Investigative journalists need to learn how to interrogate official documents in order to find essential facts and then inform the audience.
This lesson plan is based on the article ‘How to investigate official documents’ which we recommend trainers read before adapting the material below for your own purposes.
Introduction
Investigating official documents is a cornerstone of investigative journalism. This day-long lesson is designed to equip media professionals with the skills to identify, obtain, and scrutinise documents that might contain public-interest stories. Participants will learn how to look beyond the surface of reports, budgets, and public records to uncover corruption, mismanagement, or hidden truths.
Sessions Timetable
09:00–10:00 – Session 1: Identifying the paper trail
Aims: To understand what constitutes an official document and identify where public-interest stories are often hidden.
Presentation: Define official documents (budgets, court records, contracts, audit reports). Explain the concept of the paper trail and why documents are more reliable than human memory or opinion.
Activity: Brainstorming session. In groups, participants list five different public institutions (e.g., local council, hospital, police) and identify three types of documents each might produce that could contain a story.
Discussion: Why do officials often prefer off-the-record chats to providing documents? What are the risks of relying solely on oral testimony?
10:00–11:00 – Session 2: Accessing the information
Aims: To learn the methods for obtaining documents through legal requests and informal networking.
Presentation: Outline the Freedom of Information (FOI) process. Discuss the importance of knowing the law, identifying the custodian of the records, and the ethics of leaked documents.
Activity: Drafting a request. Participants practice writing a formal request for a specific document, ensuring the language is precise enough to avoid being rejected for vagueness.
Discussion: The ethics of leaks. If a whistleblower provides a document, what steps must a journalist take to verify its authenticity before publishing?
11:00–11:15 – Break
11:15–12:45 – Session 3: Reading between the lines
Aims: To develop analytical skills to spot inconsistencies and red flags in official texts.
Presentation: How to read a document: Look for what is missing, check the footnotes, compare different versions of the same report, and verify the signatures/dates.
Activity: The red flag hunt. The trainer provides a sample redacted or complex audit report. Trainees must find three points of interest or potential leads within the text.
Discussion: How do officials use jargon or complex formatting to hide controversial information?
12:45–13:45 – Lunch
13:45–15:00 – Session 4: Following the money
Aims: To gain basic skills in investigating financial documents and public procurement.
Presentation: Focus on budgets and contracts. Explain how to track public spending, identify overpricing, and spot ghost projects or shell companies.
Activity: Budget comparison. Compare a projected budget from a previous year with the actual expenditure report to identify discrepancies.
Discussion: Why is financial literacy essential for a modern investigative journalist?
15:00–15:15 – Break
15:15–16:15 – Session 5: Verifying the evidence
Aims: To ensure that documents are authentic and the information within them is accurately interpreted.
Presentation: Cross-referencing techniques. Using secondary sources to confirm the contents of a document. The importance of giving the subjects of the investigation a right of reply.
Activity: The verification challenge. Groups are given a leaked document and must come up with a plan of three external sources they would use to verify its contents.
Discussion: What are the legal consequences of publishing a story based on a forged document?
16:15–17:00 – Session 6: Writing the investigative story
Aims: To learn how to turn dry data and document extracts into a compelling, human-interest news story.
Presentation: Structuring the narrative. Don’t lead with the document; lead with the impact on people. Use the document as the proof that supports the human story.
Activity: Headline and Lead. Trainees write a headline and a 50-word opening paragraph for a story based on the leads found in Session 3.
Discussion: How do we make boring documents interesting to a general audience?
Assignment
Participants are to identify a local public project (e.g., a new road, a school renovation) and outline a plan to investigate its funding. The plan must include:
- >Which specific documents they will seek.
- >The method they will use to obtain them (FOI or otherwise).
- >A list of three questions they want the documents to answer.
Materials needed
- >Handouts of the MHM article: How to investigate official documents.
- >Sample official documents (audits, budgets, or contracts—preferably some with redactions).
- >Notebooks and pens.
- >Laptops or tablets with internet access for FOI research.
- >Projector for presentations.
Assessment
- >Participation: Engagement in group brainstorming and discussions.
- >Drafting quality: The precision and legal soundness of the FOI request drafted in Session 2.
- >Analytical skills: The ability to identify inconsistencies in the sample documents provided in Session 3.
- >Final qssignment: The feasibility and depth of the investigative plan.
Summary
This lesson plan provides a structured approach to one of the most vital skills in journalism: the ability to find and analyse official documents. By following this day-long guide, trainers can help journalists move beyond hearsay and produce evidence-based reporting. For the full background and further reading, refer to the original article below.
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