Investigative Brief
Transform story leads into investigation plans with viability assessment
What You Can Do
You can take fragmented story tips, documents, or patterns and transform them into structured investigation briefs that assess viability. This skill identifies critical information gaps, maps source access strategies, flags legal exposure, and estimates realistic reporting timelines—helping you filter leads early and pitch investigations to editors with confidence.
Features
Identifies what you know vs. what you need to verify, distinguishing between provable facts and assumptions
Maps potential sources by category (primary, on-the-record, anonymous), assesses access difficulty, and recommends contact approaches
Flags defamation, privacy, FOIA, privilege, and other legal considerations specific to your investigation
Lists publication standards, fact-checking requirements, and editorial approval triggers
Realistically estimates reporting duration and resource intensity based on source access and public record availability
Assesses initial source reliability and distinguishes high-confidence leads from speculative angles
Identifies which documents exist (court filings, property records, licensing databases) and access methods
Notes existing reporting and identifies your unique angle or exclusive access opportunity
Example Output
Investigation Brief: Municipal Pension Fund Mismanagement
Core Claim: City pension administrator allegedly diverted $2M in fund assets to personal consulting firm.
Information Gaps:
- ✗ No documentation of actual transfers (need: bank records, fund audits)
- ✓ Anonymous source claims witnessing approvals (need: corroboration from 2+ insiders)
- ✗ Consulting firm's relationship to administrator (need: business registration, contract review)
Source Strategy:
- PRIMARY: Fund auditor (public official, likely willing)
- SECONDARY: Current/former pension board members (3 identified, moderate access difficulty)
- ANONYMOUS: Original tipster + 1-2 additional insiders (high sensitivity)
Legal Risks: Defamation (unproven allegations), FOIA denials on personnel files, possible whistleblower retaliation concerns.
Timeline: 6-8 weeks minimum (public records review + source cultivation).
Viability: GREENLIGHT — Public records are accessible, source base is identifiable, legal risks are manageable.
What's Included
- SKILL.md instruction file: Complete framework and structural guidelines
- Investigation Brief Template: Pre-formatted section headers for consistent output
- Source Mapping Worksheet: Categories and access difficulty tiers
- Legal Risk Checklist: Domain-specific legal considerations (defamation, FOIA, privacy)
- Timeline Estimation Guide: Benchmarks for different reporting complexity levels
Who It's For
- Investigative reporters scoping new leads and assessing reportability
- Editorial teams evaluating investigation pitches and resource allocation
- Freelance journalists pitching investigations to publications
- Editors and assignment desk managers filtering leads for viability
- Legal reviewers needing upfront risk assessment before reporting begins
Best For
- Pre-reporting viability assessments before committing significant time
- Pitch documentation to secure editorial buy-in and resources
- Tip evaluation to distinguish signals from noise
- Source strategy planning when access is uncertain or risky
- Legal risk flagging before stories enter production
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