journalist-analyst

What this skill does

# Journalist Analyst Skill

## Purpose

Analyze events through the disciplinary lens of journalism, applying established reporting frameworks (5 Ws and H, inverted pyramid), investigative methods, source evaluation techniques, and ethical journalism principles to understand what happened, verify facts, identify information gaps, assess newsworthiness, and evaluate how stories are told.

## When to Use This Skill

- **Breaking News Analysis**: Rapidly assessing developing events for facts and significance
- **Fact-Checking**: Verifying claims, identifying misinformation, evaluating evidence
- **Source Evaluation**: Assessing credibility and reliability of information sources
- **Story Development**: Identifying angles, leads, and information gaps
- **Media Criticism**: Analyzing how news is framed, what's emphasized or omitted
- **Crisis Communication**: Understanding information flow and public perception
- **Investigative Analysis**: Uncovering hidden connections, following money/power

## Core Philosophy: Journalistic Thinking

Journalistic analysis rests on fundamental principles:

**Facts Are Sacred**: Accuracy is paramount. Verify before publishing. Correct errors promptly.

**Show Your Work**: Transparency about sources, methods, and limitations builds trust.

**Follow the Story Wherever It Leads**: Report truth even when inconvenient, uncomfortable, or contradicts expectations.

**Serve the Public Interest**: Journalism's duty is to inform citizens, hold power accountable, give voice to voiceless.

**Question Everything**: Healthy skepticism toward all sources, especially those in power. Trust but verify.

**Context Matters**: Facts without context can mislead. Provide background, perspective, proportion.

**Be Fair and Balanced**: Present multiple perspectives. Distinguish reporting from opinion. Minimize harm.

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## Theoretical Foundations (Expandable)

### Framework 1: The 5 Ws and H (Fundamental Questions)

**Origin**: Classical rhetoric (Hermagoras of Temnos, 1st century BCE), refined in journalism

**Core Principle**: Complete story answers six essential questions

**The Six Questions**:

**1. Who?**

- Who is involved (actors, stakeholders)?
- Who is affected?
- Who made decisions?
- Who has authority or expertise?
- Who wins? Who loses?

**2. What?**

- What happened?
- What is the event, action, or development?
- What are the key facts?
- What changed?
- What are the consequences?

**3. When?**

- When did this occur?
- What is the timeline?
- When did key events happen?
- When will effects be felt?
- Why does timing matter?

**4. Where?**

- Where did this happen?
- What is the geographic scope?
- Where are effects felt?
- Why does location matter?

**5. Why?**

- Why did this happen?
- What are the causes?
- What motivations drove actions?
- Why does this matter?
- Why now?

**6. How?**

- How did this happen?
- What is the mechanism or process?
- How do we know (sourcing)?
- How widespread or significant?
- How will this unfold?

**Key Insights**:

- Systematic framework ensures completeness
- Identifies information gaps
- Guides reporting and questioning
- Provides structure for analysis

**When to Apply**: Every story, event, or claim analysis

**Sources**:

- [Five Ws - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Ws)
- Journalism textbooks (standard framework)

### Framework 2: Inverted Pyramid Structure

**Origin**: American journalism, 19th century (Civil War era)

**Core Principle**: Most important information first, details in descending order of importance

**Structure**:

- **Lead (Lede)**: Most newsworthy facts (who, what, when, where, why, how)
- **Body**: Supporting details, context, quotes, in decreasing importance
- **Tail**: Background, less essential information

**Rationale**:

- Readers may stop reading at any point—ensure they get essentials first
- Editors can cut from bottom without losing key facts
- Busy readers get core information quickly

**Key Insights**:

- Forces prioritization (what matters most?)
- Front-loads verification (most important claims get most scrutiny)
- Clarity and efficiency

**Modern Variations**:

- **Hourglass**: Inverted pyramid top, narrative middle, conclusion
- **Kabob**: Multiple inverted pyramids (breaking news updates)
- **Nut graf**: After lead, paragraph explaining significance

**When to Apply**: Breaking news, straightforward reporting, time-sensitive information

**Source**: [Inverted Pyramid - Wikipedia](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inverted_pyramid_(journalism)>)

### Framework 3: Newsworthiness Criteria

**Definition**: Factors determining whether event is newsworthy

**Seven Classic Criteria**:

**1. Timeliness**

- Recent events are more newsworthy
- "News" means "new"
- Immediacy creates urgency

**2. Proximity**

- Geographic or psychological closeness to audience
- Local events more relevant than distant
- Cultural proximity matters too

**3. Impact / Consequence**

- How many people affected?
- How significantly?
- Long-term vs. short-term effects

**4. Prominence**

- Involves well-known people, organizations, places
- Public figures held to different standard
- Celebrity increases newsworthiness

**5. Conflict**

- Disagreement, controversy, competition
- Dramatic tension
- Human vs. human, human vs. nature, human vs. institution

**6. Human Interest**

- Emotional resonance
- Unusual, quirky, touching
- Universal human experiences

**7. Novelty / Unusualness**

- "Man bites dog" not "dog bites man"
- Deviations from normal
- Firsts, records, extremes

**Additional Modern Criteria**:

- **Visual Appeal**: Does it have compelling images?
- **Trendiness**: Connected to ongoing story or trend?
- **Shareability**: Will audience share this?

**Key Insights**:

- Not all newsworthy events are equally newsworthy
- Multiple criteria increase newsworthiness
- Criteria evolve with audience and medium

**When to Apply**: Evaluating significance of events, understanding media coverage patterns

**Sources**:

- [News Values - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/News_values)
- Journalism education standards

### Framework 4: Source Evaluation (Credibility Assessment)

**Core Principle**: Not all sources are equally reliable. Evaluate systematically.

**Source Types**:

**1. Primary Sources**

- Direct witnesses or participants
- Original documents or records
- Firsthand accounts
- Highest value but still require verification

**2. Secondary Sources**

- Report on primary sources
- Experts analyzing events
- Officials summarizing information
- Require corroboration

**3. Tertiary Sources**

- Compilations, summaries, references
- Lowest direct value
- Useful for context and background

**Credibility Criteria**:

**Authority**:

- What expertise or position does source have?
- What's their track record?
- Are they recognized in relevant field?

**Proximity**:

- How close to events?
- Direct knowledge or hearsay?
- Firsthand or secondhand?

**Bias and Motivation**:

- What interests does source have?
- What do they gain or lose?
- What's their perspective or agenda?
- Are they objective or partisan?

**Corroboration**:

- Do other sources confirm?
- Is there documentary evidence?
- Can claims be independently verified?

**Transparency**:

- Will source go on record?
- Anonymous sources require higher corroboration
- Can sourcing be shown to readers?

**Best Practices**:

- Multiple sources for major claims
- On-the-record preferred over anonymous
- Document everything
- Distinguish fact from opinion
- Note conflicts of interest

**When to Apply**: Every source, every claim, every story

### Framework 5: Journalistic Ethics (SPJ Code)

**Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics**: Four principles

**1. Seek Truth and Report It**

- Verify information before release
- Remember sources can be inaccurate
- Identify sources clearly
- Consider sources' motives
- Provide context
- Acknowledge mistakes, correct prominently

**2. Minimize Harm**

- Balance publi