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What goes along with being a investigative journalist

At school,I am most interested writing and psychology.I like watching crime shows and seeing how they use forensic evidence to solve the crime .A topic that im am interested in is writing and researching certain interest of mine. What are some careers options that best align with these interest and what are some helpful step i can take n the near future. #journalism #writing #criminal-justice

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Alana’s Answer

I agree with Anita's response. You can hone in on a specific area and even create a series that you follow up on and create a source of information that can all be tracked to the same area as well so that anytime there are developments, you can always refer back to your previous writings and see if any predictions you may have made came true.
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Molly’s Answer

Like Kipling's mongoose,Riki Tiki Tavi, you need a passion to "go and find out. " Curiosity is critical to investigative journalism as is a general knowledge of accounting, history, sociology, and psychology. The broader your knowledge, the better able you'll be to spot deviations that are the first hint of the need to investigate. You also need great respect for the lower levels of the workforce, the clerks and drivers and janitors that see a great deal. Talk to them, but don't quote them. Use them to guide the questions you ask the people in power. I don't think a journalism degree is not necessary. But clarity and precision in writing--grammar, punctuation, and vocabulary--are also critical. Misplaced commas or misused words can change a story from a revelation to a lie.
Thank you comment icon Excellent information!! Alana Baltimore - Saunders
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Anita’s Answer

Identifying your interests and a possible career is a great start. If your school has a newspaper or other student-driven publication, you can start reporting and writing now. (Or start your own publication if not!) Reporting any story would provide practice and might lead to something that requires more of the investigation and research you want to do. Studying journalism in college is an option, but not required to go into the field. You could study one of your other interests, like psychology or criminal justice, instead and supplement it by continuing to write and/or taking just a few journalism classes. What investigative journalism entails depends on the subject you're reporting on. You could find yourself interviewing other people, synthesizing data, researching primary source or other documents, requesting and analyzing public records, or following the investigative trail wherever it leads. A good skill to hone would be making connections and figuring out what is really important to the story.
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