INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING Dig a little deeper for a reason...

THE HISTORY OF INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING How long have people been nosy? Ok, that’s not the question…. But investigative reporting is one of those things that drives most people interested in journalism to be interested in journalism Compelling stories High impact Shock factor High engagement factor for reader It’s the job of the press to discover and reveal in a responsible manner

HISTORY OF INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM Ida Tarbell One of the first investigative journalists Exposed Standard Oil’s monopolistic practices Helped dissolve Standard Oil’s monopoly

HISTORY OF INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM David Halberstam Exposed the truth about the lack of success against North Vietnam Won a Pulitzer in 1964 for Vietnam coverage “The job of the reporters in Vietnam was to report the news, whether or not the news was good for America.”

HISTORY OF INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein Broke the Watergate story Led to the indictment of 40 administration officials Led to the resignation of President Nixon

HOW-TO’S: It’s not deadline driven - scandal or wrongdoing is always timely Take your time “Vet” your sources - make sure they are credible Keep it simple Investigative is not necessarily hard news that is written like hard news No “featurey” flair Write to the reader with the least knowledge Don’t over complicate Keep track of your sources and make sure there are copies and backups of everything

WHERE TO GET IDEAS: Hunch or hypothesis Those reporter instincts kick in “Something just seems… WRONG.” A tip Someone gives you a heads up Make sure you can validate and verify EVERYTHING Mining Data

MINING DATA Look through information that already exists and look for anomalies BE CAREFUL - sometimes what looks corrupt may just be a fluke That would be why you INVESTIGATE! Data gathered by the government is open and citizens have a right to see and obtain it

DATA AND DEALING WITH IT Data can be very revealing but also very confusing Consult real people to put it into context and perspective If you don’t understand the data, ask someone who does understand it to help you understand Talk to sources who are in a position to explain the data Don’t rely on your own reading of the data Remember - you are interpreting information to INFORM other people Accuracy is absolutely required in investigative journalism and should be your MAIN CONCERN

INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING Dig a little deeper for a reason...