Putting it all together

1
Putting it all together
2
Connecting the dots
3
Completing the puzzle
4
Aha! Its a bat
5
Wait a minute
6
The story process

• The idea
• Research
• Questions
• Interviews
• Sorting
• What is the story?
• What will help tell the story?
• Flow
• Fairness
• Accuracy

7
The idea
8
Research
9
Questions decoding (or interviewing the data)
10
Decoding the Transport Canada document

• tc.gc.ca Transport Canada e-mail address
• John Forster Associate Assistant Deputy
  Minister Safety and Security, Transport Canada,
  Safety and Security Group, Tel. [phone]
• CIA U.S. Central Intelligence Agency
• CSIS Canadian Security Intelligence Service
• GMT Greenwich Mean Time
• Time in Greenwich, England, which is used as the
  basis of standard time throughout the world.
• CACO Civil Aviation Contingency Operations
• Role Managing and operating a 24 hour/day
  Aviation Operations Centre including an aviation
  reporting system involving the tracking of
  aviation related incidents, accidents and high
  profile events for the purpose of keeping senior
  managers appraised of operations in the National
  Civil Air Transportation System
• Navcan Nav Canada
• Nav Canada co-ordinates the safe and efficient
  movement of aircraft in Canadian domestic
  airspace and international airspace assigned to
  Canadian control. Through its coast-to-coast
  operations, NAV CANADA provides air traffic
  control, flight information, weather briefings,
  aeronautical information, airport advisory
  services, and electronic aids to navigation.

11
Questions Chronology

• Creating a timeline of events can help patterns
  emerge and assist you in determining what the
  story is

12
Questions careful reading of Public Safety
document
13
The story
14
Questions careful reading of Health Canada
document
15
The story
16
Questions careful reading of Treasury Board
document
17
Questions careful reading of Treasury Board
document
18
The story
19
The story process

• The idea
• Research
• Questions
• Interviews
• Sorting
• What is the story?
• What will help tell the story?
• Flow
• Fairness
• Accuracy

20
Tips for successful enterprise reporting (with
thanks to Les Zaitz of the Oregonian newspaper)

• Keep a tidy desk
• Start files one for story ideas, one for future
  access requests
• Plan ahead projects, datebooking
• Make a daily to-do list
• Make appointments with yourself
• Ask for something every day
• Try for one investigative story every month
• Follow up your own stories
• Pause listen, read, think
• Pace yourself its a marathon, not a sprint