Investigative

Journalism
SHERWIN A. SAAVEDRA
Secondary School Teacher III
Ang MUOG Adviser
School Information Officer
School Assistant ICT Coordinator
sherwin.saavedra01@deped.gov.ph
www.facebook.com/sherwin.saavedra.39
09209180399
 INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM

DEFINE FIND PLAN

PROCESS REFERENCES
INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM
TOPICS

DEFINE • What is investigative

journalism?

• How to be a great
investigative journalist?
INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM 1. What is investigative journalism?
• A form of journalism in which
DEFINE reporters go in-depth to investigate a
single story to uncover corruption,
review government policies, or draw
attention to social, economic, political
or cultural trends.
• Requires the reporter to dig deeply
into an issue or topic of public interest.
INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM 1. What is investigative journalism?
• It is not instantaneous.
DEFINE  Develops through planning, researching, &
reporting and adherence to accepted
standards of accuracy and evidence.
• It calls for greater resources, team
work and more time than a routine
news report.
INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM 2. How to be a great investigative
journalist?
DEFINE • Passion
• Curiosity
• Logical thinking, organization
and self-discipline
• Flexibility
• Team spirit & communication skills
• Well-developed reporting skills
• Fairness & strong ethics
INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM

TOPICS
FIND
• Dealing with gossip and rumor

• Evaluating tip-offs
INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM 1. Dealing with gossip & rumor

• Journalists have to keep their eyes

FIND open for clues to stories and their
ears alert to the issues people are
discussing.
• Confirm the validity of the rumor. Check.
Only once a rumor has some substance, can
the planning of the story begin.
INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM 2. Evaluating tip-offs
The first thing to do with the tip-off is
FIND question it:
• Is this a subject that I would have written
about if I did not get the tip-off?
• Is the topic an issue I feel passionate above?
• Has a truth been unearthed here that is really
in the public interest?
INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM

TOPICS
PLAN
1. How to plan an investigation?
2. Types of Source Materials
a. Human sources
b. Paper sources
c. Digital Sources
INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM 1. How to plan an investigation?

• Do not move from an idea straight

PLAN
into an investigation. Idea is just a
starting point. Carefully plan and
execute well.
- Heavy social responsibility
- Various legal risks
- Be sure that the report is thorough,
accurate & comprehensive.
INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM 1. How to plan an investigation?

• Origin of the idea shapes your work plan.

PLAN - If from own observation/anecdotal
evidence, be sure that these individual
experiences really represent broader
trend or issue.
- If from a tip, check its authenticity,
reliability and possible motives of the
source.
INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM 1. How to plan an investigation?
• Turn story idea into a tightly-focused
PLAN hypothesis or question that your
investigation will prove, disprove or answer.
- Will make work manageable by providing boundaries
and goals.
- Assist in communicating and ‘selling’ your idea to
others.
- Allows you to budget time and resources more
accurately.
- Provides criteria of relevance for collecting evidence.
- Lays the foundation for a coherent final story.
INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM 2. Types of source materials

A. Human Sources
PLAN 1. Enemies
2. Friends
3. Losers
4. Victims
5. Experts
6. Police
7. People in trouble
INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM 2. Types of source materials
B. Paper Sources
1. Public Records
PLAN a. Property records
b. Corporation records
c. Court records C. Digital
d. Loan records
e. Minutes & transcripts Sources
2. Nonpublic Records
a. Investigative files
b. Past arrests and convictions
c. Bank records
d. Income tax records
e. Credit checks
INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM 2. Types of source materials

PLAN
 TOPICS
INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM

A. Beginning and carrying out the

PROCESS investigation
B. Writing the story
1. How to write the story
a. Accuracy matters
b. Paragraph writing (elements to be
found in each paragraph)
c. Story structure and styles
d. Links and conclusions
INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM A. Beginning & carrying out the investigation
• Acting on the tip or suspicion, together
PROCESS with background material you have,
form the hypothesis.
• Then prove, disprove or answer the
hypothesis.
• Be open to the possibility that your
first assumption was wrong. No good
reporter ignores or downplays evidence because it
contradicts his/her assumptions.
INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM A. Beginning & carrying out the investigation

• Actual investigative work usually

PROCESS proceeds in 2 stages:
1. Sniff
2. Serious investigation
• Talking with the most promising source
or sources
• Skimming available records
• Consulting knowledgeable people
INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM A. Beginning & carrying out the investigation

• Accuracy is very important.

PROCESS Inaccuracy can lead to:
a. Embarrassment
b. Ruined reputation
c. Lawsuits
• There is no good excuse for error.
INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM B. Writing the story: HOW?
1. BE ACCURATE
PROCESS  Definitions & Examples. Define jargon and
complex terms for your audience, and stick
to the same definition throughout.
 Unproven generalizations. Make the
general specific by citing concrete
instances, and quoting named individuals.
 Supporting arguments. Carefully support all
statements and with concrete details.
INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM B. Writing the story: HOW?
1. BE ACCURATE
PROCESS  Quoting authorities as proof. Talk to a
range of relevant sources, not just one, to
help with background research and quotes.
 Prejudice, stereotypes or emotions. Avoid
stereotypes, positive or negative, and keep
your language neutral and treat all sources
and subjects with the same healthy
scepticism.
INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM
PROCESS  Each paragraph is a mini-story. Break down
B. Writing the story: HOW?
2. PARAGRAPH WRITING
the big theme into parts that are
manageable to audience.
a. Evidence (details, quotes, facts & figures)
b. Definitions or explanations
c. Context, history, comparison or contrast
d. Cause or effect
e. Arguments for and against
f. Analysis or suggests consequences
INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM 3. STORY STRUCTURE & STYLES
a. The ‘Wall Street Journal’ formula
PROCESS 1. Starting with a person or situation to set
the scene between the case and the
issues;
2. Broadening out from that individual case to deal
with the bigger issues, through the ‘nut graph’ that
explains the link between the individual and the
larger issue;
3. Returning to your case study for a human, striking
conclusion.
INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM 3. STORY STRUCTURE & STYLES
b. ‘High Fives’ developed by Carol Rich
PROCESS who suggested five (5) sections:

1. News (What has happened or is happening?)

2. Context (What is the background?)
3. Scope (Is this an incident, a local trend, a
national issue?)
4. Edge (Where is it leading?)
5. Impact (Why should your readers care?)
INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM 3. STORY STRUCTURE & STYLES
b. ‘High Fives’ developed by Carol Rich
PROCESS who suggested five (5) sections:

This structure requires the ability to

write good transitions so that the five
elements fit together. Otherwise, it can
feel like five shorter stories that appear
one after another.
INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM 3. STORY STRUCTURE & STYLES
c. The Pyramid
PROCESS
Investigative reporting uses
pyramid structure where the
writer have the entire story to
build to the punch, leading the
readers through the discoveries
you have made.
INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM 3. STORY STRUCTURE & STYLES
c. The Pyramid
PROCESS 1. Start with the summary of the story’s theme
2. Foreshadow some of what you will discover
3. Walk step by step through your investigation,
keeping the suspense alive and building the story
towards the most shocking or dramatic discovery.
4. Save the most important, dramatic
information for last
INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM 4. LINKS & CONCLUSIONS
a. How to BEGIN
PROCESS • A portrait or scene-setter
• A summary of the story theme in
one short sentence (not the
whole story)
• The results or impact. Then you
can track back to tell how it
happened.
INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM 4. LINKS & CONCLUSIONS
a. How to BEGIN
PROCESS In all cases, do not make the
reader wait too long to tell
them what the story is about.
Rule of thumb: no more than
10% of a story should be
introductory part.
INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM 4. LINKS & CONCLUSIONS
b. How to END
PROCESS • Tie up loose ends (what happened to the
characters or what will happen next)
• Summarize the theme once more to remind us why
we are interested
• Create a ‘kicker’ (a sting in the tail that makes people think)
• Emphasize context. Put the issue back into its setting and
remind readers of hopes, constraints and linked dev’t.
• Go back to the people we met at the beginning, & let them
have the last word.
INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM 4. LINKS & CONCLUSIONS
c. Techniques to unify narrative
PROCESS • Mention the topic regularly
• Use extended metaphors to tie ideas together
and make them vivid. For example, you could
discuss the environment as a human body,
where all the parts have to work together.
• Use an image, an object, a proverb or something
adaptable for your investigation that runs like a
thread in the story.
INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM 4. LINKS & CONCLUSIONS
c. Techniques to unify narrative
PROCESS
• Use lots of signpost words to indicate
whether one paragraph follows on from
the previous one (‘And’), changes
direction (‘But’), is a consequence (‘So’),
follows after (‘Then’), and so on.
 Bilang ng Tropeyo (NSPC)
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 NSPC-Dumaguete
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INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM Nazakat, S., & KAS Media Programme (Eds.). (2018). A Manual for Investigative Journalism.
Retrieved July 25, 2018 from http://www.investigative-manual.org/

Brooks, B. S., Kennnedy, G., Moen, D. R., Ranly, R. (2005). News Reporting and Writing (pp 401-417).
New York. Bedford & Saint Martin’s.

REFERENCES http://www.investigative-manual.org/

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