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Investigations Pitch Form 2025-2026
This is a form for writers on the Investigations team, desk and assistant editors, and anyone else who has a story idea that they think would be a strong long-form/investigative story.

Feel free to use this form and not submit it – the questions are largely meant for you to think through the story, what you have so far, etc. If you have any questions, reach out at enterprise@dailytarheel or find me (Aidan) in the office. 

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Name/Role at DTH
Summary: Tell me what this story is about in 2-3 lines. If you can't, maybe you're lacking a news angle or need a little bit more focus. 
Uncovering something new: What is something new that your story or project will bring to light? It's not enough to say that this will be the most comprehensive overview of something– think about angles, about analysis. What did you discover, or what will your reporting discover?
Harm, Community & Blame: Think about the way that this story deals with these three elements. None are crucial to running a SP story, but all of them are common.
Who is harmed by the subject matter of this story– and how central is that harm to the story itself? Relatedly, what communities is this story relevant to, and how directly? Lastly, can you identify what is to blame for the issue your story is writing about? It isn't always a person: what systems or institutions created your problem? How will you interact with them in your writing and reporting? Do you even know yet?
Research : What other reporting has been done on this topic? Have you looked into that thoroughly enough to tell me why this story will bring us something new? Something interesting?  Look at past DTH reporting to see if we've already reported on this, if we can add something new, etc. 


More Research: What kind of research will you need to do in order to report this story? What do you already have? This can be public records requests, meeting logs/transcripts, databases, etc. Is there any information that you think/know exists out there that you need to find? 
Sourcing: Who are you going to talk to for this story? Have you already spoken to anyone about this topic? 
Please spend some time thinking about potential sources and why each person would meaningfully contribute to the story. Cast a wide net! I don't want our stories to be held up because we can't source them. If you're feeling stuck, reach out to me or find me in the office and we can brainstorm together. 


Resources & Skills: Do you feel confident that you can report this story? Is there anything you feel unsure about that you might need help with? 

Do you think you would benefit from having a co-writer? Do you need help with research, specific sourcing, anything? 
Optional Comments: Any other questions, concerns?
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