Northwestern U. to Review Journalism Project Accused of Ethical Lapses

Northwestern University has hired a former U.S. attorney to look into allegations of unethical conduct by journalism students in the Medill Innocence Project, a course that investigates possible wrongful convictions, the Chicago Tribune reported. State prosecutors who filed a subpoena for students’ notes and grades a year ago said at a court hearing on Wednesday that students had secretly recorded a witness, a practice prohibited under most circumstances in Illinois. David Protess, the journalism professor who founded the Innocence Project, confirmed that a secret recording had been made, but denied that it was done illegally. He also denied that the university’s review of the project was focusing on ethical violations.