"Football Footprint" is a project produced by the 2004 investigative environmental reporting class at Michigan State University's School of Journalism.

The class is offered each fall through MSU's Knight Center for Environmental Journalism.   The intent of the course is to teach students investigative reporting techniques and how to communicate complex stories to the public. This is done initially by analyzing investigative stories and by discussing the environment and journalism with experts.

But most of the class is spent preparing a complex environmental project with the intent of getting it published and/or broadcast.   Although the focus is on the environment, techniques taught and practiced in this class are helpful for covering a variety of beats.

MSU students apply for admittance. Journalism students should have completed JRN300. Students who are not journalism majors are encouraged to apply.   An application is here.

Reporting, feature writing, broadcast, photography, Web design, copy-editing are among the skills sought for this limited enrollment class.   The final project is shaped by the skills unique to each class.

Students in 2003 analyzed Michigan's contaminated sites and leaking underground petroleum tanks for a series of reports localized for each region of the state.   You can see their report here.