Whether it’s a four-person crew at the Southeast Missourian or the slightly larger staff of the Los Angeles Times, the resources and time necessary to produce quality investigative journalism are always stretched relatively thin.
The payoff from remaining determined to pursue the story you know is there, however, is well worth the effort involved, as Antelope Valley Press sports editor Toby Carrig and L.A. Times investigative reporter
Lance Pugmire pointed out at this month’s APSE West Region meeting in Los Angeles.
The former was tracking down vague allegations of impropriety surrounding the new coach of the small women’s basketball program at SE Missouri State. The latter was looking into allegations that players at one of the most monolithic football programs in the nation, USC, were maintaining eligibility with the help of an “Easy-A” Spanish class at nearby L.A. Trade Tech.
Both got what they wanted by putting in more work than simply making a few phone calls.
Carrig noted that the ball got rolling on the SEMS coach story two years before an official investigation began – simply by taking note that said coach had been under the microscope at two previous stops.
The Southeast Missourian was ultimately successful in getting the story, Carrig said, due to the relationships reporters forged with those tangential to the story. Those who were initially reluctant to speak ultimately helped provide key information because of the trust they had in the reporters.
Pugmire echoed Carrig’s point about utilizing the people involved – he tracked down the Spanish professor, who went on the record saying she gave A’s to anyone who attended regularly and didn’t cause trouble – and bluntly stated: “A whistleblower can be cultivated.”
Humanizing and getting to know the person whose job it is to provide documents from public information requests can perhaps result in additional tips coming a reporter’s way.
And that’s something that the Southeast Missourian and the Los Angeles Times – and every newspaper in between – can appreciate.
