How to Use Triangulation to Find New Story Leads

One of the biggest challenges journalists face can be finding leads on new stories or uncovering new angles on existing ones. In the digital age, where information is abundant and readily accessible, it can be difficult to sift through the noise and find the truth. However, one useful technique for achieving this is “triangulation.”

Journalistic triangulation is a method of cross-checking information from multiple sources to arrive at a more accurate and comprehensive understanding of a particular subject. 

As an article from the International Journalists Network (IJNet) explains:

"Two centuries ago journalists were called reporters because they drew their information from official reports — documents, Then in the late 19th century a new source became part of journalistic practice: people, as interviews and eyewitness accounts were added to news articles.  The late 20th century saw reporting undergo another expansion in sourcing, as digital data was added to the journalist’s toolkit. Although reports had included tables and other sources of data, the properties of digital data — filterable, sortable and searchable — have been significant, and make data a qualitatively different type of source.”

The goal of triangulation is to compare and contrast the information gathered from these different sources in order to find the other sources. By using this method, journalists can potentially identify new leads on stories or uncover new angles on existing ones.

Here’s what to do.

START WITH A CENTRAL QUESTION OR TOPIC

The first step in using triangulation is to identify a central question or topic that you want to explore. This might be a broad issue that you're interested in, or a specific story that you're already working on. Once you have your topic in mind, begin by gathering as much information as you can about it from a variety of sources. Each point of data can lead you to another. For example, “Documents can lead you to people: an obvious example would be a webpage (a document) listing contact details — but you might also use a report or presentation to lead you to an expert (the author), or a document about a meeting, or livestream, to identify those people who were present.” Data can also lead to people, and people can lead to either documents or data.

LOOK FOR PATTERNS AND INCONSISTENCIES

As you gather information from different sources, look for patterns and inconsistencies in the information you find. Are there certain themes or ideas that come up repeatedly across multiple sources? Are there any discrepancies or contradictions in the information you're finding? Moreover, where are the gaps in your sources?

SEEK OUT DIVERSE PERSPECTIVES

To cover source gaps, it's important to seek out diverse perspectives on your topic. This means looking beyond your usual sources and seeking out other accounts of the same story point that you are developing. 

USE MULTIPLE RESEARCH METHODS

It may not be enough to simply Google your topic: journalists may have to think outside the box and even go as far as using federal motions to seek out information. Social media presents an interesting conundrum as well, as it contains editorialized opinions that you would get from a person, yet are static and unchanging—meaning it occupies the role of a document more than a person. 

BE OPEN TO SURPRISES AND ALLOW THEM TO CHANGE YOUR RESEARCH

It's important to approach triangulation with an open mind and a willingness to be surprised, because once you begin digging in three different directions, the information you find will very likely surprise you. Your initial assumptions of the topic will be challenged, and putting biases aside in order to follow the pathways the new information has opened up will lead to more complete reporting for your audience.

Triangulation can be an incredibly useful technique, but it comes with a level of discipline that is important to observe. All information and research must be verified through three very specific points of research: people, data, and documents. Information has to be synthesized for users in an accessible way. But when done right, triangulation can really make the difference between a completed story and an under-researched one.