If you’re ready to start building the skills you’ll need to work in investigative journalism, one place to start is a mindset shift, said Alexandra Zayas, ProPublica’s deputy managing editor. Zayas is also the instructor for our virtual October workshop “Will Work For Impact: Fundamentals of Investigative Journalism.”
“I once edited a freelance feature writer who was an attorney by trade, and it clicked for him when he realized he needed to lean more into his legal training to gather evidence, test arguments and build a case,” Zayas said. “Investigations revolve around problems that are leading to preventable harm. News reporting may uncover what happened. But investigative reporting delves into why it happened and who or what is to blame, so that the problem can be fixed. The more great investigations you read and dissect, the more the patterns emerge, allowing you to start spotting and executing these kinds of stories.”
The key, she said, is to see every story as an opportunity.
“When you’re done asking questions about the story at hand, ask your sources, ‘If you controlled an investigative reporter, what would you look into? How is the system broken or harming people?’ I’ve had project reporters manufacture the kinds of opportunities beat reporters get, using a ‘B-level’ idea — something perfectly publishable, but not necessarily exciting — to engage with sources who might sharpen the idea or steer them in a better direction.”
And here’s a little good news for beat reporters anxious to build investigative work into their beats:
“Stories beget stories, so journalists who are always reporting, talking to sources about specifics and becoming experts in their little corners of the world will be exposed to more investigative opportunities than those who are not,” Zayas said. “The act of regularly publishing alone sends a signal to potential sources that you might be the right person for a tip.”
Add ProPublica’s “Gutted: How Deeply Trump Has Cut Federal Health Agencies” to your own list of investigative work to study. It’s reporting that Zayas is proud of.
“The administration refused to say how many workers had been lost, so ProPublica’s reporters turned to an unlikely dataset, an online employee directory, which they had been archiving since before Trump took office,” she said. “The dataset was imperfect, to say the least, but they wrangled it with head-hurting rigor to give the most detailed picture to date of how agencies were being impacted.”
It’s also a perfect example, Zayas said, of how you can use one story to scout for others.
“Annie Waldman, who worked with Brandon Roberts and Pratheek Rebala, spoke with dozens of sources about the cuts, but then turned those conversations toward what she should write next,” she said. “She is working on two great ideas she got out of those calls.”
You can learn more about our five-week investigative workshop here.
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