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Flight MH17Searching for the Truth
Power Reporting 2015Wits University, Johannesburg
David CrawfordCORRECT!V
MH17
Where is the public interest?
When should we investigate?
When we have something important to say
When the story requires intensive research
Our investigative goalsKnow everythingGet all the files
Know everything
Get all the files
Things to find
Dutch investigation report
Satellite images
Things to find
Photos
Art
Animation

Things to find
A story

Where to look
Be confident
We have the right to interview people and view documents
We don’t beg for access
We force it
German foreign ministry
Projected questions
First find the easy information
Web-based information
Russian social media
Press conferences
First the easy information
Ask your colleagues to suggest sources
Analyse news stories
Bellingcat
Other sources
Commercial registries
How to find secret files?
Collect whole sets of documents
Russian soldiers in social mediaDownload it fast
Russian soldiers in social mediaDownload it fast
Look for absurd sources
CORRECT!V goes to court
sues for documents
Files rarely tell the whole story
Find other sources
Human sources
“Yes people” and “No people“
Lots of people can say „no“
press officers
“Yes people” and “No people“
Only a few people can say „yes“
Rupert Smid
Avoid „no“ people
German Ministry of Defence
Help the „yes“ people
Rupert Smid
Don’t offer protectionJust protect the source if necessary
I meet with an informant. He knows everything about Russian warfare.
How to identify potential sources?
Read your competition
Voluntary sources
NGOs
Unwilling partners
Government officials
Companies
Beware of volunteers
Especially other journalists
How do you gain trust?
Never ask a question
If the answer is easy to find elsewhere
A „No“ is hard to change into a „Yes“
Avoid asking questions that will lead to a „No“
Plan interviews
Plan three meetings with key sources
Plan interviews
How to get there
When to go

East Ukraine is a war zone

Plan interviews
Fill your notebook first
Ask hard questions last

Plan interviews
Ask interview partners to suggest new sources

I demand from sources
Reliable answers to every question
Complete access to documents
Communicate your goals
We have a project
What separates good stories from outstanding stories?
Unwilling sources
We can force sources to talk
So no concessions
We can force sources to talk
Don’t give your source a veto
We can force sources to talk
Lawsuit demanding documentsAmbassador, Christof Weil, in Kiev
Have patience
Interview partners might hide
Wait them out
How reliable is my source?
Check the reliability?
Compare details with documents and info from other sources
Check the reliability?
Is the source willing to answer questions completely
Check the reliability?
Look for new sources
Finally
Factcheck everything
Including your own pet theories