Deck 5: Documenting the Investigation

Question 1

You should draw conclusions from the information you gather.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Benchmarks are useful in an investigative project because they show you which team members are doing the most work.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

You should begin writing your story before you finish gathering your information.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

If you get important data but you lack the skill or experience to analyze it, you should question the doability of the project.

Question 5

Readers don't like stories filled with numbers.

Question 6

Which of the following steps is NOT part of the scientific method?

A) Analyze the data
B) Test the hypothesis
C) Assess the parameters
D) Repeat the experiment.

Question 7

Which of the following should NOT be part of a game plan for an investigative story?

A) Draft the story
B) Analyze the information
C) Gather the data
D) File public records requests

Question 8

Scientists often repeat experiments. Journalists similarly do which of the following?

A) Sell the same story to multiple publications
B) Replicate a story that a reporter did elsewhere
C) Interview the same source for multiple stories
D) Interview people more than once

Question 9

In setting parameters for your project, you should consider which of the following?

A) What is the most you want to accomplish
B) Whether there is a chance that someone will sue you for libel
C) How likely the story could win an award
D) Whether readers will find the story relevant

Question 10

In assessing the doability of your project, you should ask which of the following?

A) Whether you need to travel to get information
B) Whether readers will care about the story
C) Whether you can find a news angle for the story
D) Whether people will leak you secret information

Question 11

Towards the end of your project, why should you go back to the people you interviewed and run your conclusions by them?

Question 12

Why should you avoid using friends and family in a story?

Question 13

Why should you outline your story multiple times?

Question 14

When one question leads to another, how and when do you end your investigation?

Question 15

If you break up a big project into pieces, how might you illustrate the "Who" of the story?

Question 16

Why is it essential to set a timetable for your project?

Question 17

Why is it useful to map out geographic points in a big project?

Question 18

Why might you want to use a spreadsheet to organize your information?

Question 19

Why do you need to think about multimedia elements from the beginning?

Question 20

Why are To Do lists an essential tool for managing a big project?