RESEARCH AND

1
RESEARCH AND PREPARATION PHASE May 2011

• Dragana Obradovic and Anita Rice
• Handouts for this session are
• Example budget (Excel)
• Commissioning brief/form
• Note on research and travel
• Note on communications and reporting

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DEVELOPING THE STORY PROPOSAL (Anita)

• What is the premise of your investigation? What
  is your story hinged upon? I.e. Dollores story
  relies on the fact that employers do breach their
  employees right to privacy, so she needs to back
  that premise up in her story
• If your hypothesis is unclear, your story is on
  shaky ground. What is your story in one sentence?
  What are you trying to prove? 
• Then, assess HOW you will prove the basic premise
  of your story. For example, how will Jelena show
  her reader that rape sentences are lenient in
  Montenegro? Comparable to which other countries?
  Most lenient in Europe? According to whom/which
  organisation? 
• What are the possibilities for your story? Assess
  the minimum and maximum (strongest) story lines.
  Eg the most lenient sentences for rape in Europe,
  or among the most lenient in Europe?
• Decide which countries to visit now
• YOU MAY NEVER HAVE A BETTER CHANCE TO DO THE BEST
  JOURNALISM OF YOUR LIFE
• DONT WASTE IT.

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FINANCES (Dragana)
BE REALISTIC AND DO YOUR RESEARCH THOROUGHLY AND
WELL IN ADVANCE. THAT MEANS NOW! Plan cover
all possibilities and refer to the example budget
weve provided if in doubt   Budget for
accommodation, visas, translation, subsistence,
local fixers, photographers, court transcripts,
local court reports, local communications (SIM
card, calls, internet costs although best to
ensure hotel has internet connection).   Then
add AT LEAST 10 for unexpected costs.   Double
check costs on the internet. Lonely planet guides
are a good source of info. If in doubt, contact
BIRN   Keep all receipts, labelled, ready for you
to submit for reimbursement. Dont leave it to
the end youll be lost.   LAST MINUTE TICKETS
ARE USUALLY MORE EXPENSIVE
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BUDGET YOUR TIME (Dragana)
Good preparation makes all the difference Decide
what you want to achieve, how long that will
take, who you need to speak to, who can help you
and how much it will cost Start by completing a
commissioning brief see the handout We will
begin to complete the commissioning brief in our
individual meetings on Thursday and Friday
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VISAS, ACCREDITATION, FIXERS (Dragana)
Do you need a visa? How long does it take to get?
How much? ASK BIRN IF IN ANY DOUBT Do you need
accreditation, such as a letter from BIRN? Use
local fixers to help with interviews and
logistics AGREE FEE IN ADVANCE Your fellowship
colleagues can probably help you too make sure
you check with them directly or via BIRN
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DO YOUR RESEARCH (Anita)
Proper research will give you focus and help
you target key interviews. If you haven't done
your research it will be obvious when you start
interviewing. You will lose credibility and
interviewees will be less likely to open
up. Ensure you are up to speed with new
developments. Know the background, major players,
who is likely to talk and what has already been
reported. Remember you are looking for a new
angle, new information, that will take the story
forward.
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SOURCES (Anita)
We do the research, so the reader doesnt have
to DO Begin with background reading. Check
out official documents, such as laws,
regulations, court documents, records of an
individual's, organisation's or institution's
dealings, such as correspondence, meeting minutes
or transcripts, internal reports, contracts or
financial records, and original materials on
which other research or reports are based, such
as the first publication of the results of
scientific investigations, surveys, fieldwork or
interviews. Consult government or parliament
documents and records laws and legal acts are
also often accessible on government web
sites. Check websites of NGOs or international
organisations before calling for interviews.
Reports and documents posted online will help
inform your questions.
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SOURCES BEWARE (Anita)
Opinion polls Often those are commissioned by
government or political parties. Check carefully
the background of the organisation that produced
the poll and the methodology used. Ensure you
know the sample size and profile was it
representative? Polls suggest rather than
prove Balance It is important to represent
the interests of different groups, even if minor
and/or unpleasant. Doing so means your article
will be balanced. Stay focused It is easy to
get lost in piles of research material and to
lose your focus. Know when to stop researching
and start interviewing. Whats new? As you
accumulate material, think constantly of your
NEW/FRESH angle. If you're following up a story
that's already had an outing, what do you have to
add? Ensure you are clear on what is unique and
exclusive.
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SECONDARY SOURCES (Anita)
Books, newspaper archives and the internet are
all good secondary sources, but they are not a
replacement for primary sources They must be
attributed and you must be careful of potential
REPEAT LIBEL, just because someone else
published it first doesnt mean you are immune
from prosecution too. Each publication, even by
the same outlet, is a fresh cause of
action Ensure you use appropriate sources for
information. Wikipedia is NOT a source, but its
a good starting point for research
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APPROPRIATE SOURCES (Anita)
European institutions, annual reports, special
reports, material published on the internet,
freedom ofinformation requests, your own
requests (FOI or otherwise) for
information/statistics andcomments/responses
more on this from the EJC Government
departments, NGOs, international organisations
such as the WHO or the UN Wellchosen
interviewees Official documents sales
documents, deal documents, transfers etc Check
websites before calling NGOs and other
organisations for interview you will often
need toquestion them further on statistics/info
they have already published Your stories will
have crossborder elements so make sure you have
sourced statistics and other material from all
countries relevant to your piece
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INTERVIEWS (Anita)
Contact difficult to reach interviews first and
well in advance, do this NOW Fix dates for your
interviews BEFORE you set the dates for your
trips and BEFORE you book yourtickets All
travel must be completed by mid July, so you can
meet the July 31 deadline for some elements
ofyour story Not only that, after midJuly its
the silly season everyones on holiday Plan
other interviews around the hardest to get that
is, fit them around the busiest/least
available See handout Note on research and
travel
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INTERNATIONAL FIRST (Dragana)
Organise all international elements, travel,
interviews, documents, FIRST. Organise this in
advance and send the travel brief to Anita, the
English editor, and me, Dragana, by Friday, May
20, 2011 AFTER this has been submitted, you
should make a list of sources, interviewees etc
in YOUR home country. You must consult the local
BIRN editor on this BEFORE the end of May. You
must wait for approval from BIRN for your travel
and foreign research plans, before booking any
plane tickets etc CAUTION Check the spelling of
names and places, and research relevant
historical facts before arrival. Use a trusted
translator or local source, BIRN staff or one of
our fellows from the country See handout Note
on communications and reporting
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GOING UNDERCOVER (Anita)
There may be times when you wish to conceal your
identity as a journalist in order to gain a
different perspective on the story. Undercover
journalism can be a force for social change,
uncovering a problem that would never have been
brought to light by any other means. But by
sacrificing transparency and honesty you could
leave yourself open to criticism about your
methods or even your conclusions. When deciding
whether to go undercover, to obtain information
through deceptive means, you should ask yourself
various questions. Is the information you will
obtain strongly linked to a broader social
purpose and is it of vital public interest? Does
the public value of this information outweigh the
deception and potential violations of privacy?
Could you obtain this information through
straightforward means, and have you exhausted
all other ways of getting this information? Alway
s inform your editor in advance who you will be
meeting, when, where and when you will be back.
Agree a time by when you will check in, and then
make sure you do
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FOCUS (Anita)
It is easy to get lost in piles of research.
REMEMBER, youre not writing an academic
thesis, youre writing a 2,500 word (MAX)
story Stay focused, keep your story angle in
mind and dont get lost in your material. KNOW
WHEN TO QUIT RESEARCHING AND START INTERVIEWING
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CHANGING DIRECTION (Anita)
It may emerge after several interviews that your
original premise doesn't stand up. If this
happens, don't be afraid to adjust your focus,
even change the idea completely, rather than
struggle to make the original angle work. If
this happens notify your editor.
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AT THE END OF THE RESEARCH PHASE (Anita)
Ideally, youll start travelling in early June.
By the end of the research stage, thats the
end of May/early June, you must know the
following The background Key players and
people who will talk What has already been
reported Key statistics, factual information
For example, Ahmed will have sourced statistics
on youth reoffending rates, year on year, in
Bosnia. If not available, who should be compiling
them, and why havent they been compiled.
Differences between regions, influence of
competing penal codes all backed up by stats.
Is there room for using survey or even conducting
one with juvenile offender professionals for
example?