Investigative Journalism

Investigative journalism is a form of journalism in which reporters deeply investigate a single topic of interest, often involving crime, political corruption, or corporate wrongdoing. An investigative journalist may spend months or years researching and preparing a report. Investigative journalism is a primary source of information. Most investigative journalism is done by newspapers, wire services and freelance journalists. Practitioners sometimes use the terms "watchdog journalism" or "accountability reporting."

An investigative reporter may make use of one or more of these tools, among others, on a single story:

• Analysis of documents, such as lawsuits and other legal documents, tax records, government reports, regulatory reports and corporate financial filings.
• Databases of public records.
• Investigation of technical issues, including scrutiny of government and business practices and their effects
• Research into social and legal issues
• Subscription research sources such as LexisNexis
• Numerous interviews with on-the-record sources as well as, in some instances, interviews with anonymous sources (for example whistleblowers)
• Federal or state Freedom of Information Acts to get documents and data from government agencies.