We built our investigative team on the principle that our reporters will produce a balanced story list, juggling a mix of quick hit watchdog stories and big projects. We project that our team will generate a total of about 50 stories a year – including major projects. We’re also going to blog relentlessly and that’s a formula that separates us from most investigative reporting teams in the country.
Lots of investigative teams have blogs, but the posts are infrequent. The California Watch team intends to blog multiple times a day – with every reporter on our team contributing. If we do it right, we’ll create a vibrant, dynamic WatchBlog filled with breaking news, updates on our investigative stories, news gems from our notebooks and links to excellent work being done elsewhere. Our second blog called Inside the Newsroom will keep you up to date about the changing media landscape and our role in it.
Some are skeptical of this blogging approach, wondering if its a waste of time for investigative journalists. But we want to give it a serious try. We're attempting to redefine what it means to be an investigative journalist. We’re not just going to work on one or two big stories a year. That way of thinking is hard to justify in today's world. We think the right formula is a multidimensional one – with blogging, quick-hit watchdog stories, and big projects all playing a role. We plan to mix in exclusive Web content, including a growing list of searchable databases, reporting resources and other features that will help brand California Watch as an innovator in the way we go after our stories.
Comments
via Twitter