Story-Based Inquiry

Story-Based Inquiry is a practical method for plotting, organising and presenting investigative stories in a targeted and compelling manner.

Rather than working from a random collection of facts, you start with a testable hypothesis, a scenario of what might have happened, and a plan to systematically gather evidence to support it.

Target audience

This training is aimed at journalists, investigators, podcast- and documentary-makers, communications specialists and NGO staff who are working on in-depth investigations, either independently or as part of a team.

The approach is suitable for beginners seeking guidance on their first major investigation, as well as for experienced professionals who wish to make their working methods more focused, clearer and more efficient. The method can be applied to articles, reports, documentaries and other journalistic productions.

What you will learn

You’ll learn to structure an investigative process from initial suspicion to a publishable story. In doing so, you will work through five interlinked steps:

• Formulating a hypothesis: what do you think is going on, what do you want to uncover, and what is the minimum required to tell a story?
• Building a timeline: if the hypothesis is correct, what other events, actors and consequences need to be demonstrably established?
• Compiling a source map: which documents, data sources, observations, experts, witnesses, victims and other stakeholders can substantiate each part of the scenario?
• Setting up a master file: organising sources, facts, quotations, observations and open questions in such a way that evidence and sources always remain linked.
• Writing the story: transforming the material into a clear, meticulous and compelling narrative, with attention to argumentation, reliability, rhythm, detail and impact.

You will also learn to assess an investigation in advance for journalistic significance, feasibility, risks and benefits: for the public, the editorial team and your own development as an investigator.

Structure

The course consists of four modules in which you work step by step on your own investigative idea. Together, the first modules result in a concrete research plan: a hypothesis, timeline and source map. You will then learn how to document the material you have found in a searchable, usable master file and how to use that foundation to write the final story.

The method explicitly links research and writing. As a result, writing is not a final stage carried out under time pressure, but a way of discovering connections, identifying gaps and testing your line of argument during the research process.

Teaching method

The training combines concise explanations with practical exercises, analysis of examples and targeted application to participants’ own work. Participants formulate and test a hypothesis, build a timeline, map out stakeholders and documents, and draw up an initial outline for their master file.

There is scope to discuss research questions, choices and obstacles arising from ongoing projects. The approach is hands-on: you’ll leave with tools that you can use straight away in your own research.

Duration

Four sessions. The exact duration, schedule and format — for example, in-company, online or on-site — can be tailored to the organisation and the time available.

Outcome

By the end of the course, you’ll have a concrete and more manageable research plan for your own topic. You will know exactly what you want to demonstrate, which events and actors you need to investigate, which sources take priority, how to record evidence, quotations and observations securely and in a structured manner, and how to make the transition from gathering material to crafting a factually robust and compelling narrative.

In this way, you increase the likelihood that a good idea will not get bogged down in scattered notes, documents and interviews, but will result in a verifiable publication with journalistic impact.

Background

Since its first publication by UNESCO in 2009, thousands of journalists and researchers from NGOs have successfully applied the method. Story-Based Inquiry is based on doctoral-level research, a cumulative century of journalistic experience and practical testing with tens of thousands of students and professionals worldwide. It is described by lecturers in the field as a ‘benchmark’ and an ‘enrichment’.

Luuk Sengers, together with Mark Lee Hunter, is one of the method’s creators. They have continually improved the approach and refined their training programmes at conferences and leading academic institutions across five continents. They have influenced the careers of journalists (from beginners to best-selling authors), activists and academics, as the testimonials below demonstrate

Feedback from participants

“I’m a big fan of […] Story-Based Inquiry. It’s become, practically speaking, the Bible for investigative reporting, and an invaluable resource for editors and reporters alike.” (Diana Jean Schemo, Executive Editor of 100Reporters)

“I started off as a deep sceptic and I am now a profound convert. In one hour you guys changed my life” (Katherine Eban, best-selling author of Bottle of lies. The Inside Story of the Generic Drug Boom)

“The method is brilliantly intelligent and useably simple. It has completely revolutionised the way I work” (Brendan Montague, Request Initiative)

“This was the most useful course I have ever attended. Clear, hands-on, and superbly delivered.” (Feedback CIJ Webinar 2021)