Tony Collins Talks Investigative Journalism

I’m at our second Elevenses event at RBI. [Tony Collins](http://www.computerweekly.com/blogs/tony_collins/) is talking about investigative journalism. Some key points to follow:- You have to build trust with contacts – and that can mean not running stories instially to build the relationship - It’s not a 9 to 5 job – contacts will often need to talk to you out of hours – and beware phone records that can expose your relationship - Keep close to the subs working on your story – don’t let them rewrite in a way that removes vital nuances. - Don’t overstate the case – and beware of coming over as the journalist stereotypes, as that can undermine your credibility in readers’ eyes - His blog is invaluable – the number of tip-offs he gets as a result exceeds his ability to cope with them - Forums can be an invaluable source of stories or information from them – and you can ask for information - Don’t be a repositary for secrets – we’re paid to write not to know things. Persuade them  – work with them – to get their permission to publish

Only a taster of course. I’m not giving away everything Tony had to say. 🙂