Course overview
This course provides an in-depth understanding of the principles and practices of Forensic Journalism, focusing on the integration of investigative reporting with forensic science. It covers evidence-based news investigation, digital and data verification, forensic interviewing, and the analysis of crime, corruption, and misinformation. Learners gain practical exposure to investigative tools and digital forensic techniques used in uncovering and authenticating information. The course emphasises accuracy, ethical integrity, and legal compliance, preparing students for professional roles in investigative journalism, media analysis, and forensic communication
Programme Details
- Duration: 2 Months.
- Mode: Offline (Hands-on Lab training).
- Batch Size: Limited to 10 students for individualised mastery.
- Location: A-525-527, Anthurium Tower, Noida Sector 73.
Topics covered
- Introduction to forensic journalism and its aspects
- Crime Scene Management- introduction, crime and its types, procedures involved in crime scene investigation and management, Reconstruction of crime-scene.
- Role of questioned documents in media – introduction, alterations, indentations, psychological profiling of author through different parameters of handwriting (linguistic, text, document, emotional)
- Cyber forensics in journalism – network traffic analysis, log files and stamps, user account activity, e-mail header analysis, cache, file metadata, social media activities, communication patterns and VPN logs, malware artifacts.
- Physical Forensic – Introduction, projectile: its direction and determination, impact patterns, glass fractures (radial, concentric), different tool marks, skid and tyre marks: their examination, analysis of bloodstain patterns (diameter, angle, directionality), fire patterns (origin and lightning conditions)
- Forensic chemistry and media – introduction, persistence usage of odour and smell, colour changes, livor mortis and marbling of body, changes in body colour with time, staining and discolouration of materials (blood, seminal fluid, saliva, steel component), analysis of powder and crystals, analysis and examination of obliterated marks and their restorations, fumes and vapours, analysis of unusual residue on objects, examination of packaging materials
- Forensic biology and medicine – introduction, analysis of bloodstains, examination of hair, bodily fluids, types of injuries, physical injuries (abrasions, contusions, lacerations), examination procedural of victim, evidence in sexual assault cases, analysis of ligature marks
- Forensic taphonomy – study of post-mortem changes (immediate, early and late changes)
- Forensic psychology – introduction, importance in criminal investigations, behavioral analysis (ritual and signature), evaluation of victim and witness statements, communication style interpretation, staging and manipulation analysis, geographical profile analysis, victimology, psychological autopsy, criminal profiling, eyewitness memory and identification, psychological assessment of suspect, interrogation and interviewing techniques, criminal competency and insanity
Hands-on training list
- Forensic-mock reporting
- Dummy crime scene reconstruction and reporting
- Practical application of forensic skill on forensic journalist reporting
- Application of observational methods of forensics in mock cases
- Application of forensic psychology on journalist interviews
- Application of questioned document forensics on document-based reporting
- Application of victimology in media reporting
- Studying and interpreting fractures formed in glasses
- Identification, analysis, and examination of tool marks to determine the type of instrument used, its unique characteristics, and possible linkage to the crime or suspect
- Examination and analysis of bloodstains to determine their origin, pattern, and distribution for reconstructing crime scene events
- Practical examination of fire patterns to analyze fire origin, spread dynamics, heat indicators
- Practical examination and analysis of skid and tyre marks to determine vehicle speed, direction, braking/acceleration events, and aid in collision reconstruction through measurement and pattern comparison
- Microscopic and comparative analysis of hair evidence for species identification, root and cuticle morphology, treatment/damage assessment, and trace-evidence testing
- Analysis of email headers to identify the origin, transmission route, and authenticity of electronic communications
- File metadata analysis to extract creation/modification timestamps, authorship, and system traces
- Cache examination to recover transient data, deleted content, and browser artifacts
- Social media activity forensic review to collect posts, message metadata, geolocation, and interaction patterns
What will we learn?
- Learning how to collect, preserve, and analyse digital and documentary evidence following forensic protocols
- Tracing misinformation, cyber frauds, and digital forgeries using forensic and open-source intelligence (OSINT) tools
- Understanding the role of forensic principles in investigative journalism to ensure fact-based reporting
- Learning to trace sources, establish timelines, and validate claims through forensic investigation methods
- Profiling authors through handwriting analysis, including linguistic, textual, emotional, and document-based parameters
- Apply forensic physics techniques to examine projectiles, impact patterns, glass fractures, tool marks, skid and tyre marks, bloodstains, and fire patterns
- Study post-mortem changes and taphonomy to reconstruct timelines and support investigative reporting
- Prepare legally compliant, detailed investigative reports that integrate scientific analysis with journalistic storytelling for credible, evidence-based reporting
- Investigate fraud, manipulated records, and falsified identity or financial documents for fact-based media reporting
- Integrate investigative skills with storytelling to produce credible, evidence-based journalism
