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10 tips for Investigative Journalism 1: Identify the person Ensure that you have the correct spelling of the

first, middle and last name. Find a date of birth, or at least an age. Use online credit-header services, maintain indices of voter records, drivers' licenses, employment checks, friends, lovers, relatives, or just ask him or her. 2: Locate the person Once you nail down the most permanent domicile for the person, youll be laying the foundation for later steps. Use telephone directories, city directories, voter records, property records, online credit-header services, interview friends, former neighbors, visit the morgue. 3: See what's already been written There is no point in reinventing the wheel. Check your own story archives first. Search online for articles about the person. Then hit every local newspaper site, any Whos Whos that match his or her profession, region or specialty. 4: Check local public records Whether or not the person is from your local area, do a thorough search at your town or city hall, county clerks office and local branches of state and federal offices. Look specifically for business permits, animal licenses, building permits, recorded deeds, trust deeds, reconveyances, notices of sale, powers of attorney, liens, local, state and federal tax, bonds, agreements and other documents, property tax records, unsecured property tax records, local vehicle tax records, renters' tax records, fictitious business (assumed name) filings, birth, marriage and death certificates, consumer affairs licenses, UCC filings, state driving records. 5: Search the courts for lawsuits Use the online services to search the party indices, but eventually you must try to look at the actual case files at the courthouse. Dont miss any level of court - small claims, justice, municipal, metropolitan, district, superior, divorce, state, appeals, U.S. District Court, U.S. Tax Court, naturalization court and most importantly, U.S. Bankruptcy Court.

6: Check for criminal activity Depending upon your own states open records laws, you might be able to check with local police and sheriffs, state police, courts, from justice court all the way up to U.S. District Court. Then check with local, county, state and federal jails and prisons - including the probation department and the parole department. This is a good time to plug in any aliases. 7: Look for employment information Make direct calls to his or her current and past employers. Many times they wont ask who you are if you simply ask for the personnel department and then matter-of-factly say, "employment verification please." If they ask who you are, of course tell the truth. Try to get a copy of the company, corporate or government phone directory for his work establishment. Ask current or former employers for a copy of his or her resume. Ask your subject for it. Check state corporation and federal SEC records for involvement in corporations. Look for the legal owner of his or her car. Is it his employers credit union? The Postal Credit Union, etc.? 8: Verify professional licenses, credentials, degrees and awards If the person is a physician, dentist or any other type of licensed healthcare worker, you must verify the license. If youve asked him or her for their resume, check out every claim. If theres a Whos Who listing for the person, check out every claim. Many such directories dont check. Check high schools and universities for graduation verification. Get copies of theses and dissertations from the Library of Congress. And dont forget to check out any claims of military service, actual combat, injuries and awards for valor. 9: Check out campaign contributions, filings and conflict of interest statements Not just for the current office theyre holding or the most recent election. Check them out as far back as you can. And dont forget to see if they or any other potential interviewees contributed to others campaigns. 10: Look for family members, friends, victims and enemies Along the way, dont forget to talk to people who would know him or her. Dont overlook current or former neighbors, ex-spouses, former lovers, business associates, school mates, teachers, supervisors, even babysitters.

10 Steps to Investigative Reporting 1. Case Identification Information The first item in the report should be information to identify the case. This information should include the case number, name of the investigator, case entry date and the date the case was assigned to an investigator for further investigation. 2. Source of Initial Complaint/Allegation Record information that helps identify the person lodging the initial complaint: the complainants work phone number and extension, email address, employee number, office location (city, region, etc.), department and job title. 3. Details from the Initial Complaint Harassment, discrimination, retaliation, fraud. This section is to identify what type of issue is under investigation. Include as much detail as possible about the initial complaint by addressing the following points: Identify the type of case. Who the alleged victim is- may or may not be the same person as the complainant. How the complaint was received- hotline, face-to-face, web form, etc. Allegation details- what happened, where, when and any other information provided in the initial complaint. 4. Subject (the accused) Information Gather the same information you did for the person lodging the complaint this time, the information is about the person the complaint is against. Include their name and employee number, email address, work phone number and extension, office location (city, region, etc.), department and job title. 5. Purpose (scope) of the Investigation Answer the question what is the investigation trying to prove? Sum up the purpose of the investigation in a couple of sentences. This section must paint a clear picture of the investigation for the person reading the report.

6. Investigators Notes The case notes section should document each of the tasks assigned and action taken throughout the investigation. Include information such as: When the task was assigned. The date the task was completed and how. The name of the person who completed the task. 7. Summaries from Investigation Interviews This section simply lists the following pieces of information about the investigation interviews: Name of the interviewer- also include the names of any other people who sat in on the interview. Name of the person interviewed and their role in the investigationcomplainant, subject, witness, etc. Location of the interview. Interview date. In this section of the report, theres no need to go into detail about the events of the investigation, as the details are included in the following section. 8. Credibility Assessments and Interview Notes This section provides a brief overview of the key points from each investigation interview: Credibility Assessment- Certain factors will determine the credibility of an interviewees statements. We cover the topic of determining credibility in one of our other posts Investigation Interview Questions to Determine Credibility. This section of the report should list any indicators that contribute to the belief that the interviewee is or isnt a credible source of information.

Investigator Notes- Summarize the introduction, incident overview and conclusion of each interview. In the introduction, outline the explanation of the interviewers role in the investigation, the purpose for the interview, efforts to maintain confidentiality and retaliation protections. The incident overview section should include the interviewees description of events related to the incident, whether or not they are aware of any witnesses, where/when the incident occurred and any background information linking the involved parties. Notes to be made about the interview conclusion should include thanking the interviewee, reiteration of confidentiality concepts, review of statements made and interviewee singing of investigator notes. 9. Evidence As simple as it sounds- list the evidence gathered throughout the investigation: Date the evidence was collected. Location of the evidence. Type/format of evidence collected- interview, video, photo, audio tape, e-mail, etc. Name of the person who presented the evidence, as well as their role in the investigation. 10. Recommendations and Next Steps After reviewing the investigation materials, what type of action should be taken? Does evidence support that a violation of workplace policies occurred? Recommendations should remain inline with the consequences included in the companys policies and procedures. As an investigator, submit your own recommendations for administering the consequences and what steps should be taken next. If the subject (the accused) is a repeat offender, include that point in the report, as it is justification for administering tougher penalties to someone who has no previous record of wrongdoing.

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