Sports Journalists: 3 Tips to Write the Best Investigative Piece

The sports world is full of stories waiting to be written. Some storylines nearly write themselves; others require a journalist to research, challenge and agonize over an issue that may be buried layers beneath common knowledge. As a sports journalist in the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, I have identified two articles that will help you write a strong investigative sports journalism piece.

In a Ringer article titled The Curious Case of Bryan Colangelo and the Secret Twitter Account, author Ben Detrick examines the numerous Twitter accounts that were linked to now-former Philadelphia 76ers president of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo. The Ringer received an anonymous tip about the accounts in February. They ran the story in May after months of scrutinizing and examining archived tweets. Detrick had a story on a longtime NBA executive publicly criticizing his past and present players, debating the decisions of his coaching staff, telegraphing a trade and disclosing players' medical information. It would have been easy to hastily run with the storyline instead of risk another media outlet running the story. But Detrick did his due diligence and contacted the 76ers' organization, even receiving a comment from Colangelo himself which is included in the piece. You can draw your own conclusion from the two exchanges: Not only did the Sixers confirm that Colangelo was the owner of one of the five accounts in question, but the three that were not mentioned simultaneously went dark shortly after he was told of The Ringer's inquiry." Detrick presents the information and lets the reader make their own interpretation based on the evidence provided.

                                                                   Source: The Ringer


In an investigative piece for ESPN titled For Kraft, Brady and Belichick, is this the beginning of the end?, Seth Wickersham writes about a growing rift between the trio responsible for bringing five Super Bowls to New England. Wickersham explores a concept unthinkable to most, the vulnerability of a dynasty. He writes about Brady's desire for his potential successor Jimmy Garoppolo to be traded and Bill Belichick's uneasiness at the decision. "For almost two decades, Belichick has managed to subvert the egos of his best player, his boss and himself for the good of the team, yielding historic results. This year, though, the dynamics have been different." Saying this, Wickersham establishes early that the reader should not doubt the topic of his investigative piece. The rift may not be common knowledge, but it has been existent for years.

Based on these two articles and my experiences as a sports journalist at Northwestern University, I have developed three crucial tips to consider when you embark on your own investigative sports journalism piece.

• Conduct extensive research. Readers should not question if you are the authority on the topic. Doing the necessary research - and then some - will ensure your investigative piece will answer questions from every possible angle.

• Relentlessly pursue truth. It is easy to get deterred and discouraged when writing an investigative piece. There will be dead ends and seemingly promising sources will refuse to talk. Keep pushing.

• Be patient. It is better to be second and publish the correct, best story than to be first and leave out information. Investigative pieces take time. Don't rush. The reward will be worth it.

When you begin your next investigative sports journalism story, remember these three tips throughout the entire process. 

Martin Oppegaard is a senior at Northwestern University studying Journalism, Business Institutions and Integrated Marketing Communications. He covers Northwestern athletics for InsideNU and the San Francisco Giants for MLB.com.

You can connect with Martin on Twitter or LinkedIn.

Beauty Brands: 3 Action Items to Stand Out on Social Media

As a beauty executive, be sure to keep up with the ever-changing trends on social media so you can stand out and impress high value markets. As a Northwestern student specializing in communication studies, I have found two articles about the beauty industry and social media that will interest you.

In her article for Refinery29, How SocialMedia Changed the Beauty Industry, Mi-Anne Chan illustrates how social platforms have made the beauty industry more inclusive and have engaged consumers in conversations. Social media has also introduced consumers to new techniques and types of products which has made what was once considered professional makeup accessible to consumers. This has allowed new products to enter the market and given consumers the power to create more complex looks that can be shared on social media. Additionally, brick-and-mortar stores have started to carry smaller brands that have large followings on social media, allowing more access to their products. To consumers, social media is more genuine than advertising. Brands have started including social media posts as part of their daily marketing and also engage with influencers promoting their products. High value beauty consumers engage with the beauty community online, and brands engage with influencers to reach these audiences. 

Kim Kardashian and Jaclyn Hill on @JaclynHill's Instagram

In her article for The Cut, Is InstagramMakeup Making Us All Beauty Clones?, Kathleen Hou shares professional makeup artists’ opinions on Instagram makeup trends. Many of these artists believe that social media is hurting the beauty industry by promoting unrealistic beauty standards. Hou discusses how social media pressures people to look camera-ready at all moments so that they can post about their lives. Hou also notes that makeup influencers wear different styles of makeup on different social media platforms, so makeup on Instagram is not representative of all makeup trends. She also illustrates the difference between creating looks for the camera and creating looks for real life. While camera-ready makeup looks more dramatic and pigmented than day-to-day makeup looks, both of these styles can be trending. Camera-ready looks are more engaging and spreadable on social media, but beauty consumers look for inspiration in all types of styles. 

Based on my review of these articles and my work and studies at Northwestern, I have created three action items that you should use the next time you’re creating a social media marketing campaign.

• Engage with Influencers- Interacting with influencers through collaboration, sponsorship, or commenting can bring your brand to millions of dedicated fans.
• Create Interesting Looks- When posting a look using your products, make it unique from the current trends and give your audience something to think about
• Be Dramatic While you should stand out from the crowd, stick with the trend of creating dramatic content meant for social media, not real life.

Social media has grown the beauty industry, and brands must use it effectively to continue fostering this growth.

Allyson Snyder is a communication studies student at Northwestern University in the Integrated Marketing Communications program. She will be graduating in June 2019 and specializes in market research, brand strategy, customer insights, and planning. You can connect with her on LinkedIn or Twitter.