Table Of ContentResearch Skills for Journalists
Research Skills for Journalists is a comprehensive, engaging and highly practical guide to
developing the varied skillset needed for producing well researched, quality journalism across
a range of platforms.
Illustrated with original interviews and case studies, the book guides readers through a clear
understanding of the sources of news, as well as illustrating the skills needed to undertake
successful digital and non-digital research and to conduct interviews for a variety of media.
It examines the skills needed for basic data journalism and presents an in-depth exploration
of the different research skills specific to producing print and online text as well as those for
broadcast and multimedia journalism.
Key research skills explored in the book include:
• developing digital research skills including researching through search engines, message
boards, discussion groups and web forums, social media, apps and using user generated
content;
• working with data, including sourcing, auditing and analysing data, data visualisation and
understanding the importance of accuracy and context;
• essential non-digital research skills including telephone techniques, using libraries and
working with librarians, understanding copyright, working with picture libraries and re-
search services and producing Freedom of Information requests;
• working directly with people to research stories including the power of persuasion,
tracking down great contributors, managing and protecting sources, planning and
managing interviews and interviewing vulnerable people; and
• researching for multimedia production of stories including researching a radio story, podcast
or video story and planning for outside broadcasts.
Research Skills for Journalists also explores specialist research skills needed for working
overseas and investigates new areas, which could be used for journalism research in the future.
The book is illustrated with original contributions by journalists from a variety of
backgrounds including veteran investigative journalist John Pilger, pioneering data journalist
Simon Rogers and The Bureau of Investigative Journalism’s award-winning reporter Abigail
Fielding-Smith. It is an invaluable guide for students and practitioners of journalism to the
skills needed for finding and developing original news stories today.
Vanessa Edwards is a journalist, broadcaster and educator with nearly thirty years’ experience.
She began her career in local independent radio and in regional television before spending
more than a decade as a broadcast journalist at the BBC in London. She spent several years
teaching journalism at Bournemouth University and she now works as a freelance journalist
and consultant.
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Research Skills for Journalists
Vanessa Edwards
First published 2016
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2016 Vanessa Edwards
The right of Vanessa Edwards to be identified as author of this work has been
asserted by her in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright,
Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in
any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter
invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or
retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered
trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent
to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Names: Edwards, Vanessa, 1965–author.
Title: Research skills for journalists / Vanessa Edwards.
Description: Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon : New York, NY : Routledge, 2015.
Identifiers: LCCN 2015032848| ISBN 9780415734271 (hardback) | ISBN
9781408282977 (pbk.) | ISBN 9781315646275 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Journalism –Research. | Online journalism –Research.
Classification: LCC PN4784.R38 E39 2015 | DDC 070.4/3072 –dc23
LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015032848
ISBN: 978-0-415-73427-1 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-408-28297-7 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-64627-5 (ebk)
Typeset in Sabon
by Florence Production Ltd, Stoodleigh, Devon, UK
For Patricia Edwards, who is always an inspiration.
With special thanks for their support to:
Dr Julia Round, who made this book possible, Sharon Mason,
Julia Briginshaw, Helen Creeke, Miriam Darby, Janice Jeffrey,
Miranda Watson, Suzanne Widdup and Georgina Wilson.
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Contents
List of figures x
Acknowledgements xii
1 Introduction 1
The journalist as researcher 1
How important is research? 2
What makes a great researcher? 3
Knowing your audience 4
An ‘angle’, scope and depth 5
The process of research 6
Ethics 6
2 Sources of news 8
Developing contacts and sources 8
Networking and cultivating a patch 13
Primary sources 14
Secondary sources 23
The life cycle of a news story 26
3 Digital research 31
Search engines 32
Searching smart 35
The deep, invisible and Dark Web 36
Message boards, discussion groups and web forums 38
Social media 39
User generated content 48
Approaching sources online 51
Crowdsourcing stories 53
Apps for research 56
Useful web resources 56
Organising information 57
viii Contents
4 Data journalism 62
A brief history 63
What makes a great data-driven story? 64
Sourcing data 64
Freedom of Information Act 66
Auditing data 72
Cleaning data 72
Analysing data 74
Data visualisation 78
The importance of accuracy and context 82
Elections 83
5 Non-digital research 87
Telephone technique 88
SMS and app text messages 88
Letters and notes 89
Making sense of academic journals 89
Using libraries and working with librarians 91
Other libraries 94
Copyright 99
Risk assessments 101
6 People 105
The power of persuasion 106
Tracking down a great contributor 109
Managing and protecting sources 117
Sources and digital security 121
Undercover research 123
Making mistakes 125
7 Interviews 129
Different forms of interview 129
Doorstepping and death knocks 136
Interviewing vulnerable people 139
Planning an interview 141
Writing the questions 143
Managing your interviewee 145
Planning a court case 146
8 Print and digital text 154
Hard news 155
Planning across multiple text formats 158
Contents ix
Features 159
Pitching 162
Specialist journalism 163
Trade publications 173
A word of caution 174
9 Broadcast and multimedia 179
Finding a great multimedia interviewee 180
Using archive material 184
Planning a radio story or podcast 185
Planning a video story 186
Secret recording 192
Researching for live broadcast or streaming 193
Outside broadcasts 195
Producing for multiple platforms 200
Multimedia health and safety 201
10 Working overseas 205
Getting started 206
Freelance funding options 206
Travel, transport and communication 208
Sorting the paperwork 209
Safety 211
Personal security 212
What to take 214
When you arrive 217
Leaving in a hurry 219
Travel journalism 219
11 The future 225
Production innovation 226
Communication developments 227
Wearable technology 228
Drones – the opportunities and ethics 229
Sensor journalism 232
New ways to research and tell stories 235
Journalism bots and who knows what! 237
Funding 238
The future of the researcher 239
Index 243
