Story- Based inquiry for investigative journalists

OVERVIEW
The seminar Story-Based Inquiry for Investigative Journalists aims to impart the basic concepts and techniques of
story-based inquiry, an integrated method for investigative reporting. Participants will learn how to define, conceive,
plan and execute an investigative story. Key techniques include:
• defining a hypothesis for investigation and verification;
• mapping human and documentary sources;
• creating and developing a scenario in a a chronology;
• transforming research into a masterfile;
• transforming the masterfile into a narrative;
• creating a support community for the launch;
• maximising return on the investment.
PROGRAMME:

DAY I: FOUNDATIONS
09.00 – 17.00 Introduction : Why investigate?
Overview : What is IJ ? Choosing the story
Basics of SBI
Group work: Making hypotheses/Open Source Maps
Beginning the masterfile
Chronology and Scenario
Exercise: Chronology in student proposals
Human sources
Example of a genre: Business Investigation

DAY II: EXECUTION AND DEVELOPMENT
09.00 – 17.00 Writing
The Launch and beyond
Changing landscape of investigation: non profits, partners and markets.

FACULTY
Mark Lee Hunter is an IRE award-winning investigative reporter and scholar. He is
the principal author and editor of Story-Based Inquiry: A Manual for Investigative
Reporters (UNESCO 2009), the most widely-adopted method in the history of the
profession. He is the author of five other books and hundreds of articles, which
have been published in magazines and newspapers from The New York Times to the
Harvard Business Review.
Mark Lee Hunter has been called "one of the best investigative media trainers in the world", and has also taught at
INSEAD, the Rotterdam School of Management, and the Université de Paris/Panthéon-Assas. He was among the
founding members of the Global Investigative Journalism Network, and serves on its central Committee.

PEDAGOGICAL FRAMEWORK & READING
The pedagogical framework is based on the Action Learning and Experiential Learning methods that adopt a highly
interactive approach. The Action Learning method ensures participants’ learning by doing; and the Experiential
Learning method envisages peer learning; participants share their subjective former, existing and new experiences.
This highly interactive atmosphere stimulates team spirit, enriches co-operative working skills and allows for the
integration of real personal and business challenges into the workshop.
Participants should download the manual, Story-Based Inquiry by Mark Lee Hunter et al. (UNESCO 2009) and
familiarise themselves with its contents. The manual can be downloaded free in English and Russian at
http://markleehunter.free.fr. Participants may also download The Global Casebook, an anthology of investigative
stories that will serve as examples in class, from the same URL.

APPLICATION AND SCHOLARSHIPS
The workshop is open to professionally active journalists.
The workshop fee is EUR 1500 Euro + VAT. Journalists can apply for a scholarship to cover the workshop fee.
Scholarships are awarded based on merit.
To apply for a scholarship, candidates should fill in the Application for the Scholarship form and submit it by March
1, 2012.
To register for paid participation, you are welcome to fill in the Registration form and submit it by March 1, 2012.

PROGRAMME LOCATION

The Stockholm School of Economics in Riga, Strelnieku iela 4a, Riga, LV 1010.
PROGRAMME ORGANISER
In the spring of 2009, SSE Riga received a donation form the Swedish foundation "Anne-Marie and Gustaf Anders
Stiftelse för Mediaforskning". Part of the donation is to be used for activities contributing to the development of
journalism in the Baltic countries. These activities are undertaken within the framework of the SSE Riga Centre for
Media Studies whose activities focus on:
· Educational programmes targeting active journalists, focusing primarily on investigative reporting, business
reporting and journalistic ethics;
· Activities encouraging the exchange of experiences among journalists active in the Baltic countries as well as
between journalists in the Baltic and Nordic countries;
· Research activities related to media.
CONTACT INFORMATION

Anda Kļaviņa
Executive Education Programme Manager
Stockholm School of Economics in Riga (SSE Riga)