nine steps from idea to story 5

7/28/2019 Nine Steps From Idea to Story 5

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Nine Steps from Idea to Story | 2011 Story-Based Inquiry Associates | Page. 1 of 43

Nine Steps from Idea to StoryFinding, Structuring, Investigating, Writing and

Presenting Original StoriesBy Luuk Sengers and Mark Lee Hunter

This manual is an addition to:

Mark Lee Hunter, Luuk Sengers and others: Story-Based Inquiry:A Manual for Investigative Journalists, UNESCO 2009.

Free to download at:http://www.luuksengers.nl/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/Storybased-Inquiry.pdf


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Step 1:

Start a MASTERFILE

The core technique of the Story-Based Inquiry method is to write a script; aso called Masterfile. This helps structuring the storyandthe investigation.Building a Masterfile, you are investigating and writing the story at the sametime! You write while you investigate. Thats why we call this method story-based inquiry. It differs from the common practice among journalists to dothe research first and thenwrite.

Open a fresh Word-document and call it Masterfile. Use this file, fromnow on, for:

Your strategy

What exactly are you going to investigate? How do you want your finalstory to look like? What sources do you need? The Masterfile invites you tothink carefully about the story you want to tell, before you start an (time-costly) investigation. You investigate your own thoughts, experiences andmotivations before you turn to others.

The results

Collect the fruits of your investigation in the same document. This wayyour script turns gradually into a story.

Two basic techniquesWe combine two basic techniques for the Masterfile:

1. Brainstorming. It encourages you to do what journalists do best: askingquestions. At the heart of every step in the Masterfile is a set of ques-tions aimed at yourself.

2. Visualising. The research is from the very start aimed at the best possible

outcome the story with the most impact on your audience. We call thisgoal the hypothesis. From this story idea you work your way backwards toscenes (smaller parts of the story) and finally to sources.The method results in lively scenes rather than just boring facts. The

emphasis is on showingwhat happened, rather than telling it. This, too, is aform of visualisation.

In short: you will ask questions first (= brainstorming) and then try to im-agine the answers (= visualisation).


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Story architectureYou dont just write a story you buildit! Its with stories like with build-ings: the ones that last, are the ones that were constructed carefully withgood materials. Consider yourself an architect. Involve yourself in the choi-ces for every nut and bold that is supposed to hold the building together.Desect the story (like a building) into the smallest parts. And describe theparts in the Masterfile, like it were a building plan.

AdvantagesBuilding a Masterfile has many advantages, as it has turned out in the prac-tise of newsrooms:

- It provides a common (objective) idiom in which to talk aboutstories and story ideas;

- All reporters working on the same story are focussed on thesame goal, and produce their results in the same document;

- Eventual flaws in the story can be detected long before thedeadline looms;

- Producing the final story from the Masterfile is easy, becausethe structure and the content are already there.


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Step 2:

Choose a SUBJECT

What is a good subject for a story? From studying successful investigativestories from all over the world, we conclude that most reporters had theiraudiencein their mind when they picked a subject. They asked themselves:

What has recently changed or is changing right now (for better or for worse) inthe daily lives of my readers, viewers or listeners?

What tough decissions do they have to make, as professionals, consumers, voters,citizens or parents?

What dangers are looming for their safety, security or health?

What leaders or authorities should they not trust (any longer)?

What changes do they actively strive for? What are their (idealistic) goals?

We consider journalism not a product but a service. Reporters can help theirreaders, viewers or listeners to organize their lives: to cope with unexpectedchanges, to make clever choices, to avoid bad leaders, to prepare for dan-gers and to jump on challenges.

Changes and daily life are the keys to the hearts of your audience.Because: 1) Journalism is about change: no change no news. 2) People paymore attention to information when they are confronted with (unexpected)changes. And 3) Apart from just reporting changes, journalists every nowand then want toprovokechanges too.

Daily life may seem dull, but it becomes the center of attention whenchange makes an appearance. Most of us are entangled in a daily routine ofeating, commuting, working or studying, shopping, housekeeping, raisingchildren, staying healthy, entertaining, socializing and beeing responsablecitizens. When these routines are disturbed, we pay close attention. Forexample: We all drink and use water every day, without thinking twice. But

when tapwater turns out to be contaminated, we suddenly want to learn allabout it.


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Step 3:

Choose a STORY

There are many stories to tell about every subject. Before you choose yourstory, why not first make an inventory of the possibilities?

Make a list of questions as many as you can think of regarding thesubject. Empty your head! Brainstorm!

What wonders me is

After this first round of brainstorming, you can do a second round, but thistime more structured (to be more thorough). Try to formulate as many

questions as possible starting with:

Who?

What?

Where?

When?

How?

Why?

And get ready for a third round: here are some additional questions, forthose who are looking for a scoop or an original angle:

Is there a conflict?

At the heart of investigative stories is often a conflict something that isnot quite right. Things dont go as planned or expected. Somebody actsagainst the law or against rules, agreements, good faith, good manner, good

taste Or just against expectations.An other way to look at it, is that there are two types of conflicts, both

interesting for investigative reporters:

- People are bad because they dont obey the rules;- The rules are bad and therefore people cant obey them


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Here is a list of some (very common) conflicts to look out for when think-

ing about a subject:

- Danger- Threat- Mistake- Negligence- Defect- Lie- Unreasonable argument- Mispending- Fraude

- Inefficiency- Force- Abuse (of power)- Monopoly- Conflict of interest- Hate, discrimination- Offence, illegal act- Restriction of freedom (to choose)- Poverty- Pollution, poisoning

Apart from reading newspapers and talking to people involved in the sub-ject, there is an other way of spotting conflicts one that may lead to con-flicts no-one else has seen, yet:

Do a little investigation of your subject in news databases and on theInternet. Book the results in three separate lists: one called Plans, forlaws, rules, agreements, contracts etc., one called Reality for accounts of

what really happened, and one called Evaluations, for criticism, com-ments, complaints, verdicts etc. Put the events in the lists in chronologicalorder, from past to present.

Now compare the events in the list Plans with those in the list Re-ality and ask yourself: did everything go as planned? If not, are the con-flicts that you have discovered, the same as in the third list, Evaluations?Or did you spot newones, that were not already mentioned in the press?

Does anyone suffer?

If there is a form of conflict that is especially hard to resist for investigativereporters, then that is: pointless suffering. We strongly believe that nobodyshould suffer at the hands of a fellow human being.


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What is going right (in stead of wrong)?

In a world were everybody is quick to point out what is going wrong, youcan try to capture the audience with a story about what is goingright. Whatdoesfunction flawless, against the ods? Who presents an excellent exampleof how to avoid the pitfalls and do things right? Focus on best practices. Show

what their secret is. Confront those who make a mess and ask them: whydont you take an example?

What is the solution?

Make it your responsibility to look into solutions, like you look into prob-

lems. Too many journalists focus solely on missery, without presentingtheir audience a way out of the mess. Dont be a bad neighbour that throwshis garbage over the hedge. You live in this world too! We believe that wejournalists have an obligation to contribute to solutions whenever we can.Its a question of good citizenship. Show your audience you care!When looking for good examples or solutions, look over borders. What

happens elsewhere? In an other town, another country, an other company?(Contrary to what is often believed, a journalist does not have to give up

his neutrality or objectivity when he pays attention to solutions. You caninvestigate solutions, like you investigate problems with an open butsharp mind.)

Why not?

That brings us to another possible angle for investigative stories: the ques-tion Why not? Start a story not with the problem, but with possible solu-tions and ask everybody involved what is holding them back?

It is a common mistake to think that, since there are so many problemsin the world, this means that there are obviously not enough solutions.

Wrong! A lot of problems are kept alive, not because of a lack of solutions,but because of a lack ofmotivationto do something about them! There ispeople out there that has no interest in certain solutions and therefore ob-

struct them. Confront the obstructionists!


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After you have created a long list of important questions regarding your

subject, it is now time to make a difficult choice:

What is the most important question in the list?

Yes, you can only pickonequestion, since your story can have onlyonecent-ral theme. This doesnt mean that you should leave the other questionsunanswered in your story, just that they are not the keyquestions.When thinking about the most important question, consider:

What would I like to know about the subject?

Dont embark on a story that does not interest you. On the other hand: ifyou are motivated to get an answer, it will be hard for anyone to stop you!

What doesmy audience want to know about the subject?

Dont ask yourself this question only to be able to sell the story later on.Do it also in order to convinceyour audience! People will buy your story if itdoesnt raise important questions in their mind. So, try to prepare for thequestions that they may come up with. We learned this piece of wisdomfrom sales experts.

What question is most urgent?

Its not always you, or your audience that decides what is important. Newshas its own agenda and we are still journalists after all. So, ask yourselfalso: Whats in the news right now? Or better: what has not been in thenews about recent events?

What question is easiest to anwer?

If you consider writing multiple stories about the subject (and whywouldnt you!), its good advise to acquire some knowledge about the sub-

ject by producing an easy story first before hitting the tougher ones. Theavailability of sources also plays a role: if you need documents with a FOI-request for one story, for instance, than allow more time.


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Step 4:

Formulate an HYPOTHESIS

In stead of turning immediately to sources for an answer, you can try toanswer the most important question yourself. Take the key question, andanswer it:

What do I think that happened?

The possible answer is an hypothesis. Scientists work with hypotheses anddetectives too so why not investigating journalists?! Most journalists al-ready use hypotheses in their work, without realising it. Did you ever start

an investigation without an expectation about the outcome? Did you nothope, a tiny little bit, that you would be able to proof this or that? Thathope is called hypothesis.

Proving an hypothesis is simpler if it contains concrete ingredients, likepeople, places, objects and actions. Things you can point to, things thatleave marks. For concrete ingredients answer these questions:

Who does what exactly?

Formulate your hypothesis (answer) as: A person takes a certain action orSomebody does someting. This raises new questions:

Who is the actor?

Most stories are home to several actors people contributing to the prob-lem. This is a tough decission: which actor are you going to promote tomain character in the story? Who are you going to hold responsible aboveeveryone else?As a rule your audience will love a character that it can identify with

(someone from their social group or status), but they also consume storiesabout people they can hardlyidentify with like chocolate ice cream on a hotsummer day. Think of stories about celebs. Sometimes it is more exciting

to learn about the lifes of people we dontsocialize with.This is also the place to decide whether you take the perspective of the

victim or of the perpetrator. Again: this does not mean that the other char-acters must be left out from the story. They just get a role that is less im-portant.

Finally: be sure to take a person who is active, not passive. Dont state, forexample: Human beings get seriously ill after drinking water from plastic pipes. It istoo passive: the main characters dont do anything. Getting ill just happensto them. An activealternative would be: Pipe manufacturers add chemicals to their


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plastic water pipes that make people seriously ill. (See the example of the plastic

water pipe investigation that starts on page 22.)

What does he do exactly?

Again: choose carefully. Weight your options there are typically manyverbs to decribe one and the same action. Which verb is most accurate, youthink?

Describe the action in the hypotheses like a direction for actors as if ithas to be acted out on a theatre stage. Make the action visible. Ask yourself:

what can be seen of this action? Be thatconcrete!Keep away from opinions. Dont say, for instance, He is a crook, but

write in detail (if your fantasy allows) howhe stole the money. Decribetheprocess.

Equaly keep away from negatives. Dont state what he does notdo sincethings that donthappen are usually hard to proof. (See example on page 25)

Where does he do it and when?

These are not the most important details in an hypothesis. But if you areable to imagine where the actions took place and when, it will help you agreat deal finding sources.

Why does he do it?

This is the toughest one. It is impossible to prove a motive, since it excistonly in the head of the actor. Sometimes the perps dont know themselves

why they did what they did. Maybe its best left to your readers, viewers orlisteners to decide what the motive musthave been. So dont kill your hy-pothesis just because you cant think of a motive.

Theeasyway

Formulateyourhypothesisas:

Somebodydoessomething,withsomething,atacertainplace,atacertain

time

Multiple answers

There are, of course, multiple answers possible to the key question. Make alist of plausible answers. And then make a choice:


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What answer would deliver the biggest scoop?

We call this the maximum hypothesis. This is the story that you will in-vestigate, in the hope that you will find sufficient proof to publish orbroadcast it.

Which answers are interesting enough to publish or broadcast?

These are minimum hypotheses. If the maximum answer can not beproven or proofs to be false, see if you can proof these, less thrilling stor-ies in stead. Can you not, than cancel the investigation. Dont loose anymore time. The minimum stories are the bottom of what you are prepared

to go for.

Which answers are not satifying enough to justify an investigation?

Dont investigate possible answers that no-one gives a toss about.

AdvantagesThere are two serious pitfalls in working with hypotheses, but many advan-tages. Advantage 1: Concentrating on a goal, enhances your chances ofsuccess (the power of visualization). Advantage 2: Coming up with yourown possible answer, makes you less vulnerable for sources who say that

theyhave all the answers. Advantage 3: Comparing one answer with anotheris a good way to find the truth. Advantage 4: Agreeing on an hypothesis is anecessary step for an harmonious co-operation. Advantage 5: Some sourcesare less reluctant to deny or confirm a theory, than to be the first or theonly one to break the news.

PitfallsDanger 1: Working with an hypothesis can lead to tunnel vision; while youare chasing a rare butterfly, you may miss the last Siberian tiger. Danger 2:It can corrupt you; you would not be the first to hide facts that dont cor-roborate your hypothesis. Being aware of these pitfalls and scrutinizing

your own work is a way to avoid these dangers.The hypothesis is a work instrument. You must be prepared to alter it if

the facts proof your theory wrong! But in our experience, hypotheses areseldom completely wrong. Often there is at least some truth in it. This isnot entirely surprising, since an hypothesis is often the result of an personalexperience, a tip-off, a statement by somebody or a strong suspicion.


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News article

If formulating an hypothesis gives you trouble, try writing a short news storyin stead. Since we are trained as journalists, we know all too well how to

write a news report. It contains the answers to the same questions: who,what, where, when, how and why? So, write a news report as how it wouldlook like, on page one of your newspaper, if you had been able to proofyour story.

SummaryIf at this point some-one (editor?) asks you what you are doing or planningto do, you are able to present your plan as astory. Thanks to the hypothesis.Editors like that. Never sell them ideas, sell them stories!

You can prepare for this moment by writing a summaryof your story. In-triguing, like the text on the back cover of a book (like if your story wasready and presented in a book). Ever contemplated the fates of these peo-ple who write back covers? You think: How hard can it be? Well, try it!Hook the potential buyer; make him throw his money at you.

Use your imagination and fantasy. Whether your potential story soundsconvincingor not, depends on your ability to give plausible answers to thequestions an editor may ask, like:

What is the news?

What do you suspect that is happening? What is the story about? (This issummarized in your hypothesis.)

Why is it important and for whom?

Who is affected and how? How can they use your story to their benefit?

Why is it urgent?

What is the immidiate reason or cause to dig into this subject?

What is your motive?

What do you want to achieve change? Become aware of your motives.Revenge is ill-advised. Convince the buyer of your nobel intentions.

There is, by the way, a second good reason for writing a summary at thisstage: if you are notable to write an intriguing introduction to your story,than its probably not a good subject. If anything is not quite right aboutthis idea for a story, it better come out now!


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Step 5:

Choose a STRUCTURE

Now that you have created a hypothesis, the next step in the investigationis toproofit. How can you show that your hypothesis is true?Presenting evidenceor clues in a structured manner is what an investigative story is about.

A story is also a sequence of events. So what you are looking for, is eventsthat proof your hypothesis. We call them evidential events.

You have now reached a crucial point in your investigation. Apparently, theevents you are looking for not only determine the credibilityof your story,

but also its structure. So, you have to pick them carefully.

How do you find these evidential events? The secret is: they lay hiding inyour hypothesis! Look at your hypothesis: it describes an event, right? Butlook closely again: does it indeed describe just one singleevent, or merely awhole seriesof events?

A chance of nine out of ten that the event in your hypothesis is the resultor the summary of severalevents. Put it to the test. Look at the event inyour hypothesis and try to answer these questions:

Could this event only happen because of previous events?

Did this event have important consequences?

Did the same event happen at different places?

Did the same event happen in different ways?

If the answer to one of these question is yes, this means that your hy-pothesis has a relation to other events that it has context. And theseevents happened previously, consequentlyor elsewhere. In other words: the hy-

pothesis can be expanded in timeor in space.As an investigative reporter you have probably often tried to explain a

problem by showing how one event led to another. You showed a process;a sequence of events in time.

But at other times it was not the backgroundof the problem that grappedyour attention, but the scaleof it. You wanted to warn for the spread of theproblem by showing examples from differentplaces.


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ChronologyorOdyssey?

Therearetwodominantstructuresinstorytelling:thechronologyandtheOdyssey.

Ifthesequenceoftheeventsisimportant,thenthechronologyisyourstruc-

tureofchoice.Thecharactersinthestoryarefollowedthrough(aperiodof)

time.Oneeventleads(sometimesinachainofcauseandeffect)tothenext.

Butifyouwantyourstorytowanderfromplacetoplace,carelessoftimeand

sequence,youdealwithanOdyssey.Insteadofgoingfrommomenttomoment,

likeinthechronology,younowgofromplacetoplace,likeinajourney.

TheclassicGreekpoetHomerissaidtobetheinventorofbothstructures:The

Iliadbelievedtobehiscreationisachronology,describingthelastdaysof

theTrojanWar;hisothermasterpiece,TheOdyssey,recountstheten-year

journeyhomeofoneoftheherosoftheTrojanWar,Odysseus.

So, for the evidential events you can look in time or in space.

Look in time (create a chronology) when you are dealing with:

a history, a process, a search or an investigation

Look for the events that happened beforethe event in your hypothesis andafter. You could even look into the future and ask: What should happen next?how can the problem (described in the hypothesis) be solved?

Stories that are typically told chronologically are:

- biographies (describing some-ones life)- portraits or interviews (describing some-ones experiences)- reconstructions (explaining how something could happen)- processes (explaining how something works)- investigations (describing discovery after discovery)

Look in space (compose an odyssey) when you are dealing with:

a journey

A character travels from one place to another. This is a classic odyssey.The character is heavily influenced by the places he visits. They are specialto him or they determine his faith. The story is mainly about how the cha-racter adapts to his surroundings.

an expanding problem

The classic odyssey has many variations. Like this one. A problem isspreading and you want to show this by pointing to different places where


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it has already left its marks. Like a warning. Your audience will especially

get the sense that it is traveling when you take it for examples to othercities and other countries.

a problem with different faces

Also an Odyssey. If a problem has different faces, show one after theother. Use this structure when a problem leaves its marks on different as-pects of life. For instance: the spread of fastfood has an impact on publichealth, the economy, agriculture, education etc. It is also useful when youdeal with cluesrather than hard evidence. Present the clues (for the existen-ce of a problem) in the order of their importance.

Beware: if you reject time as an obvious link between the events, you areobliged to find another strong glue. Link the events by the same castofcharacters and/or by a common theme.

a dispute or debate

Another Odyssey. When the versions of the truth differ too much, youcan choose to tell the story from different viewpoints, through the eyes ofdifferent actors.

Or: When the subject of the story is a debate, you can go from one per-son to the next and let them give their opinions. (Dont forget to describe

the experiences in the persons life that led to that opinion!)

parallel stories

This is an interestingin-betweenstructure. A parallel tells different chrono-logical stories that happen simultaniously. Typically the stories of peoplethat at some point get involved in the same event. Like people crossingeachothers paths.This is another helpful structure for investigative journalists, since they

often deal with a myriad of characters affecting eachother. Try to reducethe amount of characters to two or three, however, to minimize confusion.

For instance to a perpetrator, a victim and a witness.

Its your choiceAlmost every story can be told as a chronology. That does not mean, ho-wever, that the chronology is always the best option.

A chronology puts the emphasis of the story on timeandprocesses. It is anexcellent structure for explaininghowsomething happened. But how? isnot always the key question. Sometimes we are more interested in: who, or


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where, or what Especially when we want to show the scaleof a problem,

rather than its roots.If you tried to create a chronology and found that the events happening

before and after the event described in your hypothesis are irrelevant orridicul, then try an odyssey. Dont expand your story in time, but in space.See if you can make a journey along places, characters or shapes.

Its up to you whether you tell your story as a chronology or as an odys-sey. Take into account, however, that fairly every story can be told chro-nologically, but that it is the odyssey that gets the most attention, becauseit is different. So, if you see the slightest chance to tell your story in theform of an odyssey: do it.

Theeasyway

Expand your hypothesis byadding thewords: after, because, next,

and,but,whileandelsewhere

Lookatthisexample,extrapolatedfromasceneinMichaelMooresexcellent

docu-filmSicko.Themessageinthisparticularsceneis:healthinsurancecom-

panies sometimes deny their clients the care they need. And this is how

Mooreexpandedthismessageinhisfilm:

Anhealthinsurancecompanyrefusestopayforalife-savingoperation,after

amaninhisthirtieswasdiagnosedwithcancer,becauseitstrivestomaxi-

mizeprofit.Nextthemandiesandhiswifeaccusestheinsurancecompany,butthecompanydeniesresponsibility.

Sicko shows more than one example. So, while the scenes are build-up

chronologically,thefilmitselfisratheran odyssey:

Onemandiesbecausehishealthinsurancecompanyrefusestopayforhis

life-savingtreatment,whileelsewhereawomendoesnotgetcompensated

forhermedicalcoststbecauseshehadforgottentomentionaminor,unim-

portanttreatmentonherapplicationform.

ScriptOnce you start investigating, you will come across more and other events.

And you will conclude that some events that you anticipated, just nevertook place. Its best to consider your list of possible events to be a scriptorscenario. Let it be your guide. Let it help you to look out for specific detailsduring interviews and visits. But dont let it make you blind. Prepare for theunexpected. Just alter the script.


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Step 6:

Describe SCENES

Structuring your story has helped you identifying the evidential events rela-ted to your hypothesis. Its now time to turn these events into meaningfulscenes.A typical story is told in scenes. Scenes are building blocks: they make it

easier to produce the story and easier to investigateit. That is why we dealwith scenes so early in the investigation, and not wait till you are actually onthe brink of writing.The true meaning of scene is: a sequence of actions, written moment-

by-moment, leading to a climax. That means that if you have found the

climaxes, you also know where the scenes are. So, what is a climax?Climax means ladder in Greek, and applies to peaks in a story

moments when the main character does or decides something that deter-mines the direction of the story. important moments.

Now look at the evidential events in your story-structure: are they im-portant moments? They certainly are! So here you have it: you have got allthe climaxes already here before you: every event is a climax! You have got thestory carved out for you. The only thing that remains for you to do is: de-scribing the scenes behindthese climaxes.

Storytelling

Itmayseemansmallstepforareporter,butitwasahugestepforjournalismonce:acknowledgingthatbignewsisoftentheresultofsmalleractions

(scenes)andcanthereforebetoldasastory.

Althoughtherehasalwaysbeenagreatdealofstorytellingininvestigative

journalismevenatthedawnoftheprofession,around1900ittookhalfa

centuryforinvestigativereporterstofinallyunchainthemselvesfromthe

dogmathatnewsstoriesshouldtellthefactsandnothingbutthefacts.A

(noisy)breakthroughwasforcedbyreporterslikeTomWolfe,TrumanCapote,

GayTaleseandHunterS.Thompsoninthesixtiesofthepreviouscentury.

TheirmovementbecameknownasNewJournalism.Tobefollowedinthe

ninetiesbyanewgenerationofnarrativereporters,warmheartedlyreferedto

asNewnewjournalism.

Arguablywenowwitnessathirdwave(Newnewnewjournalism?),asaresultofthefactthatmoreandmorenewspaperstakerefugeinbackground

stories(leavingmuchofthenewstotheInternet.)

Actually,inourstory-basedinquirymethodwetaketheverysameapproach

asfictionwriters.Anoveliststartswithaplot(only wecallitanhypoth-

esis)andretraceshisstepsfromthere,identifyingclimaxesandscenes.

Manyfictionwriterevengoasfarascoloringtheirscriptwithactualresearch!


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In a scene, the climax comes at the end of a sequence of actions. Now it isup to you whether you want to describethese actions in your story or not. Inother words: are you just going to tell what happened (the climaxes), or areyou going to show howit happened?Too often investigative pieces are presented as enumerations of facts

(read: summaries). Dull. We prefer instead descriptionsof scenes. Because ima-ges have a greater impact on the audience. They last longer than just facts.This does not mean, however, that you must describe all the events.

Some are rather uninteresting, because they are predictable or futile. Youare probably perfectly happy to dig up a person or document that statesthat the event took place, so that you can summarize it in your story. But at

other times, you feel that there is more in an event: interesting characters,high stakes, a conflict And you would like to describe it minute-by-minute, movement-by-movement, to capture the suspence.Whether you can decribe a scene, also depends on the availability of de-

tails. Descriptions are made of details. The description of a scene must beso detailed, in fact, that it can be put on a theatre stage and acted out. Likea clear instruction for actors. Descriptions are also called images, becausea good description projects an image in the mind of the reader.You can decribe: people, objects, locations, fysical actions and dialogues.

(What you cantdecribe are: figures and other data they can only be sum-marized). Hunting for details is called reporting for story (as opposed to

reporting for facts).Since details can only be obtained from visits, reconstructions or reports,

answer these questions:

Can I experience the event myself?

Can I be present during the event?

Are there witnesses that could give me details (in interviews)?

Are the events already described in documents (reports, news stories,

diaries)?

If you cant describe: summarize!Simply summarize the events that dontpresent enough details for a narrative and save your column space for themore colourful scenes.


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Scene elements

Pick out the events (climaxes) that you would like to emphasize. And de-cide which of the followingsceneelementsyou can describe or will have tosummarize:

Character

Who is your main character (also called protagonist)? Describe his fea-tures; summarize his history (upbringing, carreer, lifes events).Note thatyoutoo can be a character in the story. You can choose to tell oneor more scenes from your point of view: what didyouexperience? Why notshow the audience the adventures of an investigator? There is no reason to

hide the fact that our job can get quite interesting from time to time.

Setting

Where and when do the events take place? Describe where on earth (cul-ture), in what surroundings (location)? At what time of day (hour) or of theyear (season)? Maybe a word about the weather (people tend to rememberthe weather!)

Objects

What objects, like instruments, products or objects of nature or cultureplay a role in the event? Describe them.

Previous events

What must the audience know about previous events in order to under-stand what is going on? Summarize the actions that led up to this scene.(This kind of background is called exposition).

Goal

Why is the main character doing this? What is his goal? What does he hopeto achieve? The goal often exposes itself in the actions of the character. Forexample: a person packing a suitcase has obviously plans to travel.

By the way: agoalis not the same as a motive. The goal is what thecharac-ter wants to achieve and the motive is whyhe wants it. If you talk about thecharacters goal, you can also point out his motives to target that goal.

Action


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What does the main character do exactly? Describe the action, moment-by-

moment.

Conflict or surprise

Does the main character encounter a problem or (possitive) surprise? See ifyou can give the scene a twist: all seems to go well, when the unexpectedhappens a so-called conflict. The conflict is a pleasant or unpleasantsurprise. The actor has to overcome this obstacle (struggle), in order toreach his goal. All this makes a scene more suspenseful than an ordinaryevent.A novelist has an advantage here: he makes the scenes up! But a non-

fiction writer has to deal with the facts. And in real life, not every eventcontains a conflict. Some things just go along without barriers and sabo-teurs. So lets say this up front: you will not be able to introduce a conflictin every scene. (Its a small price we pay for dealing with realpeople and realsituations.) That said, is it often fairly simple to find a conflict. Answerthese questions:

Did the character reach his goal?If not or not entirely then whynot? Whatkept him from it?

Did the character meet opposition?Opposition, resistance, exclusion, sabotage

It can come from an other character (called antagonist) or from a socialgroup, like family, colleagues, friends, neighbours, competitors Look forcritisism, objections, lies, deceptions, accusations, prosecution etc.

Did the character have to overcome a natural or fysical obstacle? Floods, fires andearth-quackes jump to mind. But the fysical obstacles most of us have todeal with regularly have nothing to do with mother nature: lack of money,lack of fysical ability, lack of skills, lack of resources... We can be hit byillness or accident, loss and theft. Also quite common: a sudden change inthe contract or in legislation.

Did the character struggle mentally?Was he maybe not quite sure about his goalor his actions? Was he affraid of the consequences?

Did the character push his luck?Did he know he played with fire; that the out-come of his actions could be bad or disastrous (for him or for others)?People who have to take big decisions, invest a lot of money or dedicate alot for a goal (politicians, CEOs, scientists), sometimes also take greatrisks.


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Did the character have a stroke of luck?It is also possible to be hit by apositive

disturbance. Finally pregnant! An unexpected prize or award! Promotion! Acoincidental meeting! Love! The lottery!

The true storyteller sees every event as the result of a struggle. But imaginingthe conflicts, is just the first step. You need to focus on possible conflictsthroughout the whole investigation. In every interview: ask if there were unex-pected disturbences. In every document: read between the lines. Get a con-flict-state-of-mind, like every good narrator!

Theeasyway

See if you can add the word but to the event. Like in this scene fromSicko:

Amanwithcancerreceivesthegoodnewsthathisbrotherisaperfectmatch

forabonemarrowtransplant, buthishealthinsurecompanyrefusestopay

fortheexpensiveoperation.

Decission

What does the main character decide? What does he think his options are?Summarize his strain of thought; show him seeking advise.

Struggle

How does the main character react? How does he cope with the conflict?How does he still try to reach his goal? Describe his actions. These actionsare automatically exciting, because the reader, viewer or listener knows, inthis stage of the scene, how important it is for the character to succeed, buthe does notknow the outcome.

Climax

Does the main character reach his goal or not? Awaits him victory or de-feat? Describe the decissive action. Every climax is a turning point in thestory, after which a new direction, and new uncertainty awaits the audience.

Resolution

How does the main character look back on the events? Was it all worth it?What has he learned? What would he do next time? Summarize his opin-ion.


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Keep an eye out for emotions: especially the goal, the struggle and the resolu-tion are full of emotions. And true emotions are the second ingredient,after images, that helps convincing your audience.And remember that the scene structure above is an idealsituation. As a

non-fiction writer you will not always be able to adjust reality to it. Just tryto find and describe as many of these elements as you can, and no-one willhold it against you that the scenes arent perfect. On the contrary: they willbe grateful for everypiece of masterful narrative you treat them to!

Example:Dangerousdrinkingwater

Rule1:

Formulateyourhypothesisasananswertothequestion:Whatishap-

pening?

Ourinvestigation*startedwithanarticleinajournalforchemicalscientists.

ResearchersattheTechnicalUniversityofCopenhagenhadatestdonewith

plasticpipesfordrinkingwater.Theyhadfilledthetubeswithwaterand

leftthemforacoupleofdaysintheirlaboratory.Thentheyhadrunthewa-

terthroughaso-calledgaschromatographandmassspectrometer,tosee

ifmaybechemicalsfromtheplastictubeshadleakedintothewater.

Totheirsurprisetheyfoundnotjustoneortwo,butmorethantwenty

chemicalsfromtheplasticinthewater.Twotheycouldimmediatelyiden-

tify:phenolsandplasticizers.Theothersubstanceswereunfamiliar.

Whethertheyconstituteadangertohealth,theresearcherscouldnotsay.

Buttheyknewonethingforsure:neitherofthechemicalsbelongsindrink-

ingwater.

Wethoughtitausefulexercise,saidtheinitiatorofthestudy,ErikArvin,

whenwevisitedhiminhislaboratory.Wheneveranewmaterialisapplied,

problemsoccur.Sowewonderedwhetherthechemicalsintheplasticcould

leakintodrinkingwater.

WhenwereturnedfromCopenhagen,onequestionechoedinourheads:

Aretheplasticpipesinourkitchensandbathroomskillingus?

Rule2:

Chooseanactiveprotagonist

Ourfirstthoughtwas:Plasticwaterpipesarelethal. Wedismissedthishy-

pothesis,however,becauseitdoesnotcontainanhumanactor:plastic

pipesarenohumanbeings,andweshouldalwaystry,inouropinion,tore-

lateproblemstorealpeople.

Asecondideawas:Humanbeingsgetseriouslyillafterdrinkingwater

fromplasticpipes.Wedismissedthistoo.Itistoopassive:maincharacters

dontdoanything,dothey?Gettingilljusthappenstothem.Lookingfora

moreactiveprotagonist,wecametothishypothesis:Pipemanufacturers


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addchemicalstotheirplasticwaterpipesthatcauseseriousillnessesinhu-

manbeings.

Rule3:

Expandyourhypothesiswiththeanswerstothequestions:who,what,

where,when,howandwhy

Afterre-readingthescientificarticlewithwhichourinvestigationbegan,we

wereabletofillinmoredetails:Pipemanufacturersaddplasticizersand

phenolstotheirpolyethylenepipesthatcauseseriousillnessesinhumanbe-

ings.

Althoughwecouldbeveryprecizeaboutthekindofchemicals(plasticiz-

ersandphenols)andthekindofplastic(polyethylene),wecould,inthis

earlystadium,onlybeveryvagueabouttheillnesses.Thescientistswho

haddicoveredthesubstances,werenotsureaboutthepotentialharm.Infactittookusthebiggestpartofourinvestigationtofindoutwhattheun-

believableeffectsofthesechemicalswere.

Rule4:

Expandyourhypothesistorelatedevents

Sowesettledforthetimebeingforthishypothesis:Pipemanufacturers

addplasticizersandphenolstotheirpolyethylenepipesthatmakepeople

seriouslyill.

Ournextjobwastocutthisintoaseriesofevidentialevents.Looking

closelyatourhypothesis,wediscoveredthatitwastheexpressionofa

process.Andwehadalreadyidentifiedtwostepsinthatprocess:

Pipemanufacturersaddplasticizersandphenolstotheirpolyethylene

pipes.Nextthesechemicalscauseseriousillnessesinhumanbeings.

Couldtherebemoresteps?Aftersomelogicalthinking,wereachedthis

chronologyofevents:

1.Pipemanufacturersaddplasticizersandphenolstotheirpolyethylene

pipes.

2.Nextinstallersanddo-it-yourselfersusepolyethylenepipesinhomes

andofficesonalargescale.

3.Nexthealthautoritiesdonttestdrinkingwaterforphenolsandplasti-

cizers.

4.Nextthephenolsandplasticizersleakfromthepipesintothewater.

5.Nextthephenolsandplasticizerscauseseriousillnessesinhumanbe-

ings.

Whileweweredoingourresearch,theEuropeanParliamentprepareda

newdirective(=law)fordangeroussubstances.Leadingscientistsfrom


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aroundtheworld,whoworriedaboutthehealthrisksofphenolsinplas-

tic,lobbiedinBrusselstoputphenolsonablacklist.Aprohibitionontheuseofphenolsinconsumerproductswasintheiropiniontheonlysolu-

tion.Thatshowwecameupwiththis,final,stepintheprocess:

6.NextscientistsputpressureonEuropeanparliamentarianstobanthe

useofphenolsandplasticizersinconsumerproducts.

Thesesixstepscould,wethought,beveryclosetowhatactuallyhap-

pened.Theyformedperfectclimaxesforourstory.Allwehadtodonow,

wastoproveanddescribethem.

Rule5:

FormulatetheeventsasstageorfilmdirectionsTheproblemwithsteps4and5isthatwecannotseethem.Andwhatyou

cannotsee,isoftenhardtoprove.Onesteptakesplaceinaclosedpipe,

theotherinahumanbody.Moreover,thesearemicroscopicsubstances

andnotvisibletothenakedeye.

Thereforewetriedtoformulatethesehypothesesasiftheyhadtobe

actedoutbeforeacameraoranaudience.ThistrickisnotonlyusefulforTV

andradiojournalistswhoneedimagesandsounds.Evenwe,asprintjour-

nalists,knewthatastorywithvisibleactionsismuchstongerthanonewith

invisibleabstractions.Butthemainreasonforchoosingvisibleactionsis

thattheyareeasiertoprove!

Wereplacedhypothesis4by:

Scientistsdiscoverphenolsandplasticizersindrinkingwateraftertheyhad

leftitforseveraldaysatroomtemperatureinpolyethylenepipes.

Justbyswappingmatter(phenolsandplasticizers)forpeople(scientists),

wehavesolvedtheproblem.Changingthefifthhypothesis(effectson

health)intosomethingvisiblewasmoredifficult.Fromajournalistspoint

ofview(butnotfromahumanpointofview!)thefollowinghypothesishad

beenwonderful:

Peopledropdeadafterdrinkingwaterfrompolyethylenepipes.

Butthereis(fortunately!)noevidenceforthat.Gettingillfromchemicalsis

amuchslowerprocess,apparently.

Weretheeffectsofplasticizersandphenolsonhumanhealthever

tested?wewondered.Inacontrolledenvironmentthatexcludesotherin-

fluences?Ifeversuchtestsweredone,thentheywereobviouslydonenot

onpeople,butonanimals.Thatbroughtustothefollowinghypothesis:

Scientistsdiscovercancerinmiceaftertheyhadadministeredthemphenols

andplasticizers.


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Thatcancercouldbeaneffect,wasjustaguessonourpart,basedonex-

perience.Andthensomethingwonderfulhappened:justbecausewefilledinallthewordsplastic,phenol,research,miceandcancerininGoo-

gle,wefoundatreatiseonscientistswho,totallybycoincidence,hadfound

intheirlaboratoryalinkbetweenplasticandcancer.Andinaverybizarre

way.

Cell-biologistAnaSototolduslaterinaninterview:Iwaswithtwocol-

leaguesengagedinastudyontheimpactofestrogenfemalehormones

onthedevelopmentofbreastcancer.Weknewthatthecancercellsbegan

toproliferateintesttubeswhentheywerebroughtintocontactwithestro-

gen.Buttooursurpriseexactlythesamehappenedinthecontroltubes,to

whichwereaddednoestrogen.Incomprehensible!

LikeSherlockHolmeswewentlookingfortheperpetrator,Sotorecalls.

Meticulously,westudiedalltestingphasesandcheckedallequipment.Onlyaftermonthsofinvestigating,wediscoveredthecause:Theestrogens

originatedfromtheplasticofthetesttubes!Theplasticcontainednonyl-

phenolsthatappearedtomimicfemalehormones.

Sotowouldinthefollowingyearsdevelopintotheworldsleadingre-

searcherinthefieldofcancerandphenols.

Becausewehadcreatedaninternetalertforthekeywordsplastic,

phenol,plasticizers,research,miceandcancer,wewereautomati-

callynotifiedofnewarticlesontheweb.Soafewmonthslaterwewere

alarmedaboutanotherU.S.study.Motherswithahighconcentrationof

plasticizersintheirurineduringpregnancy,gaveremarkablyoftenbirthto

boyswithstuntedpenisesandothergenitalabnormalities,makingitdiffi-

cultfortheminlaterlifetohavechildren.

Forthefirsttimeadirectlinkwasestablishedbetweenhormonedisrupt-

ingsubstancesandreproductivityproblemsinhumans.Andwewereable

toconcretizeourlasthypothesis:Phenolscausecancerandinfertilityinhu-

manbeings.

Rule6:

Donottellwhatisnothappening

Isdrinkingwaternotmonitored,youmayask?Wetoowantedtoknow.Ac-

cordingtothegovernment,publicdrinkingwaterisoneofthemostscruti-

nizedfoodproducts.How,then,cansuchhazardoussubstancesappearin

waterintendedforconsumption?Thisiswhatwethoughtmightbetherea-

son:Healthautoritiesdonttestdrinkingwaterforphenolsandplasticizers.

Thereisaproblemwiththatstatement:itsanegative.Ittellsuswhat

doesnothappen!Howcouldweprovesomethingthatdoesnothappen?

Whatisnotthere,cannotbeshown.Thereisanumberofwaystosolve

thisproblem:

1.Turntheargumentaroundandshowwhattheprotagonistdoesdo.For

example:Healthautoritiestestdrinkingwaterforotherchemicalsthan

phenolsandplasticizers.Or:Healthautoritiestestdrinkingwaterontheba-

sisofalistofsubstancesthatdoesnotcontainphenolsandplasticizers.


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2.Lettheprotagonistprovethathedoesdosomething.Likeinoneofthese

twoways:Healthautoritiessaytheydonotcheckdrinkingwaterforphenolsandplasticizers,becausetheprocessisexpensive.Or:Healthautoritiesnote

intheirguidelinesthatdrinkingwaterdoesnothavetobecheckedforphe-

nolsandplasticizers.

3.Letothersprovethatsomethingdoesnothappen.Forexample:Experts

saythathealthautoritiesmonitordrinkingwaterwithequipmentthatisnot

suitablefordetectingphenolsandplasticizers.Rule7:

Turntheeventsintoscenesbyenteringanobstacle,abut.

Itsfuntryingtoturnandulleventintoalivelyscene.Inascenethepro-

tagonistdoesnotjustgoaboutheencountersanobstacle.Hefacesresis-tancethathemustovercometobesuccessful.

Therewerepotentiallystrongscenesinourevents.Lookwhathappened

whenweformulatedthemslightlydifferent(andnotetheuseoftheword

but...):

ErikArvinpourswaterintopolyethylenepipes.Hethenputsthepipesina

laboratoryroomandturnsthethermostatto23degrees.Aftersevendays

hemeasuresthechemicalsinthewaterwithaspecialdevice.Heseesinthe

resultsmainlyphenolsandplasticizers.Butthereareothersubstanceshe

doesnotrecognizeandhecannotruleoutwithcertaintythattheseare

harmfulforhumansafterconsumption.

AnaSotoexpectsthecancercellsinthecontroltubeswithoutestrogennot

togrow,buttheydo.

Sixtyprominentscientists,includingAnaSoto,publishedamanifestoin

whichtheycalltheEuropeanParliamenttobantheuseofphenolsandplas-

ticizersinconsumerproducts.Butultimately,theEuropeanParliamental-

lowstheuseofphenolsanyway.

Rule8:

Adaptyourhypothesistothefacts-andnottheotherwayaround!

Wediscoveredinourresearchthatitisnotentirelythefaultofthepipe

manufacturersthatphenolsseepintothedrinkingwater.Theydidnotput

thephenolsinthepipes!Thephenolsturnedouttobetheresultofa

chemicalreactionofothersubstancesinthepipeswithairandwater.This

meantaconsiderableweakeningofourfirsthypothesisregardingtherole

ofthepipemanufacturers.

Atotherpointswecouldstrengthenourhypothesis:otherresearchon

plasticwaterpipes,forexample,showedthatthedangerdoesnotonly

comefrompolyethylenepipes,butalsofrommuchmorewidelyusedPVC

pipes!


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Rule9:

FormulateaminimumandmaximumhypothesisWhatwouldhavebeenthehottestscoopofall?Wethought:Peopledrop

deadafterdrinkingtapwater.Itsoonbecameclear,however,thatwe

wouldneverbeabletoprovethat.Sowehadtoconsiderthequestion:how

farwillweweakenthehypothesis?Dowestillhaveastorywhenpeople

drinkingwaterfromplasticpipesonlygetsterile?Andwhatifweonlyfind

thatpeoplecangetaseriouscoldfromdrinkingoutofplasticpipes?Orifit

appearsthatonlyveryoldpeopleareatrisk?Orifwefindnoconclusive

evidencethatthechemicalscanbebadforhealth?Orisjustthatfactthat

itcannotbeproventhatthesubstancesareharmlessreasonenoughfora

newsstory?Wechosethelatter.Itwasthereforethatweformulatedour

minimumhypothesisas:

Thegovernmentsaysitcannotguaranteethesafetyoftapwater.

Rule10:

Startwiththehypothesisthatiseasiesttoprove

Gointhroughadoorthatisalreadyhalfwayopen.Itissimpler,andifthis

hypothesisprovestobefalse,youknowatleastthatyoudonthavetoin-

vestigateanyfurther.Andincasethathypothesisturnsouttobetrue,itwill

beahugeencouragementtotacklethemoredifficulthypothesesnext.

Inourexamplethisappearedtobetheeasiesthypothesis:Installersand

do-it-yourselfersusepolyethylenepipesinhomesandofficesonalarge

scale.Indeed,onephonecallwasenoughtoreceiveanemailwiththesales

resultsofpolyethylenepipes,comparedwithpipesfromothermaterials.

*ThisinvestigationwasajointventureofKaareGotfredsen,Marleen

Teugels,ChrisVermeireandLuukSengers.Theirstoriesabouthazardous

tapwaterweresimultaniouslypublishedin2005,intheBelgianmaga-

zineKnack,theDutchnewspaperAlgemeenDagbladandtheDanishnews-

paperFyenStiftTidende.


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Step 7:

Map your SOURCES

Make a list of sources human beings as well as documents. Answer thesequestions:

Who was there?

Who took notes?

Who has studied the events?

Who published about the events?

Who has an interest knowing about these events?

Source TreeOne way to map your sources is in a tree like the one on the next page(illustration 1). Start with two big branches, left and right. One for humansources and one for documents. Since events leave a trail in the form ofmemories and documents, we talk about the people trail and the papertrail.

The tree shows that the people trail can be divided in initiators (thosewho took or supported the initiative), afflicted (those who benefited orsuffered from the action) and witnesses (those who accidentilly witnes-sed the event, or observed it professionally).The paper trail can also be divided in three groups: plans (for docu-

ments created beforethe event took place), reports (for documents createdduringthe action) and opinions (for documents looking back at the action).

This reflects how a papertrail actually comes into life: we often start with aplan, than we get into action and finally we evaluate what happened.You can expand the tree to the left and to the right with new branches,

identifying persons and documents. This example was created in Xmind, a

free software program for drawing mindmaps. But a pensil on paper willdo the job as well.

Source MapAnother way to identify sources in your story, is with the help of a tabellike illustration 2. A sourcemap like this allows you to organize yoursearch for sources systematically in orther to diminish the chance that youoverlook an important source.


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Start with the human sources. Put them vertically in the first column, in the

apropriate categories. Then determine for every person which kind ofdocument from the list in the middle column he or she might have createdand put the name of this document in the (empty) column on the right.Now you have a people trail on the left and a paper trail on the right.

ChooseThe aim of a sourcemap is to identify as many sources as you can imagine.There is however no need to interview and/or read them all! After yourbrainstorm session, take a second glance at the (now quite complete) list inyour sourcemap and wonder, regarding to every scene:

What is the single best source to describe or summarize this scene?

And what source is second best?

Etc.


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Illustration1:SourceTree


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People Did he or she write, make, file orkeep a Documents

Who takes the initiative?

Who supports it?

Who gets better?

Who gets hurt?

Who saw it happen?

Who studied it?

planinstruction

contractlawrule

license

agreementbudget

*

reportnotesdiarylog

emailletter

receiptbank statement

databasepicturevideoaudio

*

evaluationaudit

(inspection) reportstudy

analysisdiscussion

commentarycomplaint

protestpolice reportcourt records

verdictsanctiondefense

Illustration2:SourceMa


32/43


Step 8:

Keep NOTES

During your investigation, keep the results in the Masterfile. There are fivekinds of notes worth writing down:

1. QuestionsKeep specific questions about a scene under the header of that scene. Makethem stand out: start every question with Q: and put it in italic.

2. AnswersWrite down (or copy-paste) answers from interviews and documents.

3. ObservationsMake notes of your own observations and thoughts during visits and inter-

views. (Use 1 as source number for personal observations.)

Add datesand sourcesto your notes, like this:

[Date] Note [Document number, page number]

Example:

[23-1-08] On 23rd January 2008, the European Commission pub-lished its Proposal for a Directive on the promotion of the use ofenergy from renewable sources. [4,7]

The 4 refers to document number 4 and the 7 to page 7 in that samedocument. Keep a separate list of references at the end of the Masterfile(see next point).You can put your notes in a chronological order, automatically, like this:select the notes you want to order; click Table from the MS Word-menuand then Sort; choose Ascending or decending on Date.


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4. References

Make a list of the sources you refer to in your notes.

Example:

1. Personal note

2. Walt Patterson, Keeping the lights on. Towards Sustainable Electricity,Earth Scan, London 2007

3. Directive on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources,European Commission, January 2008

5. Diary or logKeep track of your progress. What did you try and what was the result?

There are two reasons for this:1) Going over your achievements at the end of every work day, keeps

you sharp and on track;2) Your audience may be interested in your queste. Sometimes the

story of how yougotthe story is as interesting as the story itself. Inthat case you may want to integrate your adventures into the mainstory or publish them as a separate story: The Making of.


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Step 9:

PRESENT your story

So far we have talked about just onestory. But while you worked on thisstory in the Masterfile you probably saw opportunities for another storyand another. Now that the digging is done, answer these questions:

Can I produce more stories based on this investigation?

Should I present the story in smaller pieces?

Independent storiesCreating as many stories as possible based on one investigation is a cleverthing to do, not only for freelance reporters who try to enhance their mod-est income (they get hardly ever paid for their research efforts), but also fornews editors who want to make up for the time and money invested in aresearch project.

In step 3 you have made a choice. What were your options back then?See if you can do one or two of these things:

Change audience

Problems tend to affect different groups of people. See if you can make thestory appealing to an other audience by changing accents.

Change perspective

If you have told the first story from the perspective of the victims, can younow tell one from the culprits point of view?

Change places

Can you show another aspect or example of the same problem, maybe

from another place?

Change times

If you have concentrated on the effects of a problem in your first story, trynow to zoom in on the causes(past), and in a third story on the possiblesolutions (future).


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If you manage to present your research results in a series, you will achieve

more impact: you keep the subject longer on the agenda, more readers,viewers or listeners will learn about it and your competition will have diffi-culty to steal the story or even to keep up.

Side-storiesTypically investigative stories are so rich, that you can lift out some of thecontents and present them in separate stories, without hurting the mainpiece. Moreover, the main story may become more powerful when it isrelieved from the burden of so many characters, facts, figures, dates etc.Some of these side-stories can be put in a box, next to the main story, butothers also can have a life of their own, as an independent story.

We have identifiedfifteeenstories that can be produced at the side of a bigpiece. And four more services (other than stories) that can be pre-sented/sold separately. See if you can produce:

News

Squeeze a news story out of your main story and present it as a scoop.Many websites have no space for lengthy stories. But they may opt for

the summary in the form of a news article. Make sure that they put a linkunder the article to your own website and other websites that published themainstory.

The making of

If you kept a diary(see previous step), you can use it to write a story abouthow you discovered the news. You can publish this as a separate story: Themaking of... or as a so called nerd box next to the main story. In the nerdbox you can also add links to:

- documents- websites- interview transcripts

Pay extra attention to tips and comments you received from readers and(secret) sources: it is a way of saying Thank you! Tell the readers also whatyou do notknow, and what you could notfind: that enhances your credibility.

The making of-story also helps to explain your inquiries to an audience offellow journalists (at conferences, in magazines) or to the jury of a pressaward.


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History

All subjects have a history. Reporters typically present that history in theirmain story. But a history or a timeline can be an independent story too!

Make a list of events. Pay special attention to:

-The publication of laws, rules, agreements and plans- Problems, conflicts, complaints, penalties, sanctions and law suits

People like reading histories, because of their simple, chronological struc-ture and the context they provide for recent events. A history is a good

example of so called Explanatory Journalism: reporting with no otherpoint than explaining complex matters.

Track record

A special form of history is the track record: Make a separate list ofproblems and conflicts that you encounter. Summing up court cases, orcomplaints, or penalties gives a strong signal about the severity of the sub-ject and adds significance to your main story.

Cast of characters

History is made by people. Who are the players and how do they worktogether? Create a Who is who?, in the form of:

- portraits of key players in de story- short biographies- a social network map

A social network analyses reveils who is the most powerfull, who is the realculprit. Or it shows how many perpetrators (secretly) work together toachieve a goal.

A social network map can be published and sold independent from themain story. It is a great tool to play around with, especially on the web,

where users can click on separate characters to show their relationships.The social network map also shows who is probably interested in your

stories; who the stakeholders are. Uncovering networks is also a form ofmarket analysis!


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Money

Follow the money! Create a money trail for instance in an infographic.Show who gets how much. Explain the importance of money for the cli-max of your story, both as a motor and as a motive. And quote a financialexpert who explains the sums and transactions.

Figures

Highlight important numbers and measurers (of objects) in a nerd box.Some people grap figures quicker than words. But fairlyallpeople like tolearn numbers or measures, especially if they are stunning.

Facts

Copy the most important facts of your investigation and present themseparately. Like in a Factsheet, a Did you know?-box or a lexicon (The

ABC of...). The list of facts presents a fair summary of the investigation.Great to catch readers who are in a hurry.

Technique

Explain important technical manoeuvres and machines. Most people are

interested in technique when it is simply explained.

Comparison

Much forgotten, but fairly easy to do: make a list of differences betweencities, regions, countries, organisations, groups or companies. We live in asmall world. It is silly not to look around and try to learn from others.A storyHow do the neighbours cope? is surely a bestseller. And you can get

most of the material for that story for free if you cooperate across borderswith fellow journalists. Share expertise and efforts. You are no competitors,since you sell the stories in your own countries!

Personal experience

Undergo the experience and report what it feels like. The experience willfill you with more ideas, than when you only relay on the experiences ofothers. Tell your audience what it was like, in a box or in an independentstory.


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Solution

Investigate alternatives. Ask people who have seriously thought about pos-sible solutions. And portray people who cleverly found ways to circumventthe obstacles and pitfalls. Inspire your audience. Make it part of the solu-tion and not (only) of the problem! It will love you for it! This hopefullycontributes to a greater self-confidence of your audience: we can make a dif-

ference!We believe that the goal of investigative journalism is not solely to report

about problems, but also to contribute to solutions whenever possible. Ifyou are an optimist, tell your audience that you are, and why. Optimistshave a bigger audience than cynics or pessimists.

You can help your audience further, by adding boxes with:

- A list of good examples/best practices- Tips (does and donts)- Resources for self-study- A forum (for exchanging ideas)- Service buttons: Get involved! Join, Donate, etc.

Challenge the user to get into action!

Note that you can present a story from threeperspectives:

1. What othershave done (in the main story);2. Whatyouhave done (in The Making of... and the personal

experience story);3.What your audiencecan do (in the solution)

Opinion

Write an opinion piece, based on your findings.

Follow up

The goal of investigative reporting is to provoke change. So make sure thatthose responsible take action upon your story. Ask for their reactions first.

And then follow them on their heels: show their actions or motives to donothing. Promise your audience that it will hear the latest plans for changefrom you first.

Visuals

Use video, photography, infographics, cartoons and other illustrations to


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bring your story across. Work together (from the start of the investigation)

with photographers and graphic artists.

Data

Create a database of the data you have collected and make this available toyour audience on a website. Give them opportunity to construct their ownstories, to look up details to their own interest.

Services as result of an investigation

Advise

Maybe a target group is interested in an advise, written in a report ratherthan in an news article or story.

Lecture

Since youre one of the experts now and maybe the onlyexpert withoutties to a money pot you can act with confidence on conferences asspeaker or panell member. Make sure they pay you for your pain- stakinglycollected knowledge! Youre a professional, not a token from the local rack!

Performance

Mark Thomas in the United Kingdom shows effectivily how serious inves-tigations can be presented in the form of stand-up comedy.

Exhibition

In The Netherlands there is a freelance reporter who investigates alongsidea befriended photographer. Once the investigation is done, the photo-graphs that did not appear in the book are shown on an exhibition in amuseum or gallery.


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Appendix:

MASTERFILE FORM

SUBJECT

SUMMARY

HYPOTHESIS

STRUCTURE (CLIMAXES)

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-

-

-

-


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SCENE 1:

Character

Setting

Previous events

Action & Goal

Conflict or Surprise

Decission & Struggle

Climax

Resolution


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SOURCE MAP

People Documents

REFERENCES

DIARY


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SIDE-STORIES

News

The making of

History

Track record

Cast of characters

Money

Figures

Facts

Technique

Comparison

Personal experience

Solution

Opinion

Follow up

Visuals

Data

SCENE 2:

Etc