investigative and in-depth reporting
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Investigative and In-depth reporting
Articles that deal with important issues with substance and depth
What both journalism and democracy need right now are new economic models to support the work involved with bringing
forth in-depth, multimedia news'Charles Lewis,
Nieman Reports, Spring 2008
Terms to know
• In depth reporting• Watergate• News-brief• Nut graf
Differences between investigative and news reporting
News• Daily or weekly newspaper reporters• Immediate, breaking news covering article• Final product article
Investigative• Free lance,
newspapers, wire services
• Weeks, months, years spent developing article
• Final product series of articles, expose
Differences between in-depth and investigative
In depth• Purpose is to offer
concentrated in-depth information on a given issue
or topicEx: What the investor Madoff
charged with embezzlement and fraud actually did and how it will impact investors and the economy;
Investigative• Purpose is to
discover truth and identify lapses from it in whatever media may be available. (DeBurgh)
• Why the SEC did not investigate Madoff despite red flags
Writing the In-depth story
• Good beginnings—introductions rather than leads.
• Longer pieces need to be set up• Paragraphs 1-3 function together as a lead• Can begin with anecdote, startling
statement• After the intro—introduce the real theme• Nut graf—internal lead
Local angle
• Take national or city news and give it an in-depth look by seeing how it affects students
• Ex: story on cloning –include the AP Biology’s research into genetics or local universities discoveries
Strong endings
• Cannot just end• Must be wrapped up• Returns to idea of the lead• Comes full circle • Can use quote on the issue of the intro
Packaging the in-depth story
• Do not use one long column of type• Extract mainbar, main story• Place the sidebar near section of main story
to which it relates• Excessive or confusing statistics should be
translated into a bar graph or pie chart• Photos that enhance understanding of issue
Example of packaging• Mainbar—teen driving/accidents• Chart—accidents with teens/accidents with older
drivers• Chart—insurance costs • Chart –accidents before changes in permits,
licenses • Sidebar about driving while texting• Photos of teens driving with phones • Sidebar about driving with others
In-depth checklist
• Does the subject warrant in-depth treatment?
• Are scenes, anecdotes and local angles used to involve reader in the story?
• If story runs several issues does each piece deal with a different aspect of the story?
• Are charts and other info graphics used appropriately and effectively?
Problems with investigative reporting
• Yellow journalism--
Yellow Journalism
downplays legitimate news in favor of eye-catching headlines that sell more newspapers.
It may feature exaggerations of news eventsScandal mongering,Sensationalism
Unprofessionalism
Remember the Maine
William Randolph Hearst "Please remain. You furnish the pictures, I'll furnish the war."
Role of journalists in Spanish-American war
• Maine moored off the coast of Cuba• Explosion, ship sinks• Navy never able to explain explosion• 254 seamen dead• 59 sailors injured
• Minor revolt in Cuba• Journalists sent to cover “death camps”• Publishers Hearst and Pulitzer competing for
circulation sent reporters and photographers to cover skirmish
• Stephen Crane and Frederick Remington among them.
• Remerick reported, “No war, request to be recalled”
Remember the Maine
William Randolph Hearst "Please remain. You furnish the pictures, I'll furnish the war."
Right to know vs. right to privacy• Authentic journalists struggle with this• Funerals, weddings, illnesses• Names of juveniles?• Names of rape victims?• Personal life?
NYU--reporters should not inquire into sources' personal lives unless doing so is relevant to the story they are researching
What can private citizens do?
• Protected by the Bill of Rights• Can sue for “Invasion of Privacy”• Cannot sue for libel in most cases• (Must be false information to be considered
libel)
Who is not protected?
• Congress—while the members are in session; cameras record all Congressional transactions in the chambers.
High school journalism and in depth reporting
• In-depth articles should have local angle as well as consideration of the audience.
• Example: • Good student newspapers dig; therefore the
enemy of good high school journalism is___________
• Emphasize the why and how in in-depth stories
Summary
• 4 main elements—good, enticing beginning, nut graf as internal lead, solid conclusion that wraps up and returns to lead
• Packaging is important to capture and maintain interest in longer, more involved pieces
• There is a difference between investigative and in-depth
REMEMBER
Woodstein did not become a journalistic icon because they got
lucky—investigative reporting requires hard work, persistence, and an obsession with checking
the details.
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