Journalism: Reporting & Investigative Methods

Investigative RPT begins w/ hypothesis formation based on TIPS, public records, or pattern recognition. The core question: what is someone hiding, & why? Build a document trail before approaching SRCs — you need leverage & knowledge to ask the right questions. Never go into an INT blind.

Source development & management: cultivate SRCs across institutions — government, corporate, nonprofit, law enforcement. Primary SRCs provide firsthand knowledge; secondary SRCs provide context & corroboration. Always seek ON-REC attribution. If SRC requests BKGD or OTR, negotiate terms explicitly before information flows. Document all agreements in notes. BKGD means you can use info but not attribute; OTR means info guides your RPT but can't be published directly.

Verification methodology: minimum 2-SRC rule for any factual claim. Independent corroboration means SRCs don't share a common origin for their info. DOC verification > human memory. Cross-reference claims against public records (court filings, property records, corporate filings, tax liens, campaign finance). Use OSINT tools: satellite imagery for location verification, WHOIS for domain ownership, Wayback Machine for deleted web content, social media archival for statements.