Work on investigative Journalism projects

I want to do this! What's This?

Documentaries are stories about real life. Your subjects will have their own thoughts so your documentary script needs to be flexible, especially at the beginning of your project. However, in order to focus the content of your filming you will need a shooting script at the beginning and an editing script by the end of your project. Here's how you can write your documentary's script.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

The First Script or Shooting Script

1. 1
   Have your documentary topic completely researched. Before you start shooting, you need to have an idea about what your story will be. As with dramatic films, there needs to be interesting characters, conflicts and plots. Unlike dramatic films, these should occur naturally, without directing the people in your documentary.
   
2. 2
   Write down an outline of what you think your documentary will be about. This outline needs to include the characters, their conflict and how you imagine their conflict will be resolved. Your documentary will change as you begin shooting, so right now all you need is a vague outline.
   
3. 3
   Create a list of questions that you want to ask your characters. These questions will help to develop the characters and investigate their conflict. As you shoot, your characters' answers will provide you the meat of your documentary.
   
4. 4
   Begin shooting, now that your shooting script is done. Make sure you cover all of the questions you had, but be ready to take your documentary in a different direction if a new, better conflict arises. As your conflict changes, keep editing you shooting script.
   

Second Script or Post-Shoot Script

5. 1
   Complete all of your filming, and start your post-shoot script. The purpose of this script is to help you or your editor know exactly what to do to complete the project.
   
6. 2
   Choose the scenes that you shot that best develop your characters, conflicts and plot. Write an outline of the scenes that you intend to use in your final documentary.
   
7. 3
   Write, word-for-word, the script for your documentary. This means that you will write the dialogue of your characters as well as the narrator's dialogue. Remember, your script needs to be complete so that another person who edits your documentary will cut the dialogue just as you envisioned.

Read more: How to Write a Script for a Documentary | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_2098456_write-script-documentary.html#ixzz13lkVMBOX

Shattered Glass, part 2

View movie.

Continue to work on investigative journalism projects.

Investigative journalism is a form of journalism in which reporters deeply investigate a single topic of interest, often involving crime, political corruption, or corporate wrongdoing. An investigative journalist may spend months or years researching and preparing a report. Most investigative journalism is done by newspapers, wire services and freelance journalists. Practitioners sometimes use the terms "watchdog journalism" or "accountability reporting."
As part of an investigation, journalists make use of:

• Analysis of documents, such lawsuits and other legal documents, tax records, government reports, regulatory reports and corporate financial filings.
• Investigation of technical issues, including scrutiny of equipment and its performance
• Research into social and legal issues
• Subscription research sources such as LexisNexis
• Numerous interviews with on-the-record sources as well as, in some instances, interviews with anonymous sources (for example whistleblowers)
• Federal or state Freedom of Information Acts to get documents and data from government agencies.

Professional definitions

Weinberg defined investigative journalism as: Reporting, through one's own initiative and work product, matters of importance to readers, viewers or listeners.^[1] In many cases, the subjects of the reporting wish the matters under scrutiny to remain undisclosed. There are currently university departments for teaching investigative journalism. Conferences are conducted presenting peer reviewed research into investigative journalism.
De Burgh (2000) states that: "An investigative journalist is a man or woman whose profession it is to discover the truth and to identify lapses from it in whatever media may be available. The act of doing this generally is called investigative journalism and is distinct from apparently similar work done by police, lawyers, auditors and regulatory bodies in that it is not limited as to target, not legally founded and closely connected to publicity."^[2]

Notable examples

William Thomas Stead's series of articles in 1885, entitled The Maiden Tribute of Modern Babylon regarding child prostitution in Victorian London, resulting in the Eliza Armstrong case.
Ida Tarbell's history of John D. Rockefeller and the Standard Oil Company
Lincoln Steffens's "Shame of the Cities" series on municipal corruption
Seymour Hersh's stories on the My Lai massacre during the Vietnam War
Woodward and Bernstein's reporting on the Watergate break-in and other Nixon-administration-related crimes
Mark Dowie's Mother Jones magazine investigation of fatal dangers in the Ford Pinto automobile.
Johnny Moore's discovery that Ray Hampton's claim about Thomas Edison's home town was indeed a falsehood.

Shattered Glass/Fact checking

Web site:
www.factchecked.org/

www.kcnn.org/principles/accuracy_and_fact_checking_in_journalism

Shattered Glass:
www.imdb.com/title/tt0323944/

Investigative Journalism project

Go over handout of topics.

Students form working groups.

Select a topic and decide on print or broadcast journalism (video).

Begin doing research for your project and plan what each member of the group will focus on.

Post your project ideas and plans on the web site.

Last call for article #2

Congratulations, Ashley, on being selected for the National Edition!

Work on getting articles to Cassidy. Work on proofreading.

Double check with Ms. Gamzon about grades.
ENTER BENNINGTON CONTEST, HOLLINS, AND BLUE PENCIL ONLINE:

www.bennington.edu/go/news/young-writers-competition

www.hollins.edu/undergrad/english/thorp/thorp.htm

www.thebluepencil.net/the-bishop-prizes/path-to-the-prize/


CREATIVE WRITING MAJORS WRITING RETREAT--Sunday, Nov. 14, Ellison Park

For you and your parents. Guest workshop leader, Wendy Low, Writers and Books

Get registration form. It's free!