Chasing the Truth: A Young Journalist's Guide to Investigative Reporting

Dear readers,

Welcome to our book and our partnership. In these pages, we re inviting you on a journey to find the truth, hear from people who had previously been silenced, and hold powerful wrongdoers accountable.

This is also an invitation into investigative journalism.

You re probably already immersed in general news coverage, reporting that accurately describes what s visible in the world around us. Presidential elections. Natural disasters. The deaths of notable public figures. This kind of journalism can connect us with other people s struggles and joys and make all of us witnesses to history. Many school papers include news reporting: on basketball games won or lost, or the appointment of a new principal.

Investigative reporting has a different goal: to uncover what s been hidden, to reveal injustice or other wrongdoing. It isn t about being an activist or advocating for a particular point of view the only agenda is to follow the facts. Because facts are so powerful, this work can spur tremendous change. Over the years, investigative reporters have broken stories that have touched every aspect of our daily lives, spurring social movements, shifts in power, reforms, and greater safety. By investigating a break-in at the Watergate apartment complex in Washington, DC, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein revealed corruption that reached the highest levels of the White House and eventually brought down the Nixon presidency. We are proud that our investigation of harassment and abuse by the powerful Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein fits into this tradition.

As you read this book, we want you to feel included and inspired. Maybe you don t know any reporters or authors or don t recognize many from backgrounds similar to yours. It s possible that you rarely encounter print newspapers in your community. Social media may be the main way that you and your friends get and share information. But young journalists can do investigative reporting as well. If

Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey are investigative reporters at the New York Times. Jodi has focused on the workplace in her reporting, and particularly the treatment of women, covered two presidential campaigns, and is the author of The Obamas. Megan has focused much of her attention on the treatment of women and children, and, in 2014, as a reporter with Reuters News, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting. Jodi and Megan shared numerous honors for breaking the Harvey Weinstein story, including a George Polk Award, and, along with colleagues, the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service. They both live in Brooklyn, NY with their families. You can visit Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey online at SheSaidTheBook.com
 
Ruby Shamir is an author, researcher, and adapter, who has worked on numerous New York Times bestselling and award-winning books. She lives in the Bronx, NY with her husband and three children. You can visit Ruby Shamir online at rubyshamir.com