Techniques of Investigative Journalism

General purpose
These courses teach participants key skills and techniques used in investigative reporting ranging from generating story ideas to planning the investigation to interviewing and researching skills to writing the story. The courses target journalists with various levels of investigation experience. For journalism novices, a more holistic training package that would combine several or all these courses would be appropriate. Individual, short-term training workshops would be the right choice for journalists with solid experience and expertise who want to hone a set of specific skills or deepen their knowledge in a particular area or technique. The courses are also suitable for NGOs that use investigations in their work and want to develop such expertise in-house.

What will participants learn?

• Generate ideas and planning investigations
• Carry out research including identification of sources, interviews and use of research tools including use of data
• Developing investigative stories
• Ethical and legal issues

Course content

• Identifying topics worth investigating
• Designing an investigation plan
• Choosing sources: power-balance, conflict of interest and reputational checks
• Techniques of forensic interviewing: interview strategy, use of data in questions, handling spin doctors
• Research tools: handling data, use of public records and other resources, use of access to information laws and databases
• Developing the story: writing and presentation of investigative reports
• Ethical and legal issues: values to abide by during the investigation

Trainers
Investigative journalism techniques are taught and designed by investigative journalists and professors specializing in investigative reporting with experience in running investigations and or teaching these skills.

Courses on offer

• Developing investigative journalism projects
• Investigative reporting research
• Telling investigative stories
• Ethical and legal issues in investigative reporting