Investigative Journalism

This Skill Enforces

• Source verification - Multiple independent corroboration
• Document analysis - Financial records, contracts, correspondence
• FOI strategy - Swedish Offentlighetsprincipen (Public Access to Information)
• Data journalism - Statistical analysis, database queries, visualization
• Ethical guidelines - Source protection, privacy, harm minimization
• Legal awareness - Defamation, privacy laws, GDPR compliance
• Security practices - Encrypted communications, source anonymization

Key Investigation Techniques

Source Development

• Cultivating insiders - Building trust with whistleblowers
• Network mapping - Identifying key actors and relationships
• Background research - Public records, social media, publications
• Interview techniques - Open-ended questions, rapport building
• Source protection - Anonymization, secure communications
• Credibility assessment - Motive analysis, corroboration

Document Investigation

• FOI requests - Strategic use of Offentlighetsprincipen
• Financial analysis - Budget documents, contracts, payments
• Email analysis - Patterns, relationships, timeline reconstruction
• Contract review - Terms, conflicts of interest, irregularities
• Court records - Legal filings, judgments, corporate documents
• Cross-referencing - Connecting disparate documents

Data Journalism

• Database queries - SQL analysis of structured data
• Statistical analysis - Regression, correlation, trend detection
• Visualization - Charts, graphs, network diagrams
• OSINT tools - Open-source intelligence collection
• Scraping ethics - Respecting robots.txt, rate limiting
• Data validation - Quality checks, error detection

Swedish FOI System

Offentlighetsprincipen (Constitutional right to access public documents):

• All government documents are public unless specifically protected
• No need to explain why you want documents
• Response required "immediately" (typically within days)
• Appeals to Parliamentary Ombudsman if denied
• Covers Riksdag, Government, Myndigheter (agencies)

Protected Categories:

• National security and defense
• International relations
• Crime prevention and investigation
• Personal privacy (personal data)
• Commercial confidentiality
• Ongoing decision-making processes (limited)

When to Use This Skill

Political Accountability

• Investigating conflicts of interest among MPs/ministers
• Tracking voting pattern anomalies and party discipline breaches
• Examining government contract awards and procurement
• Analyzing lobbying activities and influence operations

Financial Investigations

• Budget analysis for waste, fraud, or misallocation
• Political party financing and donation sources
• MP expenses and allowances audit
• Agency spending and procurement irregularities

Regulatory Oversight

• Agency enforcement patterns and selective prosecution
• Regulatory capture by industry interests
• Compliance failures and cover-ups
• Interagency coordination problems

Systemic Issues

• Patterns of discrimination or bias in government
• Institutional failures and accountability gaps
• Long-term policy implementation problems
• Democratic deficit identification

Examples

FOI Investigation

**Investigation: Ministry of Finance Real Estate Contracts**

**FOI Request Strategy**:
1. Initial request: "All contracts over 1 million SEK with real 
   estate companies, 2024-2025"
2. Response: 47 contracts totaling 890 million SEK
3. Follow-up: "All email correspondence regarding contracts 
   [specific IDs] with [specific companies]"
4. Response: Partial denial citing "ongoing negotiations"
5. Appeal: To Ombudsman, citing public interest override

**Document Analysis**:
- Contract [X]: No competitive bidding, sole-source award
- Company [Y]: Owned by former Ministry official (3 years ago)
- Contract value: 40% above market rates (per audit office data)
- Timeline: Award 2 weeks after official left government

**Verification**:
- Land registry: Confirmed company ownership
- Audit Office: Provided comparative pricing data
- Former Ministry colleagues: Confirmed relationship (anonymous)
- Company representative: No comment
- Ministry spokesperson: "All contracts followed proper procedures"

**Publication Decision**:
- Public interest: Clear (taxpayer money, potential conflict)
- Evidence: Strong (documents, comparative data, timeline)
- Right to reply: Exercised (Ministry, company, individual)
- Legal risk: Low (factual reporting, documented)
- Privacy: Former official is public figure, minimal privacy expectation

*Result: Published investigation with full document citations*

Voting Pattern Investigation

**Investigation: Voting Discipline Breach Pattern**

**Data Analysis**:
- Analyzed 2,487 Riksdag votes (2023-2025)
- Identified 12 MPs with >15% deviation from party line
- Focused on 3 MPs with systematic pattern in specific policy area

**Interview Process**:
- Background research on MPs' constituencies and donor relationships
- Initial contact: Open-ended questions about voting rationale
- Follow-up: Specific questions about industry connections
- Confidential sources: Two party insiders confirmed pressure

**Document Trail**:
- Committee minutes: Revealed close relationships with industry reps
- Meeting schedules: Frequent meetings with affected companies
- Campaign finance: Donations from industry PACs (legal but relevant)

**Analysis**:
- Pattern: All 3 MPs voted against party on regulations affecting donors
- Timeline: Votes correlated with campaign donation dates (+/- 30 days)
- Context: No principled explanation given, pattern suspicious

**Publication Considerations**:
- Public interest: High (accountability, potential undue influence)
- Evidence: Circumstantial but strong pattern
- Alternative explanations: MPs claim "constituency concerns"
- Balance: Present evidence, note alternative explanations
- Conclusion: Let readers judge, provide context

*Result: Published analysis with call for stronger disclosure rules*

Ethical Guidelines

Source Protection

• Confidentiality - Never reveal source without explicit permission
• Secure communications - Encrypted email, Signal, in-person meetings
• Document handling - Redact identifying information, secure storage
• Legal protection - Swedish law protects journalistic sources
• Anonymization - Remove identifying details in published work

Privacy and Harm

• Public interest test - Invasion of privacy must serve public good
• Minimize harm - Consider impact on individuals and families
• Children's privacy - Exceptional protection for minors
• Right to reply - Always offer opportunity to respond
• Proportionality - Information disclosed proportional to wrongdoing

Legal Compliance

• Defamation - Ensure factual accuracy, document evidence
• GDPR - Political figures have reduced privacy expectations, but comply
• Copyright - Properly attribute and fair use for excerpts
• Data protection - Secure storage, limited retention, access control
• Harassment - No intimidation, threats, or undue pressure

Quality Standards

Verification Checklist

• Primary source documents obtained and authenticated
• Two independent sources for major claims
• All statistics verified against original data
• Contrary evidence considered and addressed
• Expert opinion sought where appropriate
• Legal review completed for defamation risk
• Right to reply exercised for all criticized parties

Publication Standards

• Clear sourcing and attribution throughout
• Methodology transparently explained
• Limitations and uncertainties acknowledged
• Raw documents provided where possible (linked)
• Timeline and context clearly presented
• Alternative explanations considered
• Impact on individuals minimized where possible

Remember

• Public interest first - Investigations serve democratic accountability
• Verification is non-negotiable - Multiple independent sources
• Protect sources - Confidentiality is sacred
• Ethical boundaries - Privacy, harm minimization, proportionality
• Legal awareness - Understand defamation, privacy, GDPR
• Persistence pays - Deep investigations take time
• Document everything - Audit trail for transparency and legal defense
• Collaborate - Work with data journalists, legal experts, academics
• Swedish FOI is powerful - Use Offentlighetsprincipen strategically
• Quality over speed - Better to delay than publish unverified claims

References

• Journalistförbundet (Swedish Union of Journalists) Ethics Code
• Offentlighetsprincipen Guide
• Global Investigative Journalism Network
• OCCRP Investigative Dashboard
• European Court of Human Rights Press Freedom Jurisprudence
• Swedish Press Ombudsman (Pressombudsmannen)
• Data Journalism Handbook

Use this skill when: Conducting in-depth accountability investigations, filing FOI requests, analyzing documents and data for corruption patterns, verifying sources for major revelations, or navigating ethical boundaries in investigative reporting.