By David L. Brown, VP-Communications
On Friday, August 27 a group of SPJ members and guests gathered in Albuquerque for a lunch-hour seminar presented by Michael Corwin. The Albuquerque PI shared tips from the world of private investigation on how to get the information you need to flesh out stories. The event was organized by the Rio Grande Chapter, Society of Professional Journalists.
Nationally known for his bulldog tenacity and ability to dig out inconvenient facts, Corwin has worked on a number of political campaigns as well as conducting legal investigations in such areas as breach of contract, child abuse and fraud. The seminar was scheduled to run from 11:30 to 1:00, but due to interest from the participants many stayed around for an extra hour to discuss and share ideas and methods with Corwin. A pizza lunch was included in the modest cost of the event.
Corwin described how he builds rapport with clerks, learning to know them by name and always asking “can you help me,” instead of making demands. On the subject of time management, he said it’s important to group your work. In his case, that means planning visits to county or city clerk’s offices or courthouses to research several cases at one time. Among the sources he discussed were the use of Lexis/Nexis, social media (he likes MySpace because it’s a “party” site where subjects may let out secrets they would rather not have widely known) and others. He points out that “everything is local,” so follow the subject back to where he or she came from to learn about past events.
PI Michael Corwin presents a seminar on "Efficient Investigation" to a group of SPJ members and guests in Albuquerque.
Although he starts with on-line research, Corwin is a strong believer in using shoe leather to dig deep, both by examining public records in person and through face-to-face interviews. Paper documents are good, but he strives to get what he calls “walking, talking sources” through personal interviews with witnesses or subjects. He said he has conducted about 8000 interviews over the years. He prefers to show up without appointments, and usually doesn’t record the interviews because it tends to intimidate subjects. Another tip: “Learn to listen. The more you talk, the less they talk.” He generally prepares with only a list of topics rather than detailed questions. He added: “Silence is your best tool.” Ask leading questions such as “how?” and “how so?” and wait for the subject to respond. He also suggested being prepared to engage in give-and-take, willing to trade some non-confidential information in return for what he gets.
There was much more and participants took away new tools to make them more effective journalists. Corwin will repeat this program in El Paso on October 14, with details to be announced.