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Become an Investigative Journalist

Step-by-step guide from finding sources to filing FOIA requests. Learn to dig up public records, track people down, and get the documents that make the story.

5 steps

1Family Tree Now

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2Factiva

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3Nexis Uni

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4AP Newsroom

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5AP Newsroom

Find people and their connections

Free people search tool that reveals addresses, relatives, and associates — your starting point for tracking down sources.

💡 Pro tip: Cross-reference results with LinkedIn and social media to verify you have the right person.

WebsiteFree

Family Tree Now

Journalism & Investigative Research

Free people search tool for journalists. Look up anyone by name, phone, or address to find contact info, relatives, and addresses. Useful for locating sources and verifying identities.

Access

Search global news archives

Dow Jones news database with 33,000+ sources — find previous reporting on your subject going back decades.

💡 Pro tip: Use the 'Intelligent Indexing' filters to narrow by company, industry, or region for targeted results.

Database$948/yr value

Factiva

News & Media

U.S. and international newspapers (HTML full text), news transcripts, trade journals, newsletters, industry snapshots, and market data charts for recent stock prices. Coverage spans the late 20th century to present.

Access

Research legal and news sources

Combines news archives with legal documents, company profiles, and public records in one search.

💡 Pro tip: Use the 'Company Dossier' feature to pull comprehensive background reports on organizations you're investigating.

Database$1,200/yr value

Nexis Uni

News & Media

Full-text news, business, and legal research in one platform. Search 17,000+ news sources, company reports, SEC filings, and case law. Replaced LexisNexis Academic — same power, better interface.

Access

Access AP wire stories and archives

The Associated Press archive gives you verified, wire-service reporting to fact-check against and build on.

💡 Pro tip: Use AP style as your reference — it's the standard for most newsrooms and journalism courses.

Database$500/yr value

AP Newsroom

News & Media

Photos and audio gathered by Associated Press reporters around the world. Updated daily with archive including historical images dating from the 1500s.

Access

Access AP wire stories and archives

The Associated Press archive gives you verified, wire-service reporting to fact-check against and build on.

💡 Pro tip: Use AP style as your reference — it's the standard for most newsrooms and journalism courses.

Database$500/yr value

AP Newsroom

News & Media

Photos, audio, and video gathered by Associated Press reporters worldwide. Updated daily with the AP Daybook (upcoming NYC events calendar), current photo reports, and historical images from the 1500s.

Access