and how to use those legal tools: Freedom of Information Acts, access to court records, public access to hearings, how to cover protests and so forth,” said Weisenhaus.
“We want to take these two powerhouse schools and have them join forces to be able to provide for what are very, very important needs of this news industry.”
An emptied city newspaper dispenser. (Photo by Valeriia Neganova/Unsplash)
An emptied city newspaper dispenser. (Photo by Valeriia Neganova/Unsplash)
Among the more than 30 Practicum partners are The Associated Press, Chicago Public Media, The Wall Street Journal and ProPublica. The program reported 36 partner organizations for students to gain hands-on experience.
“It’s really important that while they’re learning the fundamentals, they’re also at the same time in a newsroom where they’re practicing that, and we can help supervise and provide support,” said Weisenhaus.
Christiana Freitag (MSJ25) is a recent graduate of the Health/Environment/Science specialization and spent her externship at the investigative arm of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. She joined a public health team examining Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) contamination in the Green Bay area, a “forever chemical” found in surrounding waterways.
Christiana Freitag's byline in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Christiana Freitag's byline in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
“I honestly do believe it was one of the highlights of my master’s program, just because it was able to tailor both my interests in long-form investigative reporting with my background and interests in environmental and public health reporting,” Freitag said.
The Practicum provides a unique chance for students in law and journalism to collaborate before they enter their respective fields. For Freitag, “merging those two worlds was very unique and I think very valuable, because all this stuff can be very confusing, especially without a legal background myself.”
The opportunity to build connections with others allowed for further collaboration while applying course concepts.
“It was honestly really great to have that combination of law students and journalism students because we’re all coming at the same topics from different perspectives,” said Freitag, who now reports about the environment for the Chicago Tribune. “It was helpful to also compare notes with other journalists and law students to really understand what hurdles they were coming up against with their requests and help each other along the process.”
A folded Wall Street Journal. (Photo by Jennifer Burk/Unsplash)
A folded Wall Street Journal. (Photo by Jennifer Burk/Unsplash)
Christiana Freitag (MSJ25)
Christiana Freitag (MSJ25)
In its six-year history, the program has significantly expanded. Beyond an increase in partnerships with professional organizations, Weisenhaus introduced a class on artificial intelligence, how the government uses it and how journalists can implement it to support their work. Weisenhaus also taps into her global network of journalists, attorneys and industry leaders.
“They bring really rare opportunities for students to have one-on-one conversations with those who are on the front line of some of the biggest issues and challenges,” said Weisenhaus.
In the 2024-2025 school year, the Practicum introduced a one-year public-interest fellowship program. Two students, a 3L from Pritzker and a graduating MSJ, receive the award and are paired with a professional news organization.
Nicole Jeanine Johnson (MSJ25) at Chicago Public Media where she is a reporting fellow.
Nicole Jeanine Johnson (MSJ25) at Chicago Public Media where she is a reporting fellow.
As an investigative fellow at Chicago Public Media, Johnson co-authored a story about ticketing inequity on campus and how police at public universities ticketed Black drivers more often than white motorists who were stopped, a first-of-its-kind analysis.
As an investigative fellow at Chicago Public Media, Johnson co-authored a story about ticketing inequity on campus and how police at public universities ticketed Black drivers more often than white motorists who were stopped, a first-of-its-kind analysis.
Nicole Jeanine Johnson (MSJ25), this year’s MSJ recipient, is an investigative reporting fellow at Chicago Public Media, which includes WBEZ public radio and the Chicago Sun-Times. She cites the Practicum as a big part of what prepared her for this position.
“I just appreciated that experience before I really hit the big leagues,” she said. “I think as a society and as a Northwestern community, it’s important that we protect this and invest in this.”
For Weisenhaus, this program comes at a necessary time.
“Investigative reporting and just reporting in general is always challenging in any environment, but under the current environment of the last few years, it’s been getting increasingly harder and harder to report,” she said.
With plans to continue expanding, the Practicum hopes to continue providing unique educational skills to students while filling gaps in the community.
“It truly is a passion project, and at such a critical time in our history in America. But it also provided real services in Chicago and the greater metropolitan area, which I think really sorely needs it,” said Weisenhaus.
Victoria Ryan (BSJ27) is a third-year student at Medill studying journalism, political science and Integrated Marketing Communications, and is the current news director of the Northwestern News Network.
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