Finding a Story

It's the beginning of the term. It's time to find an idea for an investigative story.

Here's some tips for doing that:

1. Begin with a small idea. Barbara Ehrenreich's bestselling book Nickel and Dimed, which explored the world of minimum wage work, began with a high priced lunch and the notion that it must be tough to live on minimum wage.
2. Follow up on tips and pay attention to gossip. Don't accept problems as a fact of life or old news. If a problem exists, there oughta be a solution to it, and that means a good story.
   
3. Be observant. When you see anything out of whack or that seems wrong, consider that the starting point to an investigation.
4. Scan the news briefs. Often briefs tell you that something happened but they don't explain the why or how. When you look into why or how a problem occurred or is occuring you are investigating the problem.
5. Replicate an investigation done elsewhere. You can find great examples at the Extra!Extra! section of Investigative Reporters & Editors, Inc.