WVU Investigative Journalism

Reporting on courts and crime isn’t always an easy task, especially if the news source you’re working for is the same one you grew up watching. That’s the case for Jessie Shafer, a reporter for WOWK in Huntington, West Virginia. Shafer is a native of Kanawha county and as a crime reporter often runs into […]

At some point in his/her career, nearly every journalist will face some sort of ethical dilemma and will have to make a decision on how to handle it.  Lacie Pierson, courts reporter for the Charleston Gazette Mail, knows this all too well. “The stakes are higher on this beat,” she says of covering crime and […]

As professional journalists must filter through mass amounts of sensitive information every day in order to provide the public with the knowledge it needs, ethical dilemmas are inevitable. Ashley Craig, now the assistant city editor at the Charleston Gazette-Mail, has dealt with her fair share of ethical issues in her nine years working as a […]

If everything goes according to schedule, Morgantown may finally have its own cycling lanes next summer. That is if.   Despite having a population that tops 30,000, according to the US Census Bureau, the West Virginia college town still has almost no dedicated bicycle lanes, with its only cycling infrastructure in Granville.  “[But even] Granville […]

On September 19, Morgantown City Council held their bimonthly public meeting to discuss issues and potential opportunities involving Morgantown. One heavy issue that was discussed was the runway expansion of the Morgantown Municipal Airport (MMA). For the past few years, MMA has been in the works of renting space for runways, but the project opportunities […]

The Morgantown City Council, on September 19, 2017, discussed the progress of the capital improvement projects at the Morgantown Municipal Airport. The public hearing surrounding this issue was for the ordinance authorizing an agreement with RSA Flight Training leasing office space at the Morgantown Municipal Airport. This office space that will be leased will be […]

“Why is Sunnyside so important? Do we do everything for WVU? Do they prosper at the expense of everybody else in this city?” These were the words of Morgantown citizen James Giuliani at the September 19th City Council meeting. His displeasure came from the hot button issue of the night-the plan for a “tax increment […]

By Erin Drummond A journalist’s career consists of making difficult, ethical choices. Some take a hazardous route, resulting in “fake news,” lawsuits, and other negative outcomes. Others follow what they believe in, doing their best to prevent unethical situations. Emily Daniels, the City Editor for The Journal in Martinsburg, WVa., recalled a personal ethical dilemma […]

Austin Caperton is proud to be the new secretary for the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Caperton’s first time speaking directly to the public was this past Monday, when the Sierra Student Coalition invited him to speak at the Mountain Lair at West Virginia University. Caperton states the focus of this Agency is […]

By Nick Foutrakis MORGANTOWN, W. Va. — Morgantown City Council barely passed an ordinance prohibiting guns in municipal buildings and on city-owned property. The ordinance was passed after a four to three vote decided on Tuesday, Feb. 21. Councilors Bill Kawecki, Nancy Ganz, Jenny Selin and Marti Shamberger voted in favor of the ordinance while […]