How does Type Investigations work?
Our team of editors commission investigative projects from independent journalists. We work with these reporters throughout the editorial process, from refining the investigative target to guiding the reporting to securing placement in a partner outlet. We then jointly oversee each project with a publishing partner, editing drafts and vetting findings. Critically, we cover reporters’ out-pocket-costs and offer a fee to cover the additional reporting time required for an investigative project.
We provide research assistance and access using databases such as Nexis and PACER. We provide rigorous fact-checking and legal vetting in-house. When our stories appear, we assist with publicity and outreach to increase each story’s impact.
What kinds of stories do you commission?
We seek out highly original reporting on important, underreported stories with the potential to have social impact. We are platform agnostic, and commission investigative reporting for print, online or broadcast journalism outlets.
Our stories have sparked resignations of public officials, and triggered criminal investigations, Congressional hearings and state and federal legislation. They have changed corporate policies and exposed previously hidden forms of abuse and exploitation. Many have received prestigious journalism awards, such as the Polk, the National Magazine Award, Emmy Award, the Scripps Howard Award, and the Hillman Prize.
What makes a story “investigative”?
By investigative we mean enterprise reporting — digging up stories other reporters haven’t found yet, uncovering explosive new facts, or significantly advancing stories that have been covered. These are stories that go beyond feature reporting, documenting problems and showing who’s responsible, whether a corporation, a regulatory agency or an elected official. Proposals for spot news or political analysis aren’t for us.
Ask yourself: Is the story original? (Please do a search of what has been published to check that the story you propose to do would indeed substantially advance upon previous reporting.) Is the reporting plan feasible? (We don’t expect you to have done all the reporting, but we want to see a strong game plan.) Do you have a clear idea about the sources and documents you’ll need, and can you realistically get access to them? What is the potential impact of the story? What individuals, institutions or practices do you hope to expose? You should have a clear idea of your story’s accountability target.
Who may submit a proposal?
We work with independent freelancers as well as a roster of reporting fellows. Reporters may query us directly, as may assigning editors at media outlets. You may already have interest from an assigning editor when you query us, but advance story placement is not necessary; we work closely with our reporters to find a partner outlet for their stories.
How does the submission process work?
The first step is to email us a short query — no more than a few paragraphs. Please include a few sentences on what the story is, why it matters now, and any unique angle or documents or access you may have. If it seems like a good match for us, one of our editors will ask for a full proposal. At that stage, we’ll assess the proposal according to three main criteria: originality, feasibility of the reporting plan, and potential for impact.
We typically meet once a month to review proposals. Our decision-making process is designed to be informal and supportive. If a project has potential but we have questions about your reporting plan or budget request, we’ll contact you to ask for revisions.
What does a story budget cover?
When we greenlight a story, we cover the reporter’s direct costs associated with the investigative project, in addition to a supplemental reporting fee. Typical budgets range from $3,000 to $6,000 and are based on the submission of a detailed reporting plan. This budget includes a reporting fee as well as travel and other reporting expenses. We expect the partner outlet to pay the reporter an additional fee directly.
Where do the stories you commission appear?
Our mission is to promote independent investigative journalism in a wide variety of public, independent and commercial media outlets, whether print, broadcast or online. Please see our Partners page for a list of outlets we’ve partnered with; we are constantly expanding this list.
Our stories must all appear first in a U.S. media outlet, and our reporters and editors collaborate to find the best placement possible. We publish in media outlets based outside of the U.S. only as secondary outlets or through co-publishing arrangements with a U.S. outlet.
I am a reporter based outside of the United States. May I apply?
Yes, absolutely, as long as you are fluent in English, familiar with U.S. media standards, and your story has a clear and direct U.S. tie-in. But our projects must appear in a U.S. media outlet. If you have never previously reported for a U.S. media outlet, your application will be a long shot.
What does Type Investigations expect of its reporters?
We require that you do the reporting outlined in your proposal, stay in regular communication about any reporting roadblocks and work closely with our editors throughout the reporting and editing process. We also require that Type Investigations be credited as a reporting partner in the partner outlet and that the story be co-published on our site.
If Type Investigations turns down my proposal, where else can I get support for my investigative reporting project?
Here’s a partial list of alternatives: