Prof. Burns comments in Crain's Detroit Business

Crain's Detroit Business, 9/27

Time Inc.'s Detroit project being closely scrutinized

by Bill Shea

Ben Burns, director of the journalism program at WSU, comments in this article about Time Inc.'s "Assignment Detroit" immersion-journalism project. The project has sparked debate over its merits on local online forums and the Web. "It's obviously a gimmick, but it may be a useful gimmick," Burns says of the project. "From what I've seen of it, it looks like good reporting, and we could always use more good, solid, intelligent reporting because Detroit represents the largest problems this country faces."