Following a lead is a critical skill for any journalist. It starts with recognising the potential in a tip, a rumour, or an unusual piece of information. The process is investigative and methodical, requiring a mix of intuition, persistence, and strategic thinking.
Evaluate the lead: Begin by assessing the source’s credibility and whether the information they share is reliable and unbiased. It’s common for people to use the media to push their interests and agenda, so verification is crucial at this point, and it’s also important that you go the extra mile at this point to ensure the integrity of your work is not questioned. Cross-reference information with multiple sources to determine its legitimacy.
Gather background information: Do extensive background research on the topic and your source, and follow the trail of the source and where they got their information from. It’s also important that you understand the broader context of the story you’re chasing; this means reading earlier stories on the topic, who wrote it and what the response was. Try to find out who the key role players are and what they are doing. Background research helps you to ask informed questions and spot gaps as you investigate further.
Develop a plan: Brainstorm ideas and how you plan to work on the story; so think about who you will reach out to first and what information you need from them to help you carry your story forward. You may also want to research where to meet the right people and get the relevant documents and information. Create a timeline and prioritise tasks to keep your investigation organised, focused and feasible. You don’t want to go beyond your resources for a story that may not exist.
Conduct interviews: Once you have taken your first step and spoken with your first source, they may be able to lead you to other people who would be willing to speak on the record to add more value to your story. Try to stick to your initial angle and follow the trails, and if you find something that might divert you, assess whether it would add value to your story. Prepare your questions in advance but remain adaptable during interviews.
Verify information: This is the first and most important step in journalism: verify your information — all the information you get. Cross-check facts with independent sources, use public records and consult experts to ensure the veracity of the information. Verification ensures the story’s integrity and shields against potential legal issues.
Do this more than once if you need to, or whenever a new piece of valuable information emerges. As a journalist, whose work stays on public record and must earn the public’s trust, you rather be super safe than very sorry when working on an investigation or following a juicy trail of information.
Content Writer