a guide to investigative journalism

AGuideto INVESTIGATIVEJOURNALISM withaFocusonAccountability andTransparencyinAfghanistan Compiledby:WaliZahid,withZafarullahJan Publisher SabaMediaOrganisation Kabul,Afghanistan 2009

AGuidetoInvestigativeJournalismwithaFocusonAccountabilityandTransparencyinAfghanistan

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PublishedbySabaMediaOrganisation,Kabul2009 Copyright2009SkillCity/InstituteofMedia&CommunicationsPakistan &SabaMediaOrganisationAfghanistan Allrightsreserved TheSkillCity,InstituteofMedia&CommunicationsPakistan&SabaMediaOrganisation haveassertedtheirrightundertheCopyright,DesignsandPatentsActtobeidentifiedas theproducersofthiswork. ThisGuideissoldsubjecttotheconditionthatitshallnot,bywayoftradeorotherwise,be lent,resold,hiredoutorotherwisecirculatedwithoutthepublisherspriorconsentinany formofbindingorcover,electronicorprint,otherthanthatinwhichitispublishedand withoutasimilarconditionincludingthisconditionbeingimposedonthesubsequent purchaser. Compiledby:WaliZahid,withZafarullahJan Titlephotoby:WaliZahid

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Preface OK,soyouwanttobeaninvestigativejournalistinAfghanistantopromoteaccountability andtransparency?Thisisgoodnewsandwewelcomeyourbraveendeavour. However,pauseforamomentandreflect:haveyouthoughtwhatittakestobean investigativereporterintheveryverychallengingAfghancontext?Youknowthatyouare doinganinvaluableservicetothesocietybyexposingcorruptionbyindividualsand organisationsandthusworkingtowardsmoreaccountabilityandtransparency.However,do youalsoknowthatthereareriskstoyourlifeaswell?Fromwarlords,druglords,politicians, politicalopponentsormaybeevenpublicofficials.Bewarnedthatthispathislitteredwith allsortsofrisks.WehaveincludedareportaboutthreatstoAfghanjournalistsinthe appendicesaswellas2008ReportbyCommitteetoProtectJournalists(CPJ)USA,soyou haveachancetoknowexactlywhereyouareheading. ThisGuide,compiledwiththemostupdatedsourcesatthetimeofgoingtopressinearly 2009,willtakeyoustepbysteptowardsbecominganeffectiveinvestigativejournalist, gainingandpracticingthenecessaryskillsandthusgainingtheselfconfidencerequiredto doajobthatisbotheffectiveandfulfillingforyou. Wellshowyoueachstepwiththehelpofexamplesofgoodreportingbothfrom Afghanistan,countriesintheregionaswellasinternationalexampleswhichturnedaround situationsandremovedpowerfulpeoplefromthepublicsceneaftertheycrossedtheline. ThisGuidehasbeendividedintosixparts: 1. Accountability,transparencyandresearchmethods:thebasics 2. Investigativejournalism:theoryandpractice 3. Journalismethics 4. Freedomofexpression 5. Accesstoinformation 6. Mediaselfregulation:conceptandpractice ThisGuidecanbeusedeitherasastandaloneselfaccessguideorasapartofatraining workshopforworkingandbuddingjournalists.AskSabaMediaOrganisationKabulifa trainingopportunityexistsinthenearfuture. Happyinvestigativejournalism!Staysafe!2009SkillCity/IMC&SabaMediaOrganisation 3


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TheGuideobjectives ThisGuideisdesignedfor: ProfessionalnewsandfeaturereportersworkinginthecapitalKabulandtheprovincesand prospectivejournalistsinAfghanistanworkingforanymediaprint,radio,TV,digital,web 2.0,citizenmedia. TheGuideaims: Aftertheendofselfaccessstudy,youwillbeableto: 1. UnderstandthemeaningofaccountabilityandtransparencyintheAfghancontext 2. Developabasicunderstandingofsocialresearchmethodsandhowthesecanbeused 3. Knowwhatinvestigativejournalismisandhowitcanbelearntandpracticed 4. Gainfourspecificskillsthatarerequiredtopracticeinvestigativejournalisminavery challengingAfghanenvironment 5. DevelopanduseajournalismcodeofethicalpracticesinyourdutiesbasedonAfghan culturesandIslamicvalues 6. UnderstandhowfreedomtoexpressviewsmayworkforAfghancitizensandvoluntary groups 7. Makesomeindividualandgroupprogresstowardsfreedomofaccesstoinformationin theAfghansocietyandknowwhatobstructionsexist 8. Findouthowmediaselfregulationmaywork 9. Investigateandproduceatleasttwoorthreepublishablepiecesonareasof accountabilityandtransparency TheGuidereliesonseveralinternetbasedsourcesincludingWikipedia,PoynterInstitute USA,CommonwealthPressUnionLondonandsimilarworkproducedelsewhereinthe trainingworkshops.TheauthorsareindebtedtotheInternationalCentreforForeign Journalists,WashingtonDC(withwhosefellowswehaveworkedinthepast)forallowingus tousepartsfromtheir2008DigitalGuideforTrackingCorruption.


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YoursamplelearningplanGiveyourselfamonthtolearn,practiceandmastertheseskills.Yourproposedlearningplan maylooklikethis: Weeks Aimtocover... Week1 WhatisaccountabilityandtransparencyintheAfghancontext Howresearchmethodswork Investigativejournalism:Whatitis,howitworksandskillsrequired Assignyourselfataskononenarrowareaofyourchoiceonthethemesof accountabilityandtransparencyyouresearch,investigateandspeakto yoursources Youproducefirstdraftinyourchosenlanguageandchosenmediaand receivefeedbackfromateacherorasenioryoureworkonyourdraftsin thelightoffeedbackyoureceived Week2 Youchooseyoursecondareaofchoicetoworkonthethemesof accountabilityandtransparency Youproducefirstdraftinyourchosenlanguageandchosenmediaand receivefeedbackyoureworkonyourdraftsinthelightoffeedback Weexpectthatsomereaderswillbeabletoworkontheirthirdtopic becauseofthemotivationandskillstheywouldgainfromreadingthis Guideandthefulfillingnatureofthiscourageousprofession. Week3 Journalismethics Freedomofexpression FreedomofaccesstoinformationinAfghansociety Week4 Mediaselfregulation Developingaworkablecodeofpractices Yousendyourshortlistedfinal,publishablepiecesoninvestigative journalismtoyourchosenmedia


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Foreword Whyinvestigativejournalismforaccountabilityandtransparency? AccordingtoTransparencyInternationalsAnnualReportpublishedin2008,Afghanistanis worlds8thhighlycorruptcountry.AfghanistansCorruptionPerceptionIndexisat172out of180countries. ThisratingputstheburdenofcleaningupthemessonAfghanmediaandjournalists.Thisis wheretheinvestigativereportingcomes.AndastheHandbookforAfghanJournalists preparedbyInstituteforWar&PeaceReporting(IWPR)states: InAfghanistan,therehasneverbeenamoreimportanttimetobeajournalist.Forthefirst timeinageneration,journalistshavethechancetoreportfreelyonwhatishappeningin theircountry. However,theGuideauthorsfeelingafterspeakingtovariousjournalistsisthatthisfree reporting,particularlyinvestigatingreporting,mighttakesometimetooccurasformany decades,theyhavebeenconditionedtoauthoritarianatworst,andselfcensorship,atbest. TheCommunists,MujahideenandTalibanregimeshavelongmadethemsubmittonot attemptingtoreportanywrongdoingbythoseinpower.Thisisthebadnews! ThegoodnewshoweveristhatUNDPinitiativeslikethisonemayencouragemany journalistsinAfghanistantocomeoutoftheirfearzonesandservethecountryasitisbeing rebuilt,andactasawatchdogagainstwrongdoing.Thehighcorruptionratingof Afghanistanputsjournaliststocomeoutoftheircomfortzoneofdaytodayreportingand hithardandasthesourceinAllthePresidentsMenmovieonWatergateScandalsays: FollowtheMoney! Beforewediscussinvestigativejournalism,letusknowbrieflywhataccountabilityand transparencymeans,particularlyintheAfghancontext. However,pleasenotethatthisguideisnotonaccountabilityortransparency;itson practicaltipsonundertakingtheinvestigativereporting.Thispartonlyservesasa backgrounderonaccountabilityortransparency. Accordingto2008TransparencyInternationalReport,PreventingCorruptionin HumanitarianAssistance,countrieswhichreceivelargehumanitarianaid,theincidenceof corruptionincreases.Afghanistanisonesuchcase.Thereportsays:2009SkillCity/IMC&SabaMediaOrganisation 6


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ThemassiveaidresponsetotheIndianOceantsunamiofDecember26,2004,generated hugepublicandmediainterestandpushedtheissueofcorruptionhigherontheagendaof thehumanitariancommunity.Agencieshadtoconfrontcorruptionwithintheiroperations andintheoperatingenvironmentaroundtheminalargerandmorepublicwaythanthey hadeverfaced. InasimilarmannerthesexforfoodscandalthatsurfacedinWestAfricainearly2002,and therecentfollowupreportthatreinforcesthesefindingsandthecultureofimpunitythat surroundsthem(Csaky2008)haveforcedagenciestodealwithcorruptionofadifferent sortonenotnecessarilyinvolvingfinancialfraud. OtherrecenthighprofileexamplesofcorruptionincludeinstancesfollowingHurricane KatrinaintheUSAandintheaidresponsestowarsinIraqandAfghanistan,highlightingthe diversityofcontextsandthatcorruptionrisksariseindevelopedaswellasdeveloping countries. Citingvariousreportsandstudiesdonesince2004,LorenzoDelesgues,KevinSavage,Ellen MartinandGulPachaUlfatintheir2007reporttitledCorruptionPerceptionsandRisksin HumanitarianAssistance:anAfghanistanCaseStudyhighlightthisincidenceofwasteand corruptioninthecountry: AccordingtotheWorldBankdirectorinAfghanistan,anestimated35%to40%ofaidis beingwasted(Duparcq,2006).Thespendingimperativewasespeciallyevidentintherunup tothe2004Afghanelections(GAO,2005),andtheneedfortheUSinparticulartopresent Afghanistanasasuccessstory,especiallyinviewoftheongoingconflictinIraq(Nawa, 2006).AnexampleofthiscanbeseenintheconstructionoftheUSAIDfundedKabulto Kandaharhighway,acampaignpromisebyPresidentHamidKarzaibeforethe2004 elections.Theroadwasbuiltinlessthantwoyears,butisalreadydisintegratingduetopoor designandplanning.Seeappendicesforareportonthescamofreconstructionin Afghanistan. AnotherexampleconcernstheUSconstructioncompanyLouisBerger.UnderUSAIDs AcceleratingSuccessinitiative(GAO,2005),thefirmbuiltandrenovated533schoolsand clinicsatacostof$226,000each.AccordingtoDuparq(2006),theAfghangovernment couldhaveachievedthesameresultsatjust$50,000perbuilding.Manyofthesebuildings werelaterdamagedduringthewinterbecauseofdesignflaws(Nawa,2006).


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Part1 Accountability,Transparencyand ResearchMethods:TheBasics


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1.1Whatsaccountability? ThinkTask:Canyoupauseforaminute,andthinkwhatsaccountability,particularlyin Afghanistan? Accountabilityisoftenusedsynonymouslywithsuchconceptsasresponsibility, answerability,enforcement,liabilityandothertermsassociatedwiththeexpectationof accountgiving.Asanaspectofgovernance,ithasbeencentraltodiscussionsrelatedto problemsinboththepublicandprivate(corporation)worlds,accordingtoWikipedia. AccountabilityisdefinedasAisaccountabletoBwhenAisobligedtoinformBaboutAs (pastorfuture)actionsanddecisions,tojustifythem,andtosufferpunishmentinthecase ofeventualmisconduct. InherAssessingtheNationalSolidarityPrograminAfghanistan(2007)YamaTorabidefines accountabilityasaprocessoraprinciplebeyondonescontroltobeheldaccountablefor onesaction. Heremphasis:Thiscancompriseanactorsperformanceonthebasisofaformalcontract, butalsoonesconcernsforreputation(commitmenttolocalpopulations,professionalismor ethicsofwellspendinginIslam)throughinformalnorms. Asthisdefinitionallowsfordiscussionofpoliticalclaimsoveraid,itismorecomprehensive thanthetechnocraticcategorisationthatfocusesontwocomponentsofaccountability: answerability(obligationofpowerholderstojustifytheirdecisionsandactions)and enforceability(theexistenceofmechanismsforpunishingpoorperformanceandnon compliance). Torabisaysthatbothcomponentsrequiretechnicalcapacitieswhichlocal[Afghan] populationsareoftenlacking.Bybroadeningthedefinition,thestudywillalsoassessthe complementaritiesbetweendifferenttypesofaccountability. Inleadershiproles,accountabilityistheacknowledgmentandassumptionofresponsibility foractions,products,decisionsandpoliciesincludingtheadministration,governanceand implementationwithinthescopeoftheroleoremploymentpositionandencompassingthe obligationtoreport,explainandbeanswerableforresultingconsequences. 2009SkillCity/IMC&SabaMediaOrganisation 9


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Typesofaccountability Stone,DwivediandJabbralisteighttypesofaccountability,namely:moral,administrative, political,managerial,market,legal/judicial,constituencyrelationandprofessional.Wewill onlyhighlightthreeofthesetypes,relevanttoyourworkasaninvestigativejournalistin Afghanistan. Politicalaccountability Politicalaccountabilityistheaccountabilityofthegovernment,civilservantsandpoliticians tothepublicandtolegislativebodiessuchasparliament. Constitution,orstatute,canempoweralegislativebodytoholdtheirownmembers,the government,andgovernmentbodiestoaccount.Thiscanbethroughholdinganinternalor independentinquiry.Inquiriesareusuallyheldinresponsetoanallegationofmisconduct orcorruption.Thepowers,proceduresandsanctionsvaryfromcountrytocountry.The legislaturemayhavethepowertoimpeachtheindividual,removethem,orsuspendthem fromofficeforaperiodoftime.Theaccusedpersonmightalsodecidetoresignbeforetrial. Administrativeaccountability Internalrulesandnormsaswellassomeindependentcommissionaremechanismstohold civilservantwithintheadministrationofgovernmentaccountable.Withindepartmentor ministry,firstly,behaviourisboundedbyrulesandregulations;secondly,civilservantsare subordinatesinahierarchyandaccountabletosuperiors.Nonetheless,thereare independentwatchdogunitstoscrutiniseandholddepartmentsaccountable;legitimacy ofthesecommissionsisbuiltupontheirindependence,asitavoidsanyconflictsofinterest. Marketaccountability Undervoicesfordecentralisationandprivatisationofthegovernment,servicesprovidedare nowadaysmorecustomerdrivenandshouldaimtoprovideconvenienceandvarious choicestocitizens.Withthisperspective,therearecomparisonsandcompetitionbetween publicandprivateservicesandthis,ideally,improvesqualityofservice. Outsourcingserviceisonemeanstoadoptmarketaccountability.Governmentcanchoose amongashortlistofcompaniesforoutsourcedservice;withinthecontractingperiod, governmentcanholdthecompanybyrewritingcontractsorbychoosinganothercompany. 2009SkillCity/IMC&SabaMediaOrganisation 10


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Socialimplications Accountabilityconstrainstheextenttowhichelectedrepresentativesandotheroffice holderscanwilfullydeviatefromtheirtheoreticalresponsibilities,thusreducingcorruption. InaBBCdocumentary,theMisrepresentationofthePeopleActwasproposedtomake membersofparliamentintheUKmoreaccountable.

Inrecenttimes Recently,accountabilityhasbecomeanimportanttopicinthediscussionaboutthe legitimacyofinternationalinstitutions.Globaladministrativebodiesareoftencriticisedas havinglargeaccountabilitygaps.Oneparadigmaticproblemarisingintheglobalcontextis thatofinstitutionssuchastheWorldBankandtheInternationalMonetaryFundwhichare foundedandsupportedbywealthynationsandprovideaid,intheformofgrantsandloans, todevelopingnations.Shouldthoseinstitutionsbeaccountabletotheirfoundersand investorsortothepersonsandnationstheyhelp? Accountabilityisbecominganincreasinglyimportantissueforthenonprofitworld.Several NGOssignedtheaccountabilitycharterin2005.IntheHumanitarianfield,initiativessuch astheHAPI(HumanitarianAccountabilityPartnershipInternational)appeared.Individual NGOshavesettheirownaccountabilitysystems(forexample,theALPS,Accountability, LearningandPlanningSystemofActionAid). Morerecently,AfghanistanandIraq,veryhighonTransparencyInternationalsCorruption Index,werethetwocountrieswhichbecameahighlightoftheaccountabilitydrivebydonor communityandtheUNorganisations.


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WhatdoesaccountabilitymeanintheAfghancontext? Afundamentalquestionis:Doesanyonereallywanttoholdpeopleaccountableinacountry likeAfghanistan?FromtheAmericancommercialorganisationswhoareaccusedofwasteof publicmoney,towesternhumanitariandonorswhosemoneydoesnotreachtheintended beneficiaries,toaweakgovernmentinKabulwhichdoesnotwanttooffendanyally,who wouldreallywantaprocessofaccountabilitytoflourish?Andfinally,arejournalistswilling torisktheirlivelihoodandlifetostriveforaccountabilityonlybecauseitstheircountry? However,theflipsideofthispessimismmaymeanthatasaninvestigativejournalist,youtry tomakepeopleandorganisations(bothinpublicsectorandinthenonprofitworld) accountablefortheir: Thismaynotbeabadbargain,willitbe? Actionsandtheirimpactonpeople Policiesanddecisions Conflictofinterest Anywrongdoing Improperuseoftheirmandateandresources


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1.2Whatistransparency? ThinkTask:Canyoupauseforaminute,andthinkwhatstransparency,particularlyin Afghanistan? Transparency,whenusedinasocialcontext,impliesopenness,communicationand accountability. AccordingtoWikipedia,itisametaphoricalextensionofthemeaningatransparentobject isonethatcanbeseenthrough.Transparentproceduresincludeopenmeetings,financial disclosurestatements,thefreedomofinformationlegislation,budgetaryreview,audits,etc. Politics Inpolitics,transparencyisintroducedasameansofholdingpublicofficialsaccountableand fightingcorruption.Whengovernmentmeetingsareopentothepressandthepublic,when budgetsandfinancialstatementsmaybereviewedbyanyone.Whenlaws,rulesand decisionsareopentodiscussion,theyareseenastransparentandthereislessopportunity fortheauthoritiestoabusethesystemintheirowninterest. Ingovernment,politics,ethics,business,management,law,economics,sociology,etc., transparencyistheoppositeofprivacy;anactivityistransparentifallinformationaboutitis openandfreelyavailable.Thuswhencourtsoflawadmitthepublic,whenfluctuatingprices infinancialmarketsarepublishedinnewspapers,thoseprocessesaretransparent. Whenmilitaryauthoritiesclassifytheirplansassecret,transparencyisabsent.Thiscanbe seenaseitherpositiveornegative;positive,becauseitcanincreasenationalsecurity, negative,becauseitcanleadtosecrecy,corruptionandevenamilitarydictatorship. Corporate Corporatetransparency,aformofradicaltransparencyistheconstructofremovingall barrierstoandfacilitatingoffreeandeasypublicaccesstocorporate,politicaland personalinformationandthelaws,rules,socialconnivanceandprocessesthatfacilitateand protectthoseindividualsandcorporationswhofreelyjoin,developandembellishthe process.


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Banking Bankingtransparencyanddisclosureofbankactivitiesaresuggestedtopreventfuture bankingcrises,undergroundbanking,unpublishedaccounts,moneylaundering,taxevasion andotherfraud.Forcingbankstodisclosemoreinformationabouttheirlendingand investmentindeprivedareasissuggestedaspartofthefightagainstfinancialexclusion. Mediatransparency Mediatransparencyistheconceptofdetermininghowandwhyinformationisconveyed throughvariousmeans.Ifthemediaandthepublicknoweverythingthathappensinall authoritiesandcountyadministrationstherewillbealotofquestions,protestsand suggestionscomingfrommediaandthepublic.Peoplewhoareinterestedinacertainissue willtrytoinfluencethedecisions. Transparencycreatesaneverydayparticipationinthepoliticalprocessesbymediaandthe public.OnetoolusedtoincreaseeverydayparticipationinpoliticalprocessesisFreedomof Informationlegislationandrequests(moreonthatinPart5).Moderndemocracybuildson suchparticipationofthepeopleandmedia.Thereare,foranybodywhoisinterested,many waystoinfluencethedecisionsatalllevelsinsociety. Exampleofmediatransparency Whenanorganisation(corporate,government,nonprofit,orother)holdsameetingand theproceedingsareopentothepublicandthepress,andthemeetingispublicisedviaone ormoreofthefollowingmethods,thereislessopportunityfortheorganisationtoabuse thesystemofinformationdeliveryintheirowninterest:

Broadcastoverradio Reviewedontelevision Reportedinnewsprint Journalisedonblogs

Thisassumes,ofcourse,thattheorganisationdoesnotownorotherwiseaffectthemedia conveyingtheinformation.


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WhatdoestransparencymeanintheAfghancontext? Thismaymeanthatasaninvestigativejournalist,youtrytouncoverasmanyoccasionsas possiblewhichareofpublicimportanceandwhichmayhaveconsequencesforpublic througheverypossiblemedia: Howarethepoliciesanddecisionsbeingmadeinthepublicsector Whobenefitsfromthesepolicies Whogetsthegovernmentconstructionandroadcontractswithorwithoutbidding HowareWesterndonorsandINGOscontributingtothegoodorillsofAfghan economyandsocialnorms Istheremoreharmthangood Howshiftingalliancesandloyaltiesinthepoliticschangebadthingstogoodandgoodto bad Etcetc


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1.3Researchmethods Theaimofsectionistogiveyoualittlebackgroundonthemethodsinsocialsciences research.Journalistsmaynotneedtoknowthisareaindetailastheyhavedevisedtheir ownwaystoinvestigateandreportevents.However,abriefdiscussionwonthurt! Thegoaloftheresearchprocessistoproducenewknowledge,whichtakesthreemain forms(althoughtheremaybesomeoverlap):

Exploratoryresearch,whichstructuresandidentifiesnewproblems Constructiveresearch,whichdevelopssolutionstoaproblem Empiricalresearch,whichteststhefeasibilityofasolutionusingempiricalevidence

Researchcanalsofallintotwodistincttypes: 1. Primaryresearch 2. Secondaryresearch

Primaryresearch Primaryresearch(alsocalledfieldresearch)involvesthecollectionofdatathatdoesnot alreadyexist.Thiscanbethroughnumerousforms,includingquestionnairesandtelephone interviewsamongstothers.Thisinformationmaybeusedinsuchthingsasquestionnaires, magazines,andInterviews. Thetermiswidelyusedinmarketresearchandcompetitiveintelligence.However:

itmaybeveryexpensivebecausemanypeopleneedtobeconfronted bythetimetheresearchiscompleteitmaybeoutofdate peoplemayhavetobeemployedoravoidtheirprimarydutiesforthedurationofthe research peoplemaynotreplyifemailsorlettersareused

Secondaryresearch Secondaryresearch(alsoknownasdeskresearch)involvesthesummary,collationand/or synthesisofexistingresearchratherthanprimaryresearch,wheredataiscollectedfrom,for example,researchsubjectsorexperiments. 2009SkillCity/IMC&SabaMediaOrganisation 16


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Thetermiswidelyusedinmarketresearchandinmedicalresearch.Secondaryresearchcan comefromeitherinternalorexternalsources.

Socialresearch Socialresearchreferstoresearchconductedbysocialscientists(primarilywithinsociology andsocialpsychology),butalsowithinotherdisciplinessuchassocialpolicy,human geography,politicalscience,socialanthropologyandeducation.Sociologistsandother socialscientistsstudydiversethings:fromcensusdataonhundredsofthousandsofhuman beings,throughtheindepthanalysisofthelifeofasingleimportantpersontomonitoring whatishappeningonastreettodayorwhatwashappeningafewhundredyearsago. Socialscientistsusemanydifferentmethodsinordertodescribe,exploreandunderstand sociallife. Socialmethodscangenerallybesubdividedintotwobroadcategories. 1. Quantitativemethodsareconcernedwithattemptstoquantifysocialphenomenaand collectandanalysenumericaldataandfocusonthelinksamongasmallernumberof attributesacrossmanycases. 2. Qualitativemethods,ontheotherhand,emphasisepersonalexperiencesand interpretationoverquantification,aremoreconcernedwithunderstandingthemeaning ofsocialphenomenaandfocusonlinksamongalargernumberofattributesacross relativelyfewcases.Whileverydifferentinmanyaspects,bothqualitativeand quantitativeapproachesinvolveasystematicinteractionbetweentheoriesanddata. Commontoolsofquantitativeresearchersincludesurveys,questionnaires,andsecondary analysisofstatisticaldatathathasbeengatheredforotherpurposes(forexample,censuses ortheresultsofsocialattitudessurveys). Commonlyusedqualitativemethodsincludefocusgroups,participantobservationand othertechniques.


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Part2 InvestigativeJournalism: TheoryandPractice


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Whatisinvestigativejournalism? Investigativejournalism(alsocalledinvestigatingreporting)is: Moreoften,investigativejournalisminvolvesinvestigatingwrongdoingbyindividuals, groupsorinstitutions. Thedifferencebetweendaytodayreportingandinvestigatingreporting Whatdoinvestigativereporterslookfor? Whoisresponsibleforthewrongdoing? Howwasitdone? Whataretheconsequences? Thekeydifferenceisthatindaytodayreporting,peoplewanttotellfacts;in investigativereporting,peoplewanttohidefacts Investigativereportsoftentakealongertimetoresearchandwrite Theyrevealnewinformation,notjusttheresultsofsomeoneelsesinvestigation Theyarebasedlargelyondocumentsandextensiveinterviews Notjustdaytodayreporting,butindepth,longtermresearchedreporting Investigativereportsoftentakealongertimetoresearch Theyrevealnewinformation,notjusttheresultsofsomeoneelsesinvestigation Theyarebasedlargelyondocumentsandextensiveinterviewsanduseofpublicand privatedataarchive Followingapapertrail Extensiveinterviewingofvarioussources Corruptionfindingtoolsandmethods(undercoverreporting,hiddencameras, surveillance) Revealinginformationotherswanttokeepsecretorinformationnotknowntothe public Workingtowardstransparencyandaccountabilityofindividualsandgroupsusingpower Beliefinthewatchdogroleofthemediaaswellascatalystforchangeinsociety


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Whatcanbedoneaboutit?

Whyinvestininvestigativereporting? Investigativereportingmakesanimpactby Investigativereportingisaprocesswhichstartswithafirstleadortipandgoesthrough initialinvestigationandforminganinvestigativehypothesis.

Reversingawrongpolicy Causingtheresignation/firingoferringofficials Focusingattentiononpreviouslyneglectedissuesandareas Increasingpublicdebate

Ahypothesisisatheoryorpremisetostartyourinvestigation.

Example:From2004to2009,theheadofAfghanHighwaysreceivedbribesfromroad contractorsintheformofcommissionsrangingfrom20to30percentoftheprojectcost.


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Investigativereportingalsobenefitsthemediaorganisations:UScasestudy Helpssellnewspapersandnewsprogrammesonradio,TVandothermedia,particularly inAfghanistanwheremostmediachannelsareverybasicandarereceivedbysmall populations Widensthescopeofjournalisticfreedomandopensnewavenuesofaccessto information(likeFreedomofInformationAct,yettobeenactedinAfghanistan) Enhancesthecapacityofthemediatoplayawatchdogrole

Arecent(2008)casestudyfromtheUSAhighlightsthispoint: InvestigativeJournalism:NewspapersNewLifeblood NewYork:Someofthecountrystopinvestigativereporterscalledtheirworkvitalto newspaperssuccessinanincreasinglyfragmentedmediamarketplace. WinnersofandfinalistsforHarvardsGoldsmithPrizeforInvestigativeReporting punctuatedtheircommentswithpessimismaboutAmericanpapersgeneralcommitment toindepthreporting. NewYorkTimesreportersJamesRisenandEricLichtblautookthe$25,000awardfor revelationsthatthegovernmenttappedintointernationalphonecallsandemailtraffic withoutcourtwarrants. ApologisingforbeingveryopaqueinhisremarksbecauseoftheJusticeDepartments effortstoidentifywholeakedclassifiedinformationusedinthestoriesRisencalledthe seriesverydefensiblefromanationalsecuritystandpoint.Theonlysecretthatwerevealed isthat(thegovernment)wasavoidingthelaw. HesuggestedthatthestorieshelpedtheTimesovercometwoheadaches:JaysonBlairs sourceinventionsandJudithMillerstestimony,after85daysinjail,relatingtotheleakof theidentityofC.I.A.operativeValeriePlameWilson. Lichtblausaidthatasafamilyownedpaper,theTimesismoreinsulatedfromthe industrysfinancialproblems.Circulationissteadyandwerehiring.


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MikeWilkinson,oneofasixpersonToledo(Ohio)BladeteamthatuncoveredCoingate, deploredthefactthathisroughly150,000circulationpaperhadacommitmentto investigativereportingunmatchedbymanymuchlargerdailies.(TheBlade,ownedbya localfamily,wona2004PulitzerPrizeandwasafinalistfora2000award.)Thepressisthe onlyinstitutiontoplaythewatchdogrole,addedcolleagueJamesDrew. BeforetheBladesseriesuncoveredanationalscandal,whichledtotheconvictionsof OhiosgovernorandothersandpromptedsweepingcampaignreforminOhio,thereporters praisedtheirpublisherscontinuingsupportinfaceofthegovernorschargesofavendetta. HowlongwilltheBladesindepthreportingardourcontinue?Intheseperilousfinancial times,saidWilkinson,maybethreeyearsfromnowwewontbeinthisposition. CopleyNewsServicereportersMarcusSternandJerryKammeralsostressedthepresss watchdogrole.TheirreportingledtoCaliforniaCongressmanRandyCunninghams resignation,andlaterconviction,fortakingbribes. Stern,whoisalsothenewseditorofCopleysWashingtonbureau,saidthat,becauseheand hiscolleaguesreportfromWashington,Wehavealotoffreedomanddonthavetofeed thebeast(ofdailyfilings)somuch.Inhisroleasnewseditor,hesaid,hesfoundthat sometimesreportersgetcaughtupinroutinecoverage,likepressconferences,insteadof focusingonmajorprojects.Alotofpaperscouldbemoreeffectiveiftheyusedtheir resourcesdifferently.Theyreonatreadmill.Theycandoabetterjobiftheyslowdown. EvelynLarrubia,amemberoftheLosAngelesTimesteamthatexposedhowsomeguardians oftheelderlyvictimisedandrobbedtheirclients,hadtosiftthroughthousandsofcasefiles todiscoverhowunscrupulousentrepreneurslootassets. Throughthedrudgery,wekeptourfireinthebelly,(which)remindedusofhowimportant itistospeakforpeoplewhocantspeakforthemselves,shesaid. Larrubiaandhercolleaguessaidtheywereneveraskedtorushstoriesintothepaper.We hadthechancetodoitright,shesaid. Hercolleague,JackLeonard,saidthatalthoughTimesreportershadanenormoussenseof distrustoftheparentcompany(TribuneCo.)becauseofrecentnewsroomcutbacks,the paperhasntstrayedfromitsinvestigativereportingmission. Ifpapersaregoingtosurvive,wemustprovidereaderswiththeseservices,hesaid.


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DanaPriestsWashingtonPostseriesrevealingaC.I.A.networkofsecretprisonsoutsidethe U.S.,presentedherwithanewdilemma:Whatnottopublish.Itsachallengingissuefor ourbusiness.Wehavetothinkaboutthis,whichwerenottrainedtodo.Ihopethatas morereportersunderstandthecrucialroleofintelligence,theywilleducatethemselves (abouttheseissues). WhilePriestnotedsomenewsroomangstovereditorialbudgetcuts,sheandPost colleagueSusanSchmidtstressedthepaperscontinuedcommitmenttoinvestigative reporting. Schmidt,oneofathreepersonteamthatbroketheJackAbramofflobbyingscandal,said thepaperseesindepthreportingasthewaytocompetewithnewmedia.Wecandoit. Bloggerscant.Thatsourfranchise. AndherPostcolleague,JeffreySmith,predictedmoreandmorepaperswillcomearound toinvestigativereporting,asconsumerscangettheirbreakingnewsfromothersources. Ifweconcentrateoninvestigativereporting,wecanmakeadifferenceanddistinguish ourselvesfromeverythingavailableontheWeb.Wereveryslowasaninstitutiontorealise thatwecantjustwritewhathappened.Wehavetotellthemwhattheycantgetinany othermedia. ByBillKirtz,Professor,NortheasternUniversity


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HowinvestigatingreportingmayprovetobechallengingforAfghan journalists?

ThethreatstojournalistinAfghanistanmaybevariedfromdenyingaccesstoinformation tobeingkilledinthelineofduty.Theymaybe: Ridiculed Atthereceivingendofdelayingtacticseventospeaktoaministerforquote Deniedaccesstodocuments Deniedaccesstopublicofficialsandministers Threatenedfordireconsequencesorjobloss(incertaincases,theydolosejob!) Kidnappedforafewdaysorweeks,onsomeoccasionsformonths Attacked Killed Atworst,theirworkmayfallondeafears

UsefultipsforinvestigativereporterinAfghanistan KnowtheAfghangeneral,medialawandcustoms Knowtheconnectionsinthehigherplaceandprocedures Watchyourback! Focusyourresearch Followthemoney Justkeepdigging!


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Practicalskillsrequiredforaninvestigativereporter:Therecap Aninvestigativereporterneedsnewideasonfindingandresearchingfreshstories.He/she needstoknowwheretofindleadsandspottingahiddenstory.Thisskillsetincludes: Writingthestory Notetaking Overcominglegalcomplications(checkingyourstoryforfactsandlibel) Safetyissuessecrecyandsecurityyourpersonalsecurityandthesafetyofyour sources Obtainingdocuments Handlingobstructiveanddifficultpeople,oftenthoseinpower Thehiddenmikeandcamerahowandwhentousethem Researchinghowtoopennewlinesofinquiry


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Tipfromaninvestigativejournalist:Avoidconventionalwisdom anduncoverinvestigativegems TheNewYorkTimesWaltBogdanichin2008toldaroomfullofreportersataconference howhefindshisgreatinvestigativestories:Inthenewspaper. Thekey,hesaid,isreadingthepaperdifferentlythanthecasualmorningreaderreading storieswithaneyeforwhatisleftunsaid.Itispartofacontrarianattitudethathebelieves isessentialtofindinggreatstories. Caseinpoint:BogdanichsPulitzerPrizewinningworkonhowtoxinsfromChinahavemade itontotheglobalmarket.Thesparkforthestorywasanarticlehereadaboutarashof deathsinPanamafromcoldmedicine.Theconventionalwisdom,Bogdanichsaid,wasthat poisonaccidentallymadeitintothemedicine.Hedidntunderstandhowsomethinglike thatcouldbeanaccident. WhatIdoistheoppositeofconventionalwisdom.Youcantthinkthewayeveryoneelse thinks,hesaid. Sohepitchedthestory(althoughatthatpointheknewofnoAmericanconnection)and eventuallylearnedthatitwasntanaccidentitwasanindustry.Itwasthechemical industry,whichhadnobusinesssellingpharmaceuticalingredients,sellingouttheback door,unregulated. Bogdanichstipswereaimedatbusinessjournalistsbutcanbeappliedtoanybeat. Sellingthestory ThehardestpartofBogdanichsstory,hesaid,isnttheinvestigations,butgettingeditorsto givehimthegreenlight. Ifyoudontgetonthedancefloor,thereisnodance,hesaid.Itisaplannedsalesjob.Its notsomethingyoudoonthewaytothemensroomorthecafeteria...Itsan appointment. Headvisedmakingthatappointmentafteryouhavealreadydonesomediggingintothe story.Bringsomedocumentstobolsteryourargument.Dontaskforayearitsbetterto saythestorywilltakeacoupleweeksandkeepgoingthatwayaslongasyoucan. Andthatappointmentisbestmade,headded,afteryouhavealreadyreportedthestories suggestedbytheeditors. BySteveMyers


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Theinvestigativetrailinvolvesfoursteps 1. Thepeopletrail:interviewswithsources,perpetratorsandvictims 2. Thepapertrail:documents 3. Theelectronictrail:theuseofcomputersandtheInternetforresearchand reporting 4. Fieldwork:onsiteinspections (AdaptedfromsimilarworkshopworkproducedinthePhilippines) Explanationabouteachtrailinthefollowingpages.


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1

Peopletrail:aguidetosourcesandinterviews

Whytalktopeople? Example:SeeaChicagoTribunereportofexposingtheIndianAmericanswrongdoingon thenextpage,andtheiruseofsources/peopletrail.

Gatherfacts Getquotes/officialstatements Seekexpertopinion Explaindocuments Confirmwhatyoualreadyknow

Traditionalsourcesofnews

Governmentofficials Businessexecutives Police Military/ISAF Investigativeagencies

Seldomusedsources

Experts Lawyers Nongovernmentalandcommunityorganisations Fellowjournalists Relief,humanitarianandaidagencies,socialworkers Peoplebehindthescene Ordinarypeople,especiallythoseaffectedbygovernmentprogrammesorpolicies

Makesureyoursourcesarecredible,reliableandaccessible.


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Caseinpoint:IndianAmericansinvolvedinIllinoisscandal:Report CHICAGO,13Dec2008:SeveraleminentIndianAmericansarelinkedtothecorruption scandalinvolvingIllinoisGovernorRodBlagojevichsattempttoselltheSenateseatvacated bypresidentelectBarackObama,afrontpageinvestigativereportbyTheChicagoTribune said. BlagojevichwasarrestedbytheFederalBureauofInvestigation(FBI)forallegedly negotiatingwithseveralpoliticianstonominatethemforthesenateseatformonetaryand materialfavour.Hewasletoffona$4,500cashbondbutthescandalhashoggedheadlines intheUS. Obama,whorepresentedIllinoisintheUSSenatebeforebeingelectedpresident,resigned aftertheelections.UnderUSlaws,thestategovernorhastheauthoritytonominatehis replacementfortherestoftheterm. TheChicagoTribunehasnamedseveralIndianAmericansallbasedinChicagoforholding negotiationsonbehalfofUSRepresentativeJesseJacksonJrwithBlagojevichovertheseat Obamavacated. JacksonhasbeennamedasSenateCandidate5intheFBIchargesheetagainsttheIllinois governor. TheIndianAmericansupportersofJackson,thenewspapersaid,promisedtoholda fundraiserfortheIllinoisgovernorforhisreelectionbidandraisemorethan$1millionin lieuofthesenateseat. ThedailyidentifiedonesuchIndianAmericanasRaghuveerNayakorRaghu. HeownsaseriesofsurgerycentresinChicago. Raghu(Nayak)saidheneededtoraiseamillionforRodtomakesureJessegottheseat,a businessmanwhoattendedoneofthemeetingswhererequestsweremadeforthe fundraiserwasquotedassayingbyTheChicagoTribune. Hesaid,Icanraisehalfofit,$500,000.,addedthebusinessman,alsoanIndianAmerican.


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Nayak,whothereportsaidisamajorBlagojevichfundraiser,alsohastieswiththeJackson family. NayakandJesseJacksonJrsbrotherJonathanhaveknowneachotherforalongtimeand evenwentintobusinesstogethersomeyearsago. AmongotherIndianAmericansnamedinthereportarepharmacistHarishBhattand brothersRajinderBediandJatinderBedi. RajinderismanagingdirectorfortheIllinoisDepartmentofCommerceandEconomic OpportunitysOfficeofTradeandInvestment,overseeingnineforeigntradeofficesaround theworld,fromChinatoIsrael.JatinderiseditoroftheChicagobasedethnicIndian newspaper,IndianReporter. Quotingtwounidentifiedbusinessmenwhoattendedthefundraisermeetings,thereport saidNayakandRajinderprivatelytoldmanyofthemorethantwodozenattendeesthatthe fundraisingeffortwasaimedatsupportingJacksonsbidfortheSenate. OnesuchfundraiserwasheldafewdaysbeforethearrestoftheIllinoisgovernor.Itwasco sponsoredbyNayakandattendedbyJonathanJacksonaswellasBlagojevich,accordingto severalpeoplewhowerethere. IftekharShareef,pastpresidentoftheinfluentialFederationofIndianAssociations,who attendedthefundraiser,said:Raghu(Nayak)isalwaystalkingabouthowweneedto appointJessetotheSenate.Theyareveryclose.RaghuisclosetoalltheJacksons.Heeven askedmetowritealettertothegovernorsupportingJesseforthesenate.


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Theartoftheinterview:thesetup

Research:Checknewsclips,read,askaround Plan:Whotointerviewfirst?Wheretointerview?Howtointerview(phone,faceto face,email)? Organise:Minimuminterviewschedule:mostimportantquestions,keywords Innerinterviewing:Warmup,thinkofanicebreaker

Yourinterviewquestions

Openquestions:(Whatdoyouthinkof?) Questionsthatcallforspecificanswers:WHO,WHAT,WHERE,WHEN,HOW,WHY? (5Ws,1H) Questionsthatexpanduponwhatsalreadyknownorsaid(Givemeanexample.Tellme howithappened.) Questionsthatclarify(Whatexactlydoyoumean?Inwhatway?) Questionsthatprobe(Howdoyouknowthat?Whatproofdoyouhave?) Questionsthatdisplayobjectivity(Yourcriticssaythat.Itsbeensaidthat) Questionswithalogicalsequence

Problematicinterviewquestions

Closedquestions,unlessyoureafteracategoricalanswer(Questionsthatcanbe answeredwithyesornoorwithotheronewordanswers) Leadingquestions(Arentyouangryatcriticswhoarequestioningyourintegrity?) Dualisticquestions(Doyouknowwhetherornotyourehealthyenoughtoruninthe elections?) Apologeticquestions(Ihatetoask,butIknowitsoundsstupid,but) Questionswithtwoormoreparts(Howdidthestandingcommitteefindoutaboutthe anomalyandwhatdidthecommitteedowhentheylearnedaboutit?

Befairtosources

Agreeontheinterviewconditionsandcategorieswiththesources:Istheinterview?


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Ontherecord Notforattribution Background Offtherecord Pseudonym

Notetaking

Tapetheinterview(audiooraudiovideo),butalsodobackupnotes Notetaking o Adoptapersonalsystemforhighlightingmostimportantquotes,details o Jotdownpersonalobservationontone,colour,textureofinterview


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Sixdifficultinterviewsituations:gettingyoursourcetotalk 1. Sourceseeksyououtfirstwithatiporleak

Byallmeans,talkthesourcebutaskfordocumentsorothersourcestocheck/prove whatheorsheissaying Investigatenotonlytheissue,butthesource(whatshis/hermotive?) Ifheorshesawhistleblower,beclearthatyoucantofferhim/herprotection Ifheorshesgoingontherecord,gethim/hertosignapaper(justincaseheorshe decidestowithdrawinthefuture)

2. Sourcekeepsrefusingtomeetyou

Findoutwhyheorsherefusestotalk Exploreallpossibilities(phone,email,fax,letter).Addclipstoyourlettertoconvincethe subject Gothroughanintermediary(sons,relatives,friends,colleagues) Getathirdpartytoassurethemofyourintegrityasajournalist Tellsourcewhyyouwanttotalk;revealalittleofwhatyouknow Findopportunitiestomeetsourceinformally Sendthequestionsandsay:Heretheyare,itsnowuptoyou Inextremecases,waitatthepersonsofficedoorandforcedentry

3. Sourcedemandsnoattributionorofftherecord

Persuadethesourcetogoontherecord(ornoattribution)andfullyexplainwhyheor sheshould Listenrespectfullyandlaterinject:IsthereanywayIcanquoteyouaboutthat? Ifhesstillreluctant,ask:Aretheredocumentsorotherpersonswhomightrevealthe sameinformation? Dontacceptafterthefactrequests,especiallyfrommediasavvysources Gethimtoagreetogoontherecordifyoucouldfindsomebodywhoissimilarly situatedwhowillalsogoontherecord Anagreementisanagreement,somakesureyouprotectyoursourcesidentity


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4. ThesourceshowsupwiththeirPRO,spokesmanorsecretary

Tellthesourcepolitelyitss/heyouwanttotalkto(Icametoseeyou,notthem, becausethepublicIdontmeantoberudeisnotinterestedinhearingfroma subordinate.Thepublicwantstohearwhatthebossmayhavetosay. IfthePROanswers,turnthequestionbacktothesourcewhentheyredonespeaking (Andwhatsyourresponse?) IfthePROtriestoterminatetheinterviewprematurely,tellthem,Wellstopthis interviewwithyouradmissionthatwerenotgettingtomainorcrucialpoints.

5. Thesourcebecomesfurious

Dontgetangry.Maintaincontrol butdonttrytocalmthesubjecteither.Lethim/hertalk. Bepolitebutpopthequestionyouneedto(Whydidyoutakethemoney?Whydidyou doit?) Avoidinterruptingthesourcewhenconflictarises

6. Thesourcethreatensyouwithdireconsequences

Watchyourback Dontgetkilledorkidnapped! Weighwhatismoreimportantthecausethatyouareworkingon,oryourlife


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2

Thepapertrail:principlesandtechniques

Weneedadocumentsstateofmindtobeagoodinvestigativejournalist.Thismeanswe constantlytellourselvesthatdocumentsareimportanttosupportandbackupallegations inourreport. Example:SeeaPakistanireportersexampleofexposingtheChiefJusticeswrongdoingon pagesahead,andhisuseofpapertrail.

Generallyinthemoredevelopinganddevelopedcountries,thereisnodearthof documents.Youcanfinddocumentsin: However,intheAfghanistancontext,eventhissimpleavailabilityofdocumentsmay becomecumbersome.Afghanseniorjournalistsexperienceisthatofficialsrefuseto provideyouadocumentinspiteofallsortsofattempts.Andtheonlywaytogainaccessto adocumentmaybebribingsomeone. AnotherdifficultyintheAfghancontextislackofdigitaloronlineinformationaboutthe countrybecauseofthecultureofsecrecyprevalentinthecountry,thankstoAfghanistan beingthefrontlinestateinthewaronterror. Twotypesofdocuments Secondarysources Newspapersandotherperiodicals Corporatereports Directoriesandyearbooks Otherspecialisedpublications:Donorreports,industrystudies,etc. Secondarysources:Previouslypublishedbooks,reports,articles,etc.Easytoaccess Primarysources:Unpublisheddocuments.Difficulttoobtain Hardcopy:Personalfiles,projectfiles,biddingdocuments Softcopy:Computerdatabases,CDROMs,onlineinformation


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Primarydocuments Nonpublicdocuments Whenyouredeniedapublicrecord Assertyourrighttoinformation(particularlywhenlawsandconstitutionguarantee access.AlthoughAfghanistanhasyettolegislateaFreedomofInformationAct,FOIA. MoreaboutthisinChapter4) Followup.Followup.Followup Speaktosomebodyinthepowerotherthanyouareinvestigating.Theymayhelp. IftherearediscipliningagencieslikeaMohtasibortribunal,letitbeknowntothem Anotherpersonorofficecouldhaveacopy.Rememberthatthesedocumentsoften havemorethanonecopy.Inmostcases,youmaybribesomeonetogetacopy Investigativefiles Intelligenceagencyreports Bankrecords Incometaxreturns Loanpaymentinvestigations Medical/psychiatricfiles Public/officialrecords Nonpublicrecords

ObstaclestoaccesstoinformationinAfghanistanare: CultureofsecrecyasprevalentinAfghanistanbecauseofitsfrontlinestatusinwaron terror Political/warlords/druglordsintervention/useofsecrecybyforeignforces Lackofpublicinformationabouttherighttoinformationandprocedurestoaccess informationintheabsenceofFOIA Unclear/undefinedlawsandprocedures Inadequate/undevelopedinformationinfrastructure


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3

TheelectronictrailUsinginformationavailableelectronicallytoperformtasksassociatedwithjournalism

Computerassistedresearch Searchenginesforonlineresearch Googlewww.google.com Othersearchengines Yahoowww.yahoo.com MSNwww.live.com o Thesesearchenginesarecapableofgivingyounotonlywebpagesbutalso pictures,audioandvideofiles,news,products ThebasicsofSearch[Google] 2009SkillCity/IMC&SabaMediaOrganisation 37

Usingsecondaryandprimarysourcesinbothonlineandofflinedatabases OfflinedatabasesusuallycomeintheformofCDROMs(suchasencyclopaediaand specialiseddatabases) TheInternetismoreofatool,thananewssourceinitself Internetcanbeusedtohelpreportersdobackgroundresearch;verifyinformation gatheredfromothersources;framequestionstoaskininterviews

Crawlerbasedsearchengines,suchasgoogle Humanpowereddirectories,suchastheOpenDirectory

comprehensivecoverage greatrelevancy usedforfindingwebpages,images,discussions,products cachedlinkswillfindevendeadpages;spellchecking;dictionarydefinitions


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Choosingkeywords Forbestresults,itsimportanttochooseyourkeywordswisely Trytheobviousfirst.IfyourelookingforinformationonHamidKarzai,enterHamid Karzai,notPresident Usewordslikelytoappearonasitewiththeinformationyouwant.combating corruptionAfghanistangetsbetterresultsthanlessenincidenceofcorruption Afghanistan.Anotherexample:poorinAfghanistangetsbetterresultsthanpoverty alleviationinAfghanistan. Capitalisation Searchesarenotcasesensitive.Allletters,nomatterhowyoutypethem,willbe understoodaslowercase.Forexample,searchesforTransparencyandAccountability andtransparencyaccountabilityandwillgetthesameresults. Automaticandqueries Thereisnoneedtoincludeandbetweenterms Theorderinwhichthetermsaretypedwillaffectthesearchresults Torestrictasearchfurther,addmoreterms Forexample,tofindliteratureonethicalissuesinjournalism,typeethicsjournalism. TofindmaterialsonethicalissuesfacedbyjournalistsinAfghanistan,typeethics journalismAfghanistan

Automaticexclusionofcommonwords Googleignorescommonwordsandcharacterssuchaswhereandhow,aswellas certainsingledigitsandsingleletters,becausetheytendtoslowdownyoursearch withoutimprovingtheresults. Ifacommonwordisessentialingettingtheresultsyouwant,doaphrasesearch,by puttingquotationmarksaroundtwoormorewords.Commonwordsinaphrasesearch (e.g.,whereareyou)areincludedinthesearch.

Advancedsearch 2009SkillCity/IMC&SabaMediaOrganisation 38


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Language:Specifywhichlanguageyouwouldlikeyourresultsreturnedin,likeDari Date:Restrictyourresultstothepastthree,six,ortwelvemonths Domains:Searchonlyaspecificwebsiteorexcludethatsitecompletelyfromyoursearch

Humanpowereddirectories TheOpenDirectorydmoz.org o o o o Metasearchers(simultaneouslymakesuseofmorethanonesearchengine)

usesvolunteereditorstocataloguetheweb butnobackupresultswhenthereisnomatchwithhumancompiledlists

GoogleDirectorydirectory.google.com keywordsearching softwarecreatesbackupforhumancompiledsearches

Dogpiledogpile.com:sendsasearchtoalistofsearchengines,directoriesand specialtysearchsites Vivisimovivisimo.com:automaticallyorganisesthepagesintocategories


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InternetIQchecklistforjournalists(PoynterInstitute) Whattolookforinreportsanddatawhensearchingtheinternet: 1. Authority ToknowwhopublishedthepagechecktheURL:thetopleveldomain? 2. Objectivity 3. Timelinessorcurrency Whenwasthepageproduced? Whenwasitlastupdated? Isituptodate? Arethelinkscurrent? Whatopinionsorbiases,ifany,areexpressedintheinformation? Isthesiteamaskforadvertisingoranagenda?(Isthereadvertisingonthepage?) comcommercialorganisations edueducationalorganisations govgovernmentorganisations,nonmilitary orgotherorganisations netnetworkresources milmilitary(army,navy,etc.) Whowroteitandwhy?Whopublisheditandforwhatpurpose? Aretheauthorscredentialsprovided?(lookforalinktoAboutus) Istherecontactinformationforthepeoplewhoputupthesite?(Lookforalinkto ContactusorEmailus)


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4. Sourcing 5. Verification Asidefromresearch,thepersonalcomputerassistsjournalistsinthreeotherways AlthoughthismaybetoomuchtoaskforinthecurrentAfghansituationaswearestill strugglingwithverybasicjournalisticinfrastructurehereandverylittledataareavailableon theinternetregardingAfghanistan. Reporting:Databasesoftwaretobuildoriginalcollectionsofinformation;spreadsheet programsforanalyses;statisticalprogramsforlargedatasets Rendezvous:Listservs/emaillists,newsgroups,forums Reference:dictionaries,encyclopaedia,glossaries Findatleastoneotherreputablesource,preferablynotonline,thatprovidessimilar information Whatisthesourceofinformation?Isitreliable?


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4a

Onsitefieldwork:Investigatingcorruption

Whatiscorruption? LorenzoDelesgues,KevinSavage,EllenMartinandGulPachaUlfatintheir2007report titledCorruptionPerceptionsandRisksinHumanitarianAssistance:anAfghanistanCase Studydefinecorruptionasthemisuseofentrustedpowerforprivategain. Inhis2006studyMappingtheRisksofCorruptioninHumanitarianAction,Ewinsexplains thatinthecontextofhumanitarianrelief,thismeansthinkingthroughwherepowerlies, whatwouldconstitutemisuse,howpowerhasbeenentrustedandwhatprivatemeans. TheConstitutionofAfghanistanhighlightsthatitsthejobofthegovernmenttoeliminate corruption.InArticle75Ch.4.Art.5,theconstitutionstates: Amongothers,thegovernmenthasthefollowingduties: Whileinvestigatingthecasesofcorruptionbyindividualsororganisations,wewillneedto dothesethings: Westartbyexperimentingintheseinvestigativetechniques.Therearefourcommonand basictechniques: 1. Observation 2. Participantobservation 3. Interviewofvictimsofcorruption 4. Useofhiddencamerastorecordbribetaking Theimpactofusingthesefourtechniquescouldbethatweareonly: Abletoexposeonlypettycorruption Onlylowerlevelofficialsarecaught StructuresandculturelikethatofAfghanistanthatmakecorruptionpossiblebutnot exposed Maintenanceofpubliclawandorderandeliminationofadministrativecorruption.


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Moresophisticatedtechniquescouldinclude: Wheninvestigatingcontracts,seetheredflags! Salariesandappointments Benefits Governmentpaidexpenses Travel Cellphonecalls Acquisition/useofgovernmentpropertyandsuppliesforpersonaluse 43

Morefocusonpublicrecords Manymorehumansources Examiningfinancialandcorporatedocumentsandgovernmentcontracts Moresophisticatedfieldwork Buildingcomputerdatabases

Nopublicbidding Riggedbidding Narrowspecifications Splittingofcontracts Changeorders Costoverruns Overpricing Underdeliveriesandnondelivery(ghostdelivery) Inferiororsubstandardproductsorservice Doublepayments Redtape Conflictofinterest(aministerofferingservicestogovernment)

Nepotism Specialandconfidentialpositions Contractedstaff Appointmentstojuicypositions Ghostemployees Employeeovertime Incentives,benefitsforselectgroup



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Discretionaryspending:intelligencefunds,developmentfunds

Audits Whoaudits? Howthoroughistheaudit? Whichagencyorunitisunaudited? Howdidauditorsaudit?

Papertrailforinvestigatingcorruptionincludes: Somehumansourcesforinvestigatingcorruption Contractorsandsuppliers,wheninvestigatingprocurementsorcontracts Losingbiddersorpolitical/businessrivals Formerofficialswhoknowthesystem Lawyersoraccountantsareusuallyeitheraccomplicesincrimeorelsehavebeen contractedtosniffitout Investigators(police,intelligenceagencies,ombudsman,assemblystandingcommittees, administrativebodies) Victimsthemselves Assetdeclarationsofministryofficialsandpoliticians Corporateandpropertyrecords Contracts Auditreports Courtrecords


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4b

Onsitefieldwork:Investigatingpublicofficials

1. Investigateassets Whyinvestigateassets? Papertrailforinvestigatingassets Statements/declarationsofassets Property/ownershiprecords o Land o Companies(registrationandfinancialstatements) o Vehicles Licensesandpermits(forbusinesses,etc) Listings,records,publicationsoftradeandprofessionalorganisations Biographies,newsarticles,familyhistories Toexamineconflictofinterest Toshowthefruitsofcorruption,ratherthanhowthecorruptionwasdone Toshowwhatinterestshaveanimpactonlaws,policiesanddecisions Comparingassetstatements(financialdisclosures)withactualassets Showingdisparitiesbetweenwhatisdeclaredandwhatisactuallyownedby examiningotherpublicrecords Exposinghowofficialshideassets(throughdummies)orinflateliabilities(through fakeloans)

2. Investigatethewaytheylive Hobbies,recreation(includingclubmemberships) Socialaffiliations Restaurants&VIPplacesfrequented Foreigntrips Schoolswherechildrengo Shopsthey,theirspousesandchildrenpatronise Clothes,jewellerytheywear Whattheycollect(likeart,cars,horses,antiques)


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3. Examineconflictsofinterest 4. Investigatetheirbehaviourinthepublic 5. Investigatefriends,relativesandcronies 6. Establishingrelationships 7. Whoisresponsible? Tracingtherouteofcorruptionshouldbeginwithfindingoutwherethepowerlies. Whomakesthedecisions? Whohasthepowertointerpretorbendtherules? Whosesignaturesarerequiredtosignacontract,permit,appointment,etc? Familyrelationships:biographies,newspaperarticles Schools:schoolrecords,listingsofalumni Professionalrelationships:professionalassociations Clubs:membershiplists Religious,geographicalorethnicgroupaffiliation Electionorfundraisingcampaigncontributors:campaignrecords Havefamilyorfriendsbeengivenfavourabletreatmentgovernmentjob,contract, governmentloan,privilegedinformation? Docroniesactasdummiesforofficials? Docertainindividualsactasintermediariesfordealmakingbyofficials? Whodoofficialsmeetwith?Partywith?Playgolfwith?Goouthuntingwith? Aretherecodesofethicsorcodesofconductthatgovernofficialbehaviour? Canthebehaviourbeconsideredinappropriateorunethicalevenwithoutsuchcodes? Comparewhattheyownvswhattheyregulate,legislate,decideon,andhavepower over Didtheyinhibitthemselvesfromdiscussionsordecisionsinwhichtheyhaveaconflictof interest? Dotheyusetheirpowerstobenefittheirinterests?


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InvestigatingtheSupremeCourtandotherhighercourts TheConstitutionofAfghanistanmakessurethatjudgesarenotabovethelaw.InArticle133 Ch.7.Art.18,theconstitutionstates: Example:PakistansChiefJusticeobtaininghighermarksforherdaughtertogetadmission inmedicalcollege(CaseinpointPakistanireporterAnsarAbbasisstoryabouttheChief JusticeofPakistansdaughtergettingadditionalmarksinthefollowingpages). Hardfact:Soyouhavedoneyourbits,tooktheriskofexposingacorruptofficialandyour reportisonairorinpaper.Whathappensthen?YourreportsareIGNORED! AsanAfghanjournalistexplainstoafellowmediaman:Myfearisthatthegovernment startstoignoreourreportsandnotreacttothem.Ignoringourreportsisthebiggestway theycanhurtus.Thisisthethreat,thisisdangerousforus,thisispainful,whenyourjobis noteffective;thisisdangerous.IthinkitsgoingtobelikeAmericandemocracy,themedia isfreetosayanything,butthegovernmentisdeaftothem. AfterthePresidentialapproval,theaccusedjudgeisdismissedfromduty,andpunished inaccordancewiththeprovisionsofthelaw. Afterlisteningtohisdefence,whentheSupremeCourtregardstheaccusationtobe valid,itshallpresentaproposalaboutthejudgesdismissaltothePresident. Whenajudgeisaccusedofhavingcommittedacrime,theSupremeCourtshallinquire aboutthecaseinvolvingthejudgeinaccordancewiththelaw. Examinationofcaseshandledbylawofficesthatincludedsonsanddaughtersof SupremeCourtjustices Examinationofvotingbythesejusticesonthesecases Examinationofoverseastripsmadebyjustices(withthehelpofflightrecords) Examinationoflifestyles,includingsocialschedulesofjustices


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Caseinpoint:PakistaniChiefJusticesdaughtergottwomarksoutofone! ByAnsarAbbasi ISLAMABAD,19January2009:ThetwosamplesofChiefJusticesdaughter,MissFarah HameedDogarsanswersheetsrevealanotheraspectofscandalousjackingupofhermarks. TheanswersheetsweremadepartoftheIslamabadHighCourtsrecentjudgmenttoprove irregularitiesthatwerecitedasthereasonforthereassessmentofherpapers.Inone casepertainingtothepaperofPhysicsII,despiteheranswerbeingincorrect,MissFarah wasgiventwomarkswhilethatpartcarriedonlyonemark.IncaseofUrdupaper,despite makingfourmistakesinatwolineanswer,shewasgiventwomarksoutofthree. AfterthiscorrespondentsecuredthequestionpapersofPhysicsIIandUrdufortheFederal BoardHSSCIIExaminations2008andcomparedthesamewiththetwosamples,as reproducedintheIHCjudgment,itisalsorevealedthatthejudgmentpointedoutawrong answerforthePhysicsIIanswerreproducedintheverdict. Onpage13,thejudgmentsaid:OnvisualexaminationofPhysicsIIpaper,answerto questionNo5(b)isgivenbelow:No,theplatesofcapacitorisnotofdifferentsizes; howevertodecreasetheelectrostaticfactoradielectricmediumisputtedinbetween them. Thenthejudgewrote:Theexaminercrossedthequestionandawardedzeromark.Later on,hegaveonemark.Onreevaluation(reassessment),anothermarkwasadded.It meansthatinthisparticularquestionofthepaper,thecandidategottwomarks. Thequestionpaper,however,showsthattheaboveanswerpertainstoXIV(b)ofQ.2,which readsas:Acapacitorisconnectedacrossabattery:(b)Isthistrueeveniftheplatesareof differentsizes?ItcarriestotalonemarkaspartXIV,havingthreesubpartsa,bandc hadtotalthreemarks.Againsttheanswerreproducedabove,thecandidate,when reassessed,gottwomarksagainstthepartthatcarriedonlyonemark.ItmeansevenifMiss Farahsanswerwas100percentcorrect,shewouldnothavegotmorethanonemark,but shegottwo. Q.5(b)asreferredbytheIHCisirrelevanttotheanswerreproducedandreadsas:Whatis meantbyhalflifeofaradioactiveelement?Howcanitbedeterminedfromthedecay constantofradioactiveelement?Andiftheanswerreproducedisconsideredasanswerto Q.5(b),itisstraightawayincorrect.2009SkillCity/IMC&SabaMediaOrganisation 48


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TheChairmanDepartmentofPhysics,QuaideAzamUniversity,Islamabad,DrHoodbhoy, whencontacted,saidthatinthePhysicsIIsampleinwhichMissFarahwasgiventwomarks afterthecontroversialreassessment,sheactuallydeservedzero. Ihaveseenthequestionsenttomewhichreads:Acapacitorisconnectedacrossa battery,aswellastheanswergivenbytheexaminee,saidtobeMsFarahDogar.The answerisincorrectanddeserveszeromark,DrHoodbhoyconveyedtoTheNewsinhis writtenanswersentthroughanemail. InUrdupaper,accordingtothejudgment,onemarkwasawardedinanswertoaquestion, reproducedinthejudgment,whileafterreassessment,thecandidatewasgivenan additionalmark.ThequestionpaperofUrdu,asobtainedbyTheNews,showsthatthe question2(i)thataskedBabarstoughnesscarriestotalthreemarks,outofwhichMiss Farahgottwomarksdespitemakingtwospellingmistakesandtwomistakesofidioms.Ina languagepaper,spellingandgrammaticalmistakesaretakenseriously,butinMissFarahs case,afteronemark,shewasgiventwomarks. Inboththesampleanswers,reproducedinthejudgment,thejudgepointedoutinboththe casesthattheexaminerinitiallygavezeromark,butreviewedhisownassessmentlaterand gaveonemarktoeachquestion.Throughreassessment,marksinboththequestionswere jackeduptotwomarkseach. Afterreproducingthetwosamplesandthedetailsofnumbersoriginallygivenandrevised, thejudgesaid:Idofindsomeoftheirregularitiesinotherpaperstoo.Insuchasituation, whenthechairmanexaminedtheanswerbooksofthepapersindispute,hemadea decision,rightlysotodirectreassessment. Overlookingthescandalousflawsdiscussedabove,thejudgeruled:Thereisnothingwrong inthemarksincreasedinreevaluationbytheexpertsinthefieldandnoexceptioncanbe takenbythiscourttotheprocedureadoptedby(the)chairmanandthereevaluationmade byexaminers.


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Puttingitallinpractice

Inordertopracticewhatwehavelearntsofar,letusnowcarryoutapracticalexerciseof doingsomebasicinvestigationandwritinga300wordstory.Thenextexercise2isabit morecomplex. WorkshopExercise1:Startingwithasimpleinvestigation Hereisanexercisethatissimpleandcanbelotsoffunwhenworkingwithotherjournalists inyourmediahouse.Youcanpairwithanotherjournalist.Itdealsnotsomuchwith investigativereportingaswiththemostbasicstepsofreporting.Ourexperienceisthat mostreportersinAfghanistanmayneedtoworkonthebasics. Heresafactsheetforthestory: AfirehasoccurredontheoutskirtsoftheKabulcity,inanareacalledCompanywheremany usedcarshowroomsarefound.Thefirehasoccurredinarefugeecampinawiredarea.It wasacrosstheroadfromapetrolpumpwith125,000gallonsofpetrol. Themotherofa12yearoldstartedthefirewhenshefellasleepandknockedoveracandle. Hersonismissing. Thealarmwascalledinbyaneighbour.Ittook35minutesforthefirebrigadetoarrive.The firebrigadechiefcouldbeseentalkingtobusinesspeoplewhohaveusedcar stores/garagesattheedgeoftherefugeesettlement.Hewasseentakingmoneyfrom businessmen. Theguardatthepetrolpumpwasawitnesstothis.Thefirewasputoutaftertwohours. Thirtyfamilytentshavebeendestroyed. The12yearoldboyismissingandthereisaquestionaboutwhetherornotheburnedin thefire. Therewererumoursthatthefiremenprotectedthecarbusinessesanddidnttakecareof thepoorpeoplewholivedinthetentedsettlement. Asagroup,choosethreepeopleamongyourotherfellowjournaliststointerviewaboutthis story.Whomdoyouchoose?Why? Itisyourjobtocreateastory.Itisalsoyourjobinquestioningthesepeopletotryto uncoverthetruth. Youhave15minutestotalkwitheachofthethreepeopleintheformofapressconference. Yourtask:Writea300wordnewsreport.


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Howlongshouldbethestory? ShortandSweet:Storytellingin300Words AnAmericanjournalist,BradyDennis,offerssomeinsightonhowlongthestoryshouldbe. BradywasanightcopsreporterintheTampabureauofPoyntersSt.PetersburgTimes whenhestartedwriting300Words,aseriesofshortstories,in2004.In2008,hewonthe ErniePyleAwardforhumaninterestwritingforhisseries.The300Wordsstorieshave beenrunningonthefrontpageofthepaperslocalnewssection,aboutonceamonth. Excerptsfromaninterviewwiththewriterof300Words: Q:Whatdidyoulearnaboutwritingshortstorieswithabeginning,middleandend? Ilearneditdoesnttake3,000wordstoputtogetherabeginning,middleandend.Agood storyisagoodstory,nomatterthelength.Andsometimestheshorteronesturnouttobe morepowerfulthanthewindyones. Thatsaid,theresariskofsoundinglikeImadvocatingsupershortstorieswithno traditionalnutgraph.Notso.Ibelievenomatterhowlongorshortthestory,peopleshould knowwhyitisimportantandworththeirtime.Itsnotenoughjusttopaintaprettypicture. Wemuststrivetotellthemsomethingabouttheworldthatmatters,tobejournalistsand notsimplystorytellers.Hopefully,inanontraditionalway,300Wordsdoesthat. Q:Hasitmadeyouabetterreporter?Betterwriter? Absolutely.300Wordsmademeabetterreporterbyforcingmetorelyalmostprimarily onobservation.Noticethatmostpiecescontainalmostnoquotes.Ididntinterviewpeople asmuchasIsimplyshutmymouthandwatchedandlistened.Wedontdothatenough. Italsomademeamoreeconomicalwriter.Withonly300wordstospare,eachonehadto matter.IvetriedtoapplythatruletotheotherstoriesIdo,eventhelongones.Theideais tocutawaythefatandleaveonlythemuscle.Asmyeditorrepeatedagainandagain:Less ismore.Itstrueformoststorieswewrite.


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Puttingitallinpractice...continues Letsnowlookatanotherinvestigationandwritingexerciseabitmorecomplexwith severalthreadsofinterviews,searches,researchesandtrails. YoumayreadthisinconjunctionwiththeConstitutionofAfghanistan,whichdisallows publicofficeholderstoengageinaprofitablebusinesswiththegovernment: Article151Ch.11,Art.1states: ThePresident,VicePresidents,Ministers,HeadandmembersoftheSupremeCourt, HeadoftheCentralBank,NationalSecurityDirectorate,GovernorsandMayorscannot engageinanyprofitablebusinesscontractswiththegovernmentorindividualsduring theirtermofoffice. Contractsforthepurposeoffulfillingpersonalneedsareexceptiontothisprovision.

WorkshopExercise2:InvestigatinganAfghanistanminister(oranofficial) Firstlead:Howwecanbegin WegetreportsthatfancyhomesarebeingbuiltinSherpur.Mostofthereportscome fromresidentsoftheareaswherethesehousesarelocated. TherearepersistentrumoursofbigamountsofmoneybeinggiventotheMinisterin exchangeforgovernmentcontracts. TherearereportsthatmiddlemenoftheMinisterwereinvolvedinvariousbusinesses. Ahypothesisisatheoryorapremisetofocusaninvestigation Example:SincehisbecominganAfghanMinisterin2004,thisMinisterhasaccumulated wealthandbuiltbighousesthatcannotbeexplainedbyhisstatementofassetsand whatheearnsasMinister. Theinvestigativetrail (Makeastrategyfortheinvestigation) Thepapertrail:documents Thepeopletrail:interviews Theelectronictrail:theuseofcomputersandtheinternetforresearchandreporting Onsitefieldwork2009SkillCity/IMC&SabaMediaOrganisation 52


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OurstrategywillbetofinddocumentaryproofthatthehousesareforMinisterandofthe extentofthebusinessinvolvementsofhiswifeandchildren Searchofcorporaterecords:Lookforcompaniesinwhichwives,childrenandMinister arelistedasshareholdersorboardmembers Searchoflandrecords:Lookforregisteredownersofhousesbeingbuiltorrecently purchased Strategyofinvestigation MatchacquisitionsofcompaniesandpropertywithwhatMinisterofficiallydeclaredin hisstatementofassetsbeforehebecameaMinister Interviewknowledgeablesources:neighbours,associates,lawyers,architects,builders andsuppliers Whatwemayfindfromcorporatesearch: Ministerandhisfamiliesarelistedasboardmembersof22corporations.Mostofthe companieswereformedafterhebecameDeputyMinister.Sincehebecamethefull Minister,adozenotherswereestablished. Theassetsof14companiesalonetotalmorethan600millionAfghanis Butin2004,theMinisterdeclaredanetworthof40millionAfghanisandanetincome of3millionAfghanis. Oursearchoflandrecordsandinterviewswithvarioussourcesmayshow: Since2004,individualsorcompaniesappearingtobefrontingfortheMinisterorhis familymembersacquired17propertiesinKabulandtheprovinces. Accordingtoourestimates,thesepropertiesadduptoabout2billionAfghanis. MostofthesepropertieswereacquiredbybusinessmenveryclosetotheMinisterandtheir namesare: Thisiswhereyoucanlistthefewnamesthatemergeduringtheinvestigation. Yourtask:Writea1,200wordinvestigativereport.


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Letsgofishing:Afewrecentcasesofinvestigativejournalism Letusnowlookatafewrecentcasesofinvestigativejournalismfromaroundtheworld. FromFollowtheMoney:ADigitalGuideforTrackingCorruptionbyPaulCristianRadu (2008).Thissectionisincludedwithpermissionfromauthor. Onlinedatabaseslikelexisnexis.comordialog.comofferendlesspossibilitieswhenitcomes toresearchingindividualsandcompanies.Ausefulapproachtodatabaseresearchis throughfishingfornamesondatabases. TheCenterforInvestigativeJournalisminBucharest(RCIJ)initiatedaprojectlookingforthe namesofmembersofParliamentonmanydatabases,includinglexisnexis.com,Dun& Bradstreetandnationalregistriesofcommerce. ThenameofaRomaniansenator,whowasheadoftheJuridicalCommissionoftheSenate, poppedupintheSwissRegistryofCommerce.ThesenatorownedacompanyinSwitzerland thatwaspresentedasbeingpartofaRomaniangovernmentprogramme. WhentrainingcolleaguesintheBalkans,formerSovietRepublicsorevenSouthEastAsia, journalistswiththeRCIJalwaysbuilddatabasescontainingthecommercialenterprisesof thecountrieswherethetrainingisconducted.Forexample,RCIJwouldbringtoJakarta, Indonesia,spreadsheetswithallthecompaniesownedbyIndonesiancitizensintheUnited KingdomandSwitzerland. Suchdatamayleadtogoodinvestigativepiecesonconflictsofinterestandcorruption.The UnitedKingdomandSwitzerlandaretwocountriesofchoiceforcorruptofficialsand organisedcrimefigureswhowanttoplacetheirmoneyinbankstheybelievearesafe. AUnitedNationsreportontheglobalillegalweaponstradewasanotherstartingpointfora 2002RCIJinvestigation.TheUNpublishedthenamesofcompaniesandindividualsinvolved intheillegaltradeandRCIJjournalistslookedthenamesupontheRomanianregistryof commerce. TheyfoundcompaniesrelatedtoViktorBout,thefamousRussianillegalarmsdealer.His company,FlyingDolphin,basedinSharjahintheUnitedArabEmirates,ownedacommercial enterpriseinRomaniaandwasusingaBucharestairportforweaponssmuggling.Boutwas arrestedinJakartain2008inajointoperationoftheUnitedStates,Romanianand Indonesianlawenforcement.


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Layersofsecrecy:casesfromEurope Determiningtheownershipofcompanieshasbecomeincreasinglycomplex.Acompanyin Belgrade,Serbia,couldbeownedbyafirminRotterdam,theNetherlands,whichcouldin turnbeownedbyaprivatefoundationinAustriathathasRussianoligarchsasitsbeneficial owners.Thisisacommonscheme. JournalistsintheBalkanshaveidentifiedschemesascomplicatedastwentylayersof companies.Searchesperformedfornamesofsuchcompaniesoftenleadtolawyersor designatedshareholders.Butthisshouldnotbeseenasadeadend. Organisedcrimefiguresquiteoftenrelyonthesamelawyersorthesameformationagent whentheyestablishnewcompaniestolimitthenumberofpeoplewhoareawareoftheir moves. Oncealawyerorstrawpartyinsuchacompanyisidentified,searchesonthelawyersname canbeperformedonvariousdatabases.Thiscouldrevealdozensorhundredsofcompanies associatedwiththesolicitorsname. Checkingeachoftheserecordsmayyieldsurprisingresults.Inonecase,alawyerusedin shadydealsinEasternEuropewasretainedbycompaniesbelongingtoamobsterswife whohadafashionboutique.Althoughindirect,suchcrossandparallelsearchescouldlead tothetrueownerofacompany. JournalistswiththeCenterforInvestigativeReportinginSarajevo,BosniaHerzegovina, foundaformationagentinanoffshorecompanythatwasinvolvedinadubiousenergy relatedtransactionintheBalkancountry. Theycalledtheagentandtoldhertheywouldprinthernameinthenewspaperasbeing associatedwiththedealinBosnia.Afterhesitating,thewomangaveupthenameofthereal owner. Itcouldhappenthatsuchsearchesendupuncoveringhundredsofinterconnected companiesallovertheglobe.Inthatcase,visualandsocialnetworksanalysistools, presentedinasubsequentchapter,couldbeveryusefulintrackingdown


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Softwarebasedandwebbasedanalysis WiththerapiddevelopmentoftheWeb,thecrossborderinvestigativejournalistisliterally assaultedandoverwhelmedbyhugequantitiesofdata.Toprocessandunderstandthese data,journalistsmustmakeuseofsoftwareandWebtools. JournalistsintheBalkanshavebeenstoringcompanyrecords,phonenumbers,courtcases andallsortsofdocumentsformorethantenyears.Thearchivestheyarebuildingarean invaluableresourcewhenfollowingmoneyandcriminalenterprises,ifusedinconjunction withassistingsoftware. Tochartupandtrackdowncriminalenterprises,journalistswiththecentresfor investigativejournalismintheBalkansareusingsoftwarecalledI2.Alsoknownasthe AnalystsNotebook,accordingtoitscreatorsitisaleadingvisualinvestigativeanalysis softwaretoolforlawenforcement,government,military,intelligenceandcommercial organisations.Itenablesinvestigatorsandanalyststoquicklyunderstandcomplexscenarios andvolumesofseeminglyunrelateddata,performanalyses,andcommunicatetheresults. I2alsocanhelpinvestigativejournaliststoanalyselargevolumesofcompanydataor governmentrecordsandtobuildchartsconnectingthemissingdotsintheprocess. Infact,I2isasocialnetworkanalyses(SNA)toolthatallowstheusertomaphisknowledge inordertoidentifyrelationshipsamongindividuals,keymoments,companiesorvarious typesofotherentities.BesidesI2,theresawiderangeofavailableSNAsoftwaresuchas NetMiner,UCInet,Pajek,etc. Forexample,hundredsof.txtpagesorexceldocumentscontainingcompanyinformation likenamesofcompanies,shareholders,addresses,datesofbirthcanbeimportedintoI2in suchawaythattheAnalystsNotebookwillestablishvisualconnectionsamongcommon denominators.Ifthesameaddressisencounteredonpage564asitisonpage3,I2willfind thisconnectionandrepresentitinachart.Thesamekindofconnectionswillbeestablished usingnames,datesofbirthorcountries.Thisway,connectionsthatwouldbeimpossiblefor thejournalisttoestablishbecauseofthelargequantityofdataarequicklyfoundbythe software. Consequently,manyothertypesofanalysescanbeperformedonthedataandimportant patternscanbeestablished.Forinstance,whileworkingonaninvestigationIfound, throughI2,thatthesamestreetaddresswasusedbytraffickersincigaretteswhowere establishingcompaniesinRomania.Afterestablishingthis,Iperformedatimelineanalysis ofthedatathatindicatedhowthetraffickersweremovinginandoutofRomaniaafter gettingintotroublewiththepolice.2009SkillCity/IMC&SabaMediaOrganisation 56


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I2isalsoveryusefulwhenorganisingalargevolumeofdata,specificallywhenmanually inputtingdataintoI2charts.Forinstance,youcanplaceatthetopofanI2chartthename ofthecompanyandbeneaththatthecharactersinvolvedwiththecompanyandtheirother businessconnections. Ofcourse,thiscouldbedoneeveninWordorPowerPoint.ButtheutilityofI2liesinits abilitytoplaceallsupportingmaterialinmetatextinattributesbehindeachentity.Then, multiplechartschartswithhundredsofconnectionscanbemergedsothatadditional connectionsareestablished.Eachicononthechartcanbebackedbyadocumentanda sourcewhosestrengthinrelationtotheinvestigationischosenbythejournalist. E.g.,iftheinformationisfromanofficialcompanyrecord,thenthatinformationcanbe classifiedasverystrong.Iftheinformationisfromanintelligencereportthathasnotyet beenconfirmedbyothersources,theinformationcanbeclassifiedwithaweakerindicator. I2sutilityisincreasedwhenusedovernetworksofdatacreatedbyjournalists.Itcanbe usedwithGroove,collaborativesoftwarethatenablesthecreationofvirtualnewsrooms. GroovefunctionsasapiertopierovertheInternetbridgeandallowsthecreationofsecure workspacesthatjournalistscanusetosharedata,photos,videoandaudio.Grooveisalso usedintheBalkansbyjournalistsworkingonregionalprojects.Someoftheseprojectscan befoundat:www.reportingproject.net.DatapostedonGrooveworkspacescanberun throughI2toestablishedconnectionsininformationderivedfrommanycountries. I2,Pajek,UCInetandsimilarsoftwareareultimatetoolsforcrossborderinvestigative journalistsandwillprovidenewvaluetothenetworksofjournalistsalreadyestablishedin manyareasoftheworld.


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Onsitefieldworkandcrossbordercooperation AfghanistanborderswithChina,Tajikistan,Turkmenistan,PakistanandIran.Manytrailsof corruptionmayleadtheAfghanjournaliststocollaboratingwithjournalistsfromthese countriestounveilthestoriesofcorruption.Similarly,thetrailcanreachanycontinent whereAfghandiasporaarelivingcountriesinAustralia,MiddleEast,EuropeandNorth America. TheFollowtheMoneymanualhighlightsthecrossbordercooperationbetweenEast Europeanjournalistswiththeircounterpartselsewhere,below. Whilecomputerassistedtechniquesanddocumentsanalysismightconnectthedotsinan investigation,fieldworkisequallyimportantbecauseitprovidesaccesstodataoutsidethe digitalrealm.Directobservationisaprocessthatcanenablethejournalisttodeepenhis understandingofthefactsandalsohelpcreateanarrative. Afewyearsago,Romanianjournalistsfoundlotsofcompanyrecordsrelatedtothe handoverofanoilrefinerytoaLondonbasedcompany.Beforethehandover,therefinery wasownedbyaRomanianpoliticianandhadaccumulatedahugedebttothestatebecause itdidntpaytaxes.TherefinerywastakenoverbyanewlyformedBritishcompany,which assumedthedebt,buttheRomanianMinistryofFinancerefusedtoofferanydataabout thedeal. DocumentsobtainedfromtheBritishregistrarofcompaniesshowedthatoneofthe directorswasaRomanianlivinginBucharest.Thenameofthedirectorwasunknownto journalistsandthepublic,andwasnowheretobefoundonRomaniancompanyregistration databases. JournalistswenttotheaddressindicatedintheBritishregistryofcompaniesandfoundout aboutthedirector,awoman,fromneighbours.TheysaidshewasdrivinganAudiA6with thelicenseplateB26ZRB. Throughpolicesources,thejournalistsmanagedtofindoutthatthecarwasstolenfrom Belgradeandwasregisteredinthenameofadifferentperson. Furthersearchesandinquiriesledtoadditionalinformation:theownerofthecarwas workingforthethenRomanianpresidentandtheoilrefinerydealledstraighttoagroupof peoplenowchargedwithorganisedcrimeactivities.ThedirectoroftheBritishcompanywas


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infactafriendoftheownerofthecarandwasgiventhecarasanincentivetoagreeingto takepartintheBritishcompany. Directobservationandinterviewswithneighboursprovedcrucialinthiscaseandtied everythingtogether. Thisseriesofarticles,whichhighlightedconnectionsbetweenpoliticiansandorganised crime,wouldhavebeenincompletewithoutfieldwork. Thereare,however,instanceswhenfieldworkmightbetooexpensiveforthejournalist, especiallyinthecaseofcrossborderinvestigations.Thesolutiontothisis,inmostcases,is cooperationwithlocaljournalists.Theyareonthegroundandoftenarebetterconnected tothelocalrealitiesandsourcesofinformation. In2007and2008,RomanianjournalistsworkedwiththeirAustraliancounterpartsto uncoveratransnationalscamcalledFirepower. Thecompany,whichhadsubsidiariesinmanyregionsoftheglobe,claimedtohave inventedawonderpillthat,ifaddedtoacarsfuel,wouldenhanceperformanceand decreasefuelconsumptionandpollution.Noscientificproofstoodbehindtheclaims. Despitethis,thecompanywasestablishingaflourishingbusinessinEurope,Asia,and Australia. TheAustralianandRomanianjournalistsexchangeddataontheFirepowerdealandfound outthatthescamwasconcoctedbycontroversialbusinessmeninAustraliaandRomanian citizensconnectedtotheformerCommunistSecretServices.Thedealwentbankruptand officialinvestigationswereinitiatedintothegroupsdealingsinAustralia. Thereareanumberofinvestigativejournalistsegroupswherecontactsbetweenforeign journalistscanbeestablished.Themostactiveisglobalinvestigativejournalism.org.By becomingamemberofthisgroup,onecanhaveaccesstohundredsofinvestigative journalistsacrosstheworld.


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Part3 JournalismEthics


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Whatarejournalismethics? ThinkTask:HowcanacountrylikeAfghanistan,longheldhostagetowar,conflictand foreigninterventionincludingbuyoutofloyaltieswithbigtimemoneyremainethical?If mostofthepeopleinpolitics,government,businessandnongovernmentorganisationsare notethical,howcanyouexpectjournalistsandmediaorganisationstobeethical?Thiswas theconsensusemergedduringdiscussionswithlocaljournalistsinKabul.Combinethiswith thethreatsjournalistsreceivetotheirliveseverydayandtheperkstheycanhaveby rubbingshoulderswiththoseinpower,whowouldputtheirneckouttoseekandreport truth? Thisbringsjournalismethicsinperilousconditionsinthiscountry.Peopleandmediahouses arenotshyoftakingmoneyforfavourablereportingorsuppressingthenegativereporting. SoputtingtheAfghanjournalismonanethicalhighwaycouldbealong,arduousjob.Any dissentingvoicehere? First,wewilldiscusstheissuesinjournalismethicsintheorytoenhanceour understandingofthischallengingarea.Inthelaterpartofthissection,wewilltalkaboutthe practicalethicalissuesfacedbyanAfghanjournalistonadaytodaybasis. Journalismethicsandstandardscompriseprinciplesofethicsandofgoodpracticeas applicabletothespecificchallengesfacedbyprofessionaljournalists.Whilevariouscodes havesomedifferences,mostsharecommonelementsincludingtheprinciplesof truthfulness,accuracy,objectivity,impartiality,fairnessandpublicaccountabilityasthese applytoacquiringnewsworthyinformationanditssubsequentdisseminationtothepublic. Italsoincludestheprincipleoflimitationofharm.Thisofteninvolvesthewithholdingof certaindetailsfromreportssuchasthenamesofminorchildren,crimevictimsnames,etc.

Commonelements Theprimarythemescommontomostcodesofjournalisticstandardsandethicsarethe following: 1. Objectivityandfairness2009SkillCity/IMC&SabaMediaOrganisation 61


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Clearseparationbetweennewsandopinion.Editorialsandopedsareclearlyseparated fromnewspieces.Newsreportersandeditorialstaffaredistinct. Clearseparationbetweenadvertisementsandnews.Alladvertisementsmustbeclearly identifiableassuch. Reportermustavoidconflictsofinterestsincentivestoreportastorywithagiven slant.Thisincludesnottakingbribesandnotreportingonstoriesthataffectthe reporterspersonal,economicorpoliticalinterests. Competingpointsofviewarebalancedandfairlycharacterised. Personswhoarethesubjectofadversenewsstoriesareallowedareasonable opportunitytorespondtotheadverseinformationbeforethestoryispublishedor broadcast. Interferencewithreportingbyanyentity,includingcensorship,mustbedisclosed.

2. Sources 3. Accuracyandstandardsforfactualreporting Reportersareexpectedtobeasaccurateaspossiblegiventhetimeallottedtostory preparationandthespaceavailable,andtoseekreliablesources. Eventswithasingleeyewitnessarereportedwithattribution.Eventswithtwoormore independenteyewitnessesmaybereportedasfact.Controversialfactsarereported withattribution. Independentfactcheckingbyanotheremployeeofthepublisherisdesirable. Correctionsarepublishedwhenerrorsarediscovered. Defendantsattrialaretreatedonlyashavingallegedlycommittedcrimes,until conviction,whentheircrimesaregenerallyreportedasfact(unless,thatis,thereis seriouscontroversyaboutwrongfulconviction). Opinionsurveysandstatisticalinformationdeservespecialtreatmenttocommunicatein precisetermsanyconclusions,tocontextualisetheresults,andtospecifyaccuracy, includingestimatederrorandmethodologicalcriticismorflaws. Confidentialityofanonymoussources Avoidanceofanonymoussourcesifpossible Accurateattributionofstatementsmadebyindividualsorothernewsmedia Pictures,soundandquotationsmustnotbepresentedinamisleadingcontext

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4. Slanderandlibelconsiderations 5. Minimiseharmprinciple Duringthenormalcourseofanassignmentareportermightgoaboutgatheringfactsand details,conductinginterviews,doingresearch,backgroundchecks,takingphotos, videotaping,recordingsoundharmlimitationdealswiththequestionsofwhether everythinglearnedshouldbereported,andifso,how. TheAmericanSocietyofProfessionalJournalistscodeofethicsoffersthefollowingadvice, whichisrepresentativeofthepracticalidealsofmostprofessionaljournalists.Quoting directly: 6. Presentation Showcompassionforthosewhomaybeaffectedadverselybynewscoverage.Use specialsensitivitywhendealingwithchildren. Besensitivewhenseekingorusinginterviewsorphotographsofthoseaffectedby tragedyorgrief. Recognisethatgatheringandreportinginformationmaycauseharmordiscomfort. Pursuitofthenewsisnotalicenceforarrogance. Recognisethatprivatepeoplehaveagreaterrighttocontrolinformationabout themselvesthandopublicofficialsandotherswhoseekpower,influenceorattention. Showgoodtaste.Avoidpanderingtoluridcuriosity. Becautiousaboutidentifyingjuvenilesuspectsorvictimsofsexcrimes. Bejudiciousaboutnamingcriminalsuspectsbeforetheformalfilingofcharges. Balanceacriminalsuspectsfairtrialrightswiththepublicsrighttobeinformed. Report