The Executive Director, Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism, Motunrayo Alaka has identified collaboration among journalists and media houses as an essential tool for an impactful investigative journalism report.
Alaka, who was moderating a session on “How to write an investigative story pitch,” at the 3rd Amplify In-depth Media Conference said collaboration is paramount even with competitors for the greater good of reporting on human interest stories.
Speaking on how to write a good investigative story pitch, Alaka said story ideation must be narrowed down to one idea that is relevant to the audience, using unique angles to create the maximum impact.
Other important tips include providing a working title for the pitch, developing a narrative for the pitch, have a salient human-interest issue, highlight the actors, propose intervention points, plan follow-up stories and highlight projected outcomes of the story.
Alaka said even though many media organisations face financial constraints when it comes to funding stories especially those stories that affect girls and women will go unreported without proper funding.
Therefore, effective pitching and budgeting skills are vital for journalists as journalists can secure the necessary resources to bring important stories to light.
“Journalists facing funding challenges should focus on building trust with funders. A well-researched and compelling story pitch can attract support. Additionally, exploring collaborations with media organizations and leveraging existing networks can provide the needed resources.”
