This paper tells how a school of journalism linked two types of courses for master's degree candidates: a practical course in public affairs reporting, in which students worked in Washington developing news stories for hinterland dailies, and an academic seminar in media/government relations that required the writing of research papers. In order to link the two courses, a seminar research topic--reporters from Washington for hinterland dailies--was chosen for its relevance to the students' daily reporting experiences and its importance in media/government relations. Eight separate individual research projects relating to the topic were organized; the paper describes six of them. It then draws preliminary conclusions about the hinterland press corps that emerged from the students' research, notes that the program generated unusual degrees of enthusiasm and insight in the students, and suggests ways that practical and academic courses might be linked in more traditional journalism programs. (GW)