Writing
Investigative Journalism Prompt Generator
An investigative journalism prompt generator surfaces the angles and questions that drive real investigations — the lines of inquiry that turn a vague suspicion into a story. It draws from a pool of ten prompts: follow the money, whose voice is missing, what pattern connects incidents reported as isolated, who is harmed by a system working exactly as designed. Request between one and ten per run. The prompts are reshuffled on each click. Together they cover the recurring methods of investigative work: financial tracing, source diversification, pattern recognition, document verification, accountability mapping, and post-headline follow-up. Treat each prompt as a thread to pull. The real work — verifying with documents and multiple independent sources, protecting sources, following facts rather than a predetermined conclusion — is what turns an angle into a story that holds up.
How to use
- Choose your options above
- Click Generate
- Copy your result
Detailed instructions
- Choose how many angles you want.
- Click Generate to see investigation prompts.
- Pick a thread worth pulling.
- Verify with documents and multiple sources.
Use Cases
- •Finding an angle for an investigative story
- •Structuring the questions an investigation must answer
- •Thinking adversarially about official accounts
- •Teaching investigative reporting methods
- •Spotting patterns across isolated incidents
Tips
- →Follow the money and the missing voices.
- →Verify everything with independent sources.
- →Follow the facts, not a preset narrative.
- →Protect sources and give a right of reply.
FAQ
How do investigations actually start?
Rarely from one tip — usually from asking the right questions persistently and following evidence. These prompts are the recurring lines of inquiry reporters use to turn a suspicion into a verifiable story.
How should I use a prompt?
Treat it as a thread to pull, then verify with documents and multiple independent sources, protect those sources, and follow the facts rather than a predetermined narrative. The prompt opens the inquiry; rigorous reporting makes it hold up.
What is the ethical standard for investigative work?
High. Verify claims with multiple independent sources, give subjects a right of reply, protect vulnerable sources, and distinguish clearly between what you can prove and what you suspect. Investigative power carries real responsibility to be accurate and fair.
How many angles can I generate at once?
Between one and ten. The ten prompts are reshuffled on each run, so generating again surfaces different combinations. Pick an angle that connects to evidence or sources you can actually pursue.
You might also like
Popular tools from other categories that share themes with this one.
Try these next
More free tools from other corners of the catalog, picked by shared themes.