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Boston University's Washington Journalism Center offers students the chance to spend a semester in Washington, D.C., meeting news makers, working in the bureaus of national news organizations, reporting on Congress and the federal government for New England news outlets and studying political reporting in the best political city in the world. ... More

Maine's manufacturing industry jobs

being replaced by service jobs

WASHINGTON, May 2 — Lisa Northup never thought she would be changing careers at age 41. But after more than 20 years at Moosehead Manufacturing, the furniture factory shut its doors, changed owners, consolidated and left Northup jobless last June. Rather than find work at a different mill, Northup, who lives in Guilford, chose a more stable path and in September began classes at Bangor’s Beal College to become a medical assistant. (By Vicki Ekstrom)

McGovern taking on larger,

more powerful role in the House

WASHINGTON, May 1 – When President Bush was pushing hard for Congress to act swiftly on a free trade deal with Colombia  in April it was U.S. Rep. James P. McGovern who came up with a strategy to put the brakes on congressional consideration of the trade pact. (By Jason Millman)

Sununu and McCain:

A pair of mavericks

WASHINGTON, May 1 — When John McCain traveled to the Middle East in August 2003 after the United States invaded Iraq, John Sununu was at his side.

Two years later, when McCain briefly visited Uzbekistan to condemn its totalitarian regime, Sununu was again right behind him.

And in January 2006, when the Arizonan addressed free-trade issues in New Zealand, Sununu flew along. (By Matt Negrin)

Local control dominates

sex education in New Hampshire

WASHINGTON, May 1 – Though the abstinence-only debate over sex education has flared up again in Washington, the controversy is having only a limited impact in New Hampshire, where sex ed programs and curricula remain under the jurisdiction of local school districts and communities. (By Kenna Caprio)

Poker Players betting on Rep. Frank

to overturn online gambling ban

WASHINGTON, April 30 – The odds may not be in his favor, but Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., has gained a valuable ally in his fight to overturn a 2006 law banning online gambling. Poker Players Alliance, a grassroots organization fighting for poker players’ rights, has put its chips on Rep. Frank’s proposal. (By Matt Huisman)

Connecticut expands support

for military families

WASHINGTON, April 18 – More than half of the military personnel deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan have spouses or children and when they return from deployment, the transition can be hard not only on the soldiers but on their families, who often share the mental, emotional and social pressures of the war. (By Erin Kutz)

Two of the sentinels who gaurd the Tomb of the

Unknowns. (Photo by Emily Reynolds)

Guarding the Tomb of the Unknowns

at Arlington National Cemetery

ARLINGTON, Va., April 24--Click…Click… The cemetery’s silence is broken only by the sentinel’s two, crisp, calculated heel clicks. He stands facing the Tomb of the Unknowns for 21 seconds—reflecting the 21-gun salute—turns to his right and repositions his gun to be between himself and the crowd, and, after standing again for 21 seconds, takes 21 steps to the other side of the Tomb to repeat the process. (By Emily Reynolds)

Last updated 12-Jun-2008
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Reporting Live From the Nation's Capital

Bostonia, the Alumni Quarterly Magazine of Boston University, did a feature article on our Washington D.C. Journalism program.

Guest Speakers

Jeffrey Birnbaum

“Politicians need money, like humans need water,” Jeffrey Birnbaum told Boston University journalism students Feb. 11.

Birnbaum, a Washington Post columnist since 2004, television commentator and author, spoke to the Political Reporting class at the BU Washington Journalism Center. He talked about writing stories based on information from the Federal Elections Commission, which tracks candidates’ campaign finance reports.

more

Mark Thompson

Mark Thompson knows a thing or two about enterprise reporting.  A reporter in Washington since 1979, who currently writes for Time Magazine, he has covered the federal government’s response to Hurricane Katrina, post-9/11 vulnerability, domestic violence in military families, and a fatal design flaw in Army helicopters—a series which won him a Pulitzer Prize. more

Kevin Merida

Les Kretman