investigative business journalism webinar

Presented byAlec Klein, professorMedill School of JournalismNorthwestern University

How to identify an investigative business story idea, especially for beat reporters who have little time to pursue in-depth stories while pumping out lots of stories

How to refine the investigative business story idea

How to pitch the investigative businessstory idea

To begin with, you need PHOAM

P:assionH:ookO:riginalityA:ccessM:arket

Image by flickr user marttj

They usually come from beats

That’s because they’re organic. They arise naturally in the course of reporting

To wit: Secret bonuses at City Hall

The anonymous tipster on AOLImage by flickr user MonkeyMike

This is not the same thing as a preconceived notion

Rather: Consider a set of questions that need answering

To wit: When cigarettes are under attack, why are cigars being glamorized? (Yachting magazine)

Let’s say you think you’ve hit on a great idea

How do you check it out to make sure it’s uncharted territory?

Lexis-Nexis Factiva Amazon Google

The overriding question: Has it been done before?

But who has time to pursue investigative business stories, especially when you’re on a busy beat and your editor is breathing down your neck to file early and often?

Poll: Are you a beat reporter: Y or N?Poll: Are you swamped feeding the beast? Y or N?

Get out of the office: kill or be killed Cub reporter: worked on vacations—only

time the editors couldn’t assign stories Worked on weekends Worked afterhours, after the proverbial

smoked cleared from the daily deadlines Bottom-line: find time Poll: Have you worked: A) afterhours B) on weekends C) on vacations D) All of the above

Darwinian approach: only the fittest will get on Page One

In the old days: Only three stories on Page One

Lot of reporters, few A1 slotsMistake: Walk into your editor’s

office with an ill-conceived idea

Such as: I’d like to do an investigation of poverty

Many a times: Bludgeoned in editor’s office

Finally figured out: Need to do some research before entering the torture chamber

But how much research?

About 20 percent That’s enough to tell you if you’ve got a

story or whether you’re going to spin your wheels

The 20 percent: What’s the story? A new trend? A twist on an old idea? How will you report it and how long will it

take?

Mistake: Never show editors your raw notes

Made that mistake on AOL

Editor: Don’t get it, nothing here. Go back to work

Then Enron happened

Editors: What was Alec working on?

This time: I wrote a memo

Set free for a year

Having a year to do an investigative business story sounds better than it is

You better come up with a great piece Can you withstand making no progress

for several weeks at a time? Maybe inbred

Poll: Can you work alone for long periods, isolated? Y or N?

Back to the memo

It clarifies the issues. It makes editors see. They can print it. They can ruminate over it. They can forward it by e-mail to their bosses. Then they can approve it

Let’s say your editors still say no

Then what?

Set your own agenda

The old model: the three-part series that took a year to report and runs in December in time for the Pulitzer entries

The new model: write episodically

WSJ did this: Word was sent out at the beginning of the year—let’s write about death

The episodic approach, it’s the way of the world: The economy, the industry. Investigative reporting is expensive

Build on your beat coverage

Think this way: once a month, craft a great piece of investigative reporting on the same subject

Over a year, you’ll end up with 12 pieces that amount to a worthy in-depth investigation into a single topic

The Las Vegas Sun, most notably including the reporting of Alexandra Berzon, won the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for public service, for a series of stories about the high death rate of construction workers on the Las Vegas strip. See www.pulitzer.org

Steve Fainaru of The Washington Post, 2008,for international reporting, for his episodic stories about private security contractors

Kevin Helliker and Thomas M. Burton of The Wall Street Journal, 2004 for their episodicstories about aneurysms

Please feel free to contact me at [email protected]

And please feel free to e-mail to me questions that you would like to ask our panel of investigative business journalists for Friday’s online chat

Interviewing

Building sources

Learn new interviewing techniques and approaches

Discuss ways of developing and handling sources

Columbo

We’re supposed to not know

Have them condescend to you

“Treat me like a fifth grader”

Don’t have an ego about this

Need to be absolutely sure to write authoritatively

New at WSJOrdered to write lead news story IBMEarningsSweatCall analyst: What’s P&L?Cancel subscription

You may know the answer already

To wit: How old are you?Answer: 51Thought 52Yeah, actually 52 If small lie, is there a bigger

lie

AOL series: Almost a year into itHad hundreds of confidential

documentsHad well-placed sourcesEditor called me into his officeMused: Wouldn’t it be nice …Vice president of finance

Ask the same question five times

But in different waysAt different timesTo wit: Do you know a vice president-level finance guy who had raised questions about AOL’s finances?

When to use the notebook

VersusWhen not to use

the notebook

When to tape record vs.

When not to tape record Billionaire: I want to

be able to deny I had this conversation

Poll: Do you tape record most or all interviews: Y or N?

During the interview, you need to think about several things at the same time: The lede The images to capture The details to portray Is this the first of many interviews or a one-

shot deal? Why, why, why? The cosmic point Follow up questions

When people say you got it wrong, that you made a mistake, check it out thoroughly

Sometimes, it can help

Red Hat

The Reluctant Interviewee

What do you do when they won’t talk?

Options: Call E-mail Letter Certified letter: know

they got it, but act of war?

Intermediary: someone they know

Take chances Bridgestone/

Firestone

Don’t take no for an answer Surgeon General

Go there Gettysburg

Last Words of Advice Bob Woodward

Show up early

Me Show up late

When starting a new investigative business story, where do you begin?

The onion: otherwise known as the circling effect

Begin on the outside, work your way in: Family Friends Friends of friends Customers Suppliers Competitors Unions Associations Former employees Current employees Secretaries Executives

At their homes Afterhours On weekends Away from places

where they are monitored or overheard At bars Restaurants Bowling alleys

Places Where People Network: Conventions Industry gatherings Trade shows▪ Exchange business

cards▪ Socialize▪ Network

Poll: Have you met sources at: A) Bars B) Bowling alleys C) Conventions D) All of the above

Yes, they can be a bit odd

But they often know their stuff because they have no other life

Don’t Dismiss the PR People

Example: secret bonuses

But also: AT&T cable assets

“You didn’t ask the right question”

Image by flickr user Meg Marco

Example:Anonymous tipster: “How did you find me?”

No secretIt takes timeTrustWillingness to protect sourcesAre you willing to go to jail for

them?

Poll: Y or N?

Exchange of information

Once you have information they want, then you become valuable

You have something to barter

As long as it’s not confidential information

Define the terms Explain why it’s important to go on the

record Move sources up the ladder

Off the record

On background

On the record Sometimes, refuse to go off the record: why?

It can tie your hands

Reading back quotes? Poll: Y or N?

Showing stories pre publication Poll: Y or N?

Do we let sources go? Do we let them change their minds?

Poll: Y or N?

My opinion: Let sources go

Example: AOL

No surprises Always let them know what’s going on,

even if it works against you Better for them to be angry at you

before publication than after, when it’s too late

AOL 21-page single-spaced letter

Credit raters Removed lead anecdote even though

information obtained independently

Repeatedly A Woodward technique You need to know when you can trust

your sources Eg.: Whether FTC would approve AOL-

Time Warner merger Origins: Editor: Woodward was a new

reporter, too FTC threatens pre publication: Last story

you’ll write Sources at the heart of the secret

Review a range of public documents available to investigative business journalists

Understand where to find public documents

Demystify the process of searching for public documents

See how public documents can be used in investigative business reporting

The secret to investigative business reporting is…

Start with:GoogleLexis-Nexis

Factiva

You don’t need to know where all the public documents are

You need to know what questions to ask to find them

To wit: 192.com

Baltimore Sun investigation: Supermarket bankruptcy

Words of wise editor: “The good reporters know what’s missing”

Thinking: I never know what’s missing Did you check for hidden depositions? Not in court record: ads of cash in brown paper bags Before the jump on A1

What are they?Where do you get them?Sec.govCompany Web site

10k

10 Q: What’s the first thing to look for?

Proxy: What’s the first thing to look for?

Poll: Do you regularly use SEC filings in your reporting? Y or N?

SEC public filings only go so far

What is considered “material” to investors?

Material: Any information related to a particular business that might be relevant to an investor's decision to buy, sell or hold a security

A company can slice its business into small sectors that don’t require disclosure

To wit: AOL

Former employees Sworn testimony Copies of contracts Business strategy

Where to find lawsuits State and federal suits

▪ Many online If not online, check Lexis-

Nexis If not there, check Pacer for

federal suits

http://pacer.psc.uscourts.gov (not free)

Pulling documents Big issue? Money

Poll: Would it be difficult to get funds at your news organization to get such documents? Y or N?

Goldmine Pacer

For what? Creditors; assets; debts; lawyers; suppliers; vendors

Key kinds? Chapter 7: liquidation Chapter 11: reorganization

SEC

FCC

FDA

Key: on almost every investigative business story, there is a government body that has some connection to it

Congressional Testimony

Contradictions Remember the tobacco

executives who claimed they didn’t know anything about the addictive power of cigarettes?

Company e-mailInternal newsletters

Get on the mailing list, if possibleRemember: Don’t steal, don’t lie,

don’t break into computer system Chiquita Banana case

Wall Street analyst reports

Property records: County or other local office

Many online Good to check for:

Size, details of executive’s home

Other great resources: Planning department Zoning Construction Driver records▪ Depends on state; eg.

Maryland, need permission of driver for records

Better Business Bureau Consumer complaints

Uniform Commercial Code State records, secretary of state usually;

shows who has borrowed money, what used as collateral, etc.

Incorporation records Usually secretary of state; records of

founding of the business; who owns it; its executives; etc.

Hoovers Hoovers.com

Can get detailed tax filings—990s—of their finances from the nonprofits themselves

Or try Guidestar at www.guidestar.org

Airplane ownership search Landings.com

Finding lawyers Martindale.co

mMessage

boards, blogs

Web site ownership http://

www.whois.sc/ Internet archive:

old Web sites www.archive.org

ProfNet: e-mail queries for experts www.profnet.co

m

Referenceusa.com Superpages.com AnyWho.com Switchboard.com Infobel.com:

international directory

AutoTrack and other pay Sites: Expensive Metered Even at The

Washington Post: key holder

But good resource for information for investigative or beat reporting▪ Personal information:

telephone numbers▪ Neighbors▪ Legal judgments

Opensecrets.org: Center for Responsive Politics

Lobbyists and Other Legislative Resources:

http://sopr.senate.gov: lobbying

http://www.usdoj.gov/criminal/fara: lobbying on behalf of foreign entities

Congressional Research Service: http://www.opencrs.com

GAO Reports: www.gao.gov

Thomas Web site: http://thomas.loc.gov/: basic legislation, Congressional reports and records

Tray.com: Political Moneyline

Publicintegrity.com: Center for Public Integrity

Followthemoney.org: The Institute on Money in State Politics

www.reporter.org/desktop/tips/johndoe.htm Born, married, died Previous addresses,

relatives, associates Lawsuits,

bankruptcies, divorce, criminal, traffic

Home phone Attended college Real estate Etc.

Courtesy of Duff Wilson of The New York Times

Truth About Criminal Records: There is a national criminal

record database but it is not available to the public

FBI database Public access to criminal

records controlled at the state level

Each state has different rules about who may access records and what records will be available

Some records handled at the county level

FOIA: the good and the bad Secret bonuses “Oh, that bonus” Reprocessors

▪ List of reprocessors▪ No List▪ List▪ Names missing from list

Poll: Have you filed a FOIA request? Y or N?

Poll: How helpful have you found it? A) Very B) Moderately C) Not at all

Beware: They might leave stuff

out Of fishing expeditions Of unexpected costs

Sample FOIA letters: www.nfoic.org/sample-foia-letters

FOIA letter generator: www.rcfp.org/foialetter/index.php

Not public

They may say “Confidential”

You need to interpret, analyze, translate

Examine effective approaches to organizing, writing and presenting the investigative business story

Identify ways to organize information during the investigative business reporting process

Look at ways to organize material during the investigative business writing process

Review ways to present investigative business stories across platforms

Develop your own system

Be your own best secretary It’s not glamorous

but someone has to do it

Keeping track of mounds of documents, notepads, calls—need to be organized

My system: Daily log Phone log Contact list Cork board▪ Visualize key players▪ Calendar▪ Themes

The lede: Hours or days or weeks of anguish Blood on the computer Should’ve done something else Work with hands Like a farmer Poll: Do you know what I’m talking

about? Y or N?

LAS VEGAS -- Chastity Ferguson kept watch over four sleepy children late one Friday as she flipped a pack of corn dogs into a cart at her new favorite grocery store: Wal-Mart.

The Wal-Mart Supercenter, a pink stucco box twice as big as a Home Depot, combines a full-scale supermarket with the usual discount mega-store. For the 26-year-old Ferguson, the draw is simple.

"You can't beat the prices," said the hotel cashier, who makes $400 a week. "I come here because it's cheap."

Image by flickr user Lone Primate

Classic anecdotal lede

Simple, straight forward

Nothing fancy about it

Quote that gets to the heart of the story: “You can’t beat the prices”

We can do this

The Los Angeles Times; that’s the lede from a series that won the 2004 Pulitzer Prize for national reporting

Me in the old days: Frantically flipping through notebook searching for the lede

Not there Me now: Report the

lede beforehand so you don’t have to search for it later in your notes

To wit: Lede to Stealing Time--grumpy old man

WSJ approach to ledes: All about the purity of the

lede Must be exactly on point Not sort of the point

▪ Joke:

▪ Colon▪ Question mark▪ Pithy-sentence lede

KISS KeepItSimpleStupid

Okay, enough about the torture of writing

Here’s an overlooked aspect of writing: Tone The sound of the story Rarely is it

premeditated It should be

THE BOY LOVES GAMES OF CHANCE. He loves slot machines and playing cards and instant-win lottery tickets. He learned at an early age to count coins, and to bet them. He learned in the hospital that money comes in get-well cards.

Lisa Pollak’s story Baltimore Sun Winner of the 1997

Pulitzer Prize for feature writing

Read a book or other story that reflects what you’re doing

To wit: Writing about the civil war Read the classic, Killer Angels Wrote lede to reenactment of the

Gettysburg Battle Using old English Should’ve mentioned it to my editors

Let’s Get Down to the Nitty Gritty: Organizing the investigative

business story How I do it:▪ Divide by interviewee▪ Annotate my own notes▪ Develop a detailed outline from the

notes▪ Review and re-review the notes▪ Can take days—or weeks▪ But you have a roadmap

The nut: everyone knows the nut, right?

How about the so-what graf: Otherwise known,

at least to me, as the cosmic point

The reason why we’re reading your story

Examples:▪ Greed▪ Hubris▪ Ambition

The To-Be-Sure Clause: Wall Street Journal thing The exception to the rule, or

the trend Up high To immunize yourself Because there’s always an

exception

Give the company or individual plenty of time to react and respond

Not enough to call the night beforeCall, e-mail, stop by—and repeatedlyTo wit: AOL

Six weeks, an eternity Risk: story leaks to competitors But must be done

One of my last Washington Post investigations in 2008: Military contracting In desert in suit (not a good idea) Carrying notepad Digital camera Camcorder

Poll: Are you actively using multimedia in your reporting? Y or N?

Poll: For your reporting, have you used a: A) Audio recorder B) Digital camera C) Camcorder D) All of the above

Now, we are all photographers When you’re shooting,

take a lot of pictures—at least 100 images

Camera is your notepad Record moments as

they unfold Don’t wait for the

perfect moment

The first way you view a scene is not always the best

Try different shooting angles Eye level From above on a chair From below on the floor Look for the inherent logic

of the shot;▪ eg,. a shot of giant

might be better from a higher angle

Don’t shoot everything from a wide angle

Look for other opportunities, such as close-ups, which can have more impact

Imagine, say, an expressive face

We’re now all in the business of gathering audio Online audio stories Online audio with photos—

slideshows All you need:

A digital camera A digital recorder that can

connect to a computer to download audio files

Audio Slideshows: You need to show how the

story begins How the subject gets from

point A to B to C Show in the photos what

the audio is telling The photos must match the

audio So take lots of pictures Helps to ensure that images

match sound Usually: you don’t want a

single image to linger onscreen for more than 10 seconds

For a three-minute slideshow, plan for at least 18 photos

There are two kinds of sound Natural sound, or “nats”▪ For a slideshow, you

usually need natural sound—eg., the sound of bacon frying in the background, the roar of the crowd

▪ Turn on the recorder, point it at the natural sound and capture a lot of it

▪ May help later during editing to bridge sections of your audio story

Interviews Beware of loud background

sound Move interview subject away

from that noise Hold the recorder close to

the subject, within a foot and a half

Avoid talking over the interviewee: “Uh huh” et al

If necessary: Nod head Beware of wind Stay away from yes or no

questions Ask open-ended questions:▪ Why?

We are all videographers now Use a variety of focal lengths and angles

Establishing shot, wide, tells the viewer where the story is taking place

Medium sot: takes the viewer closer to the action Tight: close up

No zooms or pans Shoot and move: Zoom with your feet Limit motion of the camera; use set shots

The rule of thirds: Divide the screen into thirds, with subject taking up one of the thirds—more visually arresting

Rule of 180 degrees Which way is the

subject’s nose pointing? Stay on that side Don’t switch sides Disorients viewer

Jump Cuts: Common mistake Two things don’t

match visually To wit: Person is in one

spot; in the next frame, he magically jumps to another spot

One way to avoid jump cuts: have person or action come into and out of frame before moving on

Walk away from the storyPut yourself in the subject’s shoesIs it fair?Go through the story line by lineDifferent than fact checking; it’s

all in the nuancesPoll: Have you ever been the

subject of a profile? Y or N?

The story may carry your name but it belongs to the paper, Web site, television station

It’s a communal project; must get buy in; editors must be on board

Must be willing to let go of the language; be amenable to change

One third of the investigative business story is the reporting

Another third is the writing The final third is the in-house hurdles

Please join me tomorrow at 1 p.m EST for an online chat with some of the nation’s leading investigative business journalists

The online chat will include: Alexandra Berzon of the Wall Street Journal whose work led

the Las Vegas Sun to the 2009 Pulitzer Prize in public service Gary Cohn, winner of the 1998 Pulitzer Prize for investigative

reporting at the Baltimore Sun Mark Maremont, part of a team of reporters whose

investigative stories earned The Wall Street Journal the 2007 Pulitzer Prize in public service

Larry Roberts, executive editor of the nonprofit Huffington Post Investigative Fund and former investigations editor at The Washington Post who has directly overseen three Pulitzer Prize winners

Bill Sizemore, investigative reporter at The Virginian-Pilot who was a finalist for the 2007 Pulitzer Prize in explanatory reporting

Look forward to tomorrow’s online chat

And please feel free to contact with me with any questions

investigative business journalism webinar

Career

investigative business

episodic stories

series of stories

time poll

indepth stories

old idea

editors office

assign stories