How and why to pitch an investigative reporter

Whether you’re nonprofit or corporate communicator, an investigative reporter is a compelling way to get your organization’s story out there

In the digital age there is at least one reporter who prefers telephone pitches. Her name is Renee Ferguson, and she is an award-winning investigative reporter.

Is Renee Ferguson technology-phobic?

Can we blame Ferguson’s preference of telephone calls over e-mails on a case of techno-phobia? After all, she was reporting long before Al Gore invented the Internet.

Not a chance. Ferguson’s on the Web every day researching stories. She’s even dived into Facebook for material. “I don’t know how we ever researched anything without the Internet,” she said only half-joking. “I don’t know how we even functioned.”

Instead of exhaustively pouring over documents, Ferguson said she now uses the computer for quicker results. “Bada-bing, bada-boom—wow—technology, it’s a beautiful thing,” she said.