An investigative story is a mix of different genres:
News article
Every investigative story contains news - a scoop even - in the form of a disclosure. ‘Making news’ is the ultimate goal. That news is usually summarised in a ‘nut graph’ in the story.
Report
The news is depicted, if possible, through descriptions of dramatic scenes, engaging characters and adventurous locations. We add storytelling techniques to enliven and give impact to the facts.
Comment/analysis
An investigative story, finally, contains an analysis of the facts found and a conclusion/judgement. It is very similar to an argument or a plea. Rhetoric lends credibility and persuasiveness to an investigative story.
This training focuses on the last two skills, storytelling and rhetoric, because journalists already know how to write a news article. We draw on classical thinkers: Aristotle for chronology, Homer for odyssey and Cicero for rhetoric. And we study how the pioneers and followers of New Journalism reconciled literature with journalism.
You will learn to let a story tell the facts, and not the other way around. After this course, you will master key techniques to present complex topics in an engaging and powerful way.
Details
Context
• Text
