Brush up on your investigative journalism skills
Rewatch the TJA's recent webinars on investigations - for freelancers and for journalists new to the form. Skill-up your understanding of scope, sourcing and publishing an investigation.
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ICYMI: Investigations for Freelancers
Independent doesn’t mean alone.
Rewatch our panel with Ken Schenk (The Buckeye Flame), Joseph Jaafari (LOOKOUT), and Rosie Cima (Big Local News) about tools, resources, and best practices for freelancers pursuing investigative work.
BELOW: Check out our tipsheet on some of the top ways to navigate scoping your investigation as a freelancer – with advice about protecting your bandwidth, judging the merits of a story, and pitching to editors. There's plenty of practical advice in here to get you going.
Ten Takeaways
1️⃣ Define "investigation" by Accountability, Not Length
- Investigations focus on harm, accountability, and systems — not just deep dives.
- Ask: Who’s being harmed? What system enables it? Who can fix it?
- Bring new findings to light like data, documents, or patterns that weren’t previously known.
2️⃣ Start Small and Build the Machine
- Big stories are built from small, linked investigations. Think in series or installments rather than one massive project.
- Joseph Jaafari advises: “Throw sand into the gears” — publish smaller accountability stories that accumulate impact.
- Test your idea with one bite-sized proof point before expanding the scope.
3️⃣ Scope and Time Your Work
- Freelancing means juggling multiple gigs; plan your calendar around investigations.
- Pitch several stories, expect only a few to land, and budget time accordingly. You may have a finding, which can lead to an investigation, or you may have an interesting angle, which could lead to a great feature story. Don’t nix it too early!
- Use fellowships or collaborations (like Big Local News or the Marshall Project) for sustained support and credibility.
4️⃣ Disprove Before You Prove
- Protect your time. Before setting out on a lengthy investigation, test your hypothesis: What would disprove this? Rosie Cima suggests that if you can’t easily disprove your idea, it’s worth deeper reporting.
- Think like skeptics: try to break your own story idea first. If it withstands that stress test, you’ve likely found something real.
- Look for story “killers” early — missing data, weak sourcing, or untestable claims.
5️⃣ Spot the Red Flags
- Normal challenges: slow records, confusing data, unresponsive sources.
- Real red flags: unverifiable or misrepresented data, unclear sourcing, or legal blocks that make the story unattainable.
- Be transparent with editors about what you can and can’t do — honesty builds trust.
6️⃣ Build Relationships — Before You Pitch
- Editors differ: some want a finished draft, others a concept. Ken Schneck says to know your outlets — keep a spreadsheet of what each one expects in a pitch.
- The best time to pitch? When you’ve done ~30% of pre-reporting and can summarize your finding, key sources, and what’s still missing.
7️⃣ Follow the Systems, Not Just the People (But Start with the People)
- The best accountability stories trace a mechanism, not just a moment. Look for the levers and pulleys that connect one action to another — policy, money, or community effects.
- Some stories start with a person. What happened? Then ask: Why did this happen? Who else has it happened to? Who else does it affect?
- Systems stories sustain multiple follow-ups and collaborations.
8️⃣ Verify from the Ground Up
- When data and on-the-ground reporting diverge, trust the ground truth until proven otherwise.
- Talk to those most affected; their experiences often reveal missing context or faulty data. Sometimes the real story is what the data missed.
9️⃣ Manage Your Risk and Well-Being
- Set realistic expectations about your capacity. If you keep skipping meetings or dreading a project, the scope is too large.
- Recognize when a story can’t be told safely or ethically with the resources you have.
- Protect your emotional bandwidth, especially when reporting on harm within your own community.
1️⃣0️⃣ Build Credibility Through Consistency
- Editors and sources remember reliability. File a clean copy, meet deadlines, and communicate clearly.
- Be transparent about your methods and limitations — trust is your best professional currency.
- Over time, that consistency opens the door to bigger investigative assignments and collaborations.
ICYMI: Investigations 101
Investigations can be daunting, but that shouldn't dissuade you from trying.
Learn how to spot promising investigative ideas and turn them into impactful, accountability-driven stories. From a recent workshop led by Beth Schwartzapfel (The Marshall Project) and Justin Myers (Chicago Sun-Times), check out some tips and tricks of how to pull together your investigation, even if it's your first. Plus, reference the speakers' slides.
Upcoming Events
Our final investigative workshop approaches on Weds. Nov. 19, where seasoned journalists will help demystify how to find time to build out a longer investigation while still managing beat coverage.
This session is open to all TJA members and are a great way to build your investigative skills, whether you’re a staff reporter, freelancer, or otherwise juggling daily deadlines. Members can RSVP at the link below.
🥁 Investigations on the Beat: Finding the Time and Resources
Wednesday, November 19 at 3:00 p.m. ET
Balancing daily reporting with deeper investigations? Vivian McCall (The Stranger) and Sarah Childress (ProPublica) share strategies for pitching, managing time, and finding resources within a busy newsroom.
Opportunities Listing
- The Objective, a media reporting and criticism newsroom examining identity and power in journalism, is hosting its first-ever Trans Media Convening Nov. 14 and 15. It’s a free virtual event that will include two panels focused on narrative change and workplace solidarity. To sign up for day, fill out the approrpiate form – Day One / Day Two.
- TransLash is hiring a podcast producer for their two news and information talk shows.
- The HEAL Fellowship aims to serve youth struggling with mental health issues by supporting U.S. journalists who report on and amplify solutions.
- The European Press Prize 2026 is open for entries. From now until December 14, journalists from across Europe are invited to submit their best work. Five categories, each worth €10,000, celebrate journalism that informs, inspires, investigates, and makes an impact.
- Thinking about grad school? NYU has a number of scholarship opportunities to explore.
- The Shaufler Prize in Journalism is "the premier contest recognizing the best journalism in the country advancing the understanding of issues related to underserved people in society." Win up to $10,000 for your reporting.
- The Peter F. Collier Awards for Ethics in Journalism recognize excellent work in three categories: Student Reporting, Local Reporting, and National/International Reporting. Consider submitting your work.
- California-based health journalists can apply to USC Center for Health Journalism's Health Equity Fellowship. Fellows receive five months of virtual mentorship and peer support, a 3-4 day in-person intensive training at USC, and a stipend of $2,000-$10,000 for reporting costs.
Check out our jobs listserv for additional opportunities. If you're an active TJA member, you can find a link to the listserv on your member dashboard.
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