What is your basic Hypothesis?What do you want to tell?- What is your hypothesis and angle – expressed in a few words?- Narrow it down:- What it the maximum story – exspressed in a hedaline?- What is the minimum story?
Which specific stories could be a possible outcome?- Assess the feasibility of the stories
What do you want to tell it?- What is your motive – personally and politically?- For whom is the story important?- Do you want to:- Explain the public on causes and conseguenses?- Describe an unrecognized part of real life?- Reveal secrets, presenting new knowledge?- Predict or forecast a situation?- Convince the audience of your own understanding?What are the most importan questions in this case?
List your knowledge:- what do I know / what do I presume?
Base-building: which basic knowledge must I find?- How it supposed to be?- ...according the laws and regulations?- ...according to norms and common practice?- What is your own conception of the problem?- History- Statistic- What are the ethical considerations?
State the topic as a series of important questionsInitiate a list of informations that needs verification and confirmation- Who can verify or confirm?
Who are the stakeholders?
Make a WHO-IS-WHO stakeholder analysis
Who are aginst the publishing of the story?- internal in your own news organisation?- external amongst the stakeholders?
Who might turn on you as enemies on this?- what are the dangers?- How you can protect yourself?
Who could be your allieds in obtaining information?- do you need an inside informer – and how to find?
How can the audience use the information?- who are the target audience?- What shell the target audience do – if anything?
Organize your sources
List of oral sources – in order of priority.Define sources as background, sources for quotation and key sources.Define sources as primary or secundary sources.List sources according to their:- human interest / perosnal experience- partisanship- indenpendent expert konwledgeEstimate all sources as possible allies, neutral or hostile to your work.How – and when – will you get access to them?Is there any legal or ethical problems involved?How you can protect sources who need protection?
List written sources.Define sources as background documents and key documents.Define sources as direct accessible or difficult accessible.Which sources could be downloaded or examined via Internet?How will you get access to the difficult accessable?Is there any legal or ethical problems involved?
List locations for reportage and observations.Are the locations accessable? How will you get access?Can you get photos (print media), clena sound (radio) or live-pictures (TV)Is there any legal or ethical problems involved?
How to organise and analyse the informations?
Considerations on filing and evaluation paper notes, computer files, cross referencesConsiderations processing the informations, including CAR-methodsNeed for the use of experts and coach
How can the story be presented?
What does the audience need to know?- and what is nice to know?
How can you include the audience?- in terms of presnting the information in a clear way using sidebars, fact boxes, human interest stories?- In terms of sharing documentation with audienec (e.g. printed in full or on a web-page)- In terms of letting the audience in on your process of investigation- In terms mof informing the audience on the editorial policy on the matter- In terms og inviting the readers to participate, on a web-page, with letters, tips
Can or should the story be presented as news, as in depth-feature, e.g. The Little Boxes model, as a narrative story or other model?- can you illustrate the key story with documented cases?- Can you organize the presentation as case studies?
Should it be published as one major article or program?
Could it be presented as a well prepared series of articles or programs?- could it be published continuously before the full research is terminated?- Is the story suitable for campaign journalism?- Do you need a logo for the series/campaign?
Should your media run editorials on the problem?
How much time and manpower does it take?
How much time do you need?- estimate working hours- estimate the need periods of time
Considerations on cooperation- individual research- need for team work (and the roles of the team members)- the need for photographers / camera crew – and when?- Assistance from collegues- Involvment of specialist from outside the media organisation- Cooperation with collegaues from other media
What is your research strategy?
Write up all the above answers as a reserach strategy.- List the task in cronological order of studies, interviews, observations, analysis.- Make an estimated timeschedule for the research- Allow time for proccesing and analysing- Estimate need for and timing of editorial involvment, such as stages of cooperation, consultation with the media's lawyers, go/no-go meetings, coaching, revision
DURING THE PROCESS OF RESEARCH YOU NEED TO ASSESS AND ANALYSE:
Considerations on the information gathered:- information that turns an assumption into a fact- information as pieces that fit the puzzle – or doesn't fit- information as gap-closing, solving a conflict in the material- information that raise new questions- information that still needs confirmation
Preparation of the key interviews:- update list of questions to ask- list key questions that calls for confirmation- make a plan for the interview- how to keep control?- define roles and venue of intervju- when and how will you get bthe appointments?
Return to investigative synopsis – and adjust it- re-adjust the plan of action, including organisation of sources- re-consider the presentation
How will you follow up after publishing?- what are the reactions you can expect?- How you can secure to get an impact at all?