A (Very) Brief Overview

 A type of reporting requiring greater time and preparation than usual reporting on tighter deadlines  The end result is typically a larger volume of content, but it can vary in form  Single large story  Series of stories  Web shells and multimedia feature presentations ▪ Many of these Online News Association award winners provide excellent examplesaward winners

 Structural Options:  Inverted Pyramid ▪ Most important information at the top ▪ Traditional print news structure  Pyramid ▪ Lead, foreshadowing, chronological storytelling, climax ▪ Common for investigative stories

 Structural Options (continued):  Wall Street Journal ▪ Specific to general, soft lead, nut graph, body, ending that ties back to lead  Hourglass ▪ Most important information at the top, then chronological storytelling

 Structural Options (continued):  Sections: ▪ Like chapters in a book, with each chapter ending in a way that compels continuation to next chapter until end  Functions ▪ For analyzing big systems with multiple functions/departments  Organic ▪ Complication, character development, resolution

 The purpose of journalism in a democratic society:  To inform  To move  Investigative journalism is perhaps the most powerful way journalists can serve the public  Holds powerful forces accountable  Often takes into account the powerless

 Question conventional wisdom  If there’s a problem, usually two things fail: either a process fails or people fail ▪ Questions to ask yourself: ▪ How is the system supposed to work? ▪ How well is the system working? ▪ Who is benefiting and who is suffering from the system?

 Have a documents state of mind  Secondary sources ▪ idea generation ▪ background information ▪ Preexisting reports can be a roadmap for new investigation  Documents (the backbone of your story) ▪ Documents can “lie,” but they can’t claim to be misquoted

 Human Sources ▪ Start with the obvious, but go beyond ▪ “Formers” can give valuable info. ▪ Cross-check info. with documents and other human sources for verification

 Keep notes and recordings in files  Adhere to privacy expectations  You can organize information in a database:  Connect dots; fill in gaps  Parallel backgrounding  Indirect backgrounding (parallel backgrounding on a grand scale)

 Recommended Resources:  “The Investigative Reporter’s Handbook” by Brant Houston and Investigative Reporters and Editors, Inc.  IRE website IRE website

 Investigative reporting can be very hard work, but the payoff can be even greater.  Example of outstanding investigative journalism by a student:  University Police Dept. series by Megan Morales ▪ Part 1 Part 1 ▪ Part 2 Part 2 ▪ Part 3 Part 3  Follow-up editorialeditorial