By JESSICA SIMPSON
J Alumni News staff
Richard Behar was a guest of Campus Voices, 90.3 KRNU’s public affairs program, and the J school on Jan. 27.
Richard Behar has been trailed by private investigators, interviewed a mafia insider and been sued for libel six times. But this hasn’t deterred him.
Behar, an investigative financial journalist, is still uncovering business corruption and organized crime all over the world. In conjunction with this year’s E.N. Thompson Forum, Behar visited the College of Journalism and Mass Communications to share his expertise on writing and reporting.
Behar entered a classroom in Andersen Hall, sat down on a swivel chair in front of a small table and shuffled his notes. He looked up, surveyed the audience, and started right in.
“You don’t need connections in this business if you have the drive,” Behar said.
Behar said he didn’t have the advantages many children and students do. He grew up in foster care as a ward of New York State. He learned to take the initiative and make his way in the journalism field.
Out of college, Behar became a stringer for the New York Times and then moved on to Forbes as a business journalist. He has also worked for Time and Fortune magazine.
Starting at Forbes at age 25 with no business background taught Behar some very helpful skills he said. He remembers suffering from the “imposter complex.”
“What on earth am I doing here?” Behar asked himself. “I don’t know anything about business. You just learn; it’s like riding a bike.”
One of Behar’s first assignments at Forbes was traveling from city-to-city, finding the richest people. He didn’t know anything about these people or how to find them, but he quickly learned investigative skills.
Behar explained many techniques for finding story ideas. He said reporters must read between the lines. If a paragraph catches his eye, he said, it needs to be a story.
When Bill Clinton ran for president, Clinton went on about his success in creating jobs in Arkansas, Behar said. But, no one knew what kind of jobs they were. Behar channeled his curiosity and investigated deeper. He discovered the jobs were all within the poultry industry. They were “awful jobs, disgusting,” Behar said.
“You have to back yourself into a story,” Behar said.
Another way to find story ideas is to use Behar’s technique he calls “go shopping.”
Behar said, “Americans love consumer stories.”
Behar told about how he “stumbled on a story idea” while suit shopping. He found an expensive Italian suit being sold for $300. After some phone calls to the original suit maker in Italy, Behar discovered “designers were prostituting names on the low end.”
Behar’s boss was impressed and asked how he got the story.
“I liked that and decided to be an investigative journalist,” Behar said.
“Going to a party” is another method to finding story ideas. Behar said a reporter should never leave a party without finding at least one person with an interesting career. This way, he said, a reporter gets both an idea and a source, killing two birds with one stone.
Taking people out for coffee will lead to story ideas, because the reporter is “planting seeds” that will eventually sprout, Behar said. Then, if something happens down the road, that potential source will call, Behar said.
The Freedom of Information Act allows journalists access to documents and information. Behar said reporters should to use this to their advantage. Behar explained how he often goes to state offices to comb through documents, which may lead to more information. It also helps verify information Behar already has.
Interviewing skills are crucial to developing a story idea. Behar’s investigative background has sharpened his interviewing tactics over the years. Behar said he isn’t afraid to ask the hard questions.
The first thing you should know about interviewing is that “dumb questions are your friend,” Behar said. Questions that seem dumb may actually open things up.
“Even if you have a decent idea of the answer, ask it anyway,” Behar advised.
But sometimes silence is a stronger tool than asking questions. Knowing when to shut up is important Behar said. He said the awkward pauses are where he’s gotten his best information.
Behar’s “toilet paper” technique may be the most unusual one, yet. When a reporter is sitting with someone who says something amazing, just stop writing, he said. Change the subject and come back to it later. Behar said this will distract the person, and they won’t be conscientious of what they are divulging. After a while, Behar said, he excuses himself to go to the bathroom.
“I’ve gotta write down what they’re saying, so I go to the bathroom and write on toilet paper,” Behar explained.
Behar also said to spend as much time with the person as possible. Behar often asks to ride to or from the airport in a taxi with busy people who can’t schedule a time to meet.
The last step in the story process, after finding an idea and conducting interviews, is writing. Behar said to rebuild information into a language the reader can understand. If the reporter can’t sift through the pages of notes, try the “10 gems” tip. Behar said he looks at the mass of material and asks what 10 things the reader doesn’t know or can’t live without.
“Every story in journalism has one theme, not two, or you lose the reader,” Behar said. “Tell a story. Do not commit journalism!”
Behar organizes his stories into categories to make the transition from one idea to the next. He uses short sentences, clarity and everyday language.
Behar said, “The best articles aren’t written; they’re rewritten. Don’t fall in love with your writing.”
If a reporter is still having trouble, Behar said, she should pick and friend and tell that person in five minutes what she’s been working on. That, he said, is the story. Once the focus is sharp, reporters should use the lead to draw readers in.
In today’s shifting industry where most people don’t read lengthy stories, getting to the point is crucial to keeping an audience, Behar explained.
In a KRNU Radio interview with Rick Alloway, Behar expressed hope that the industry would turn itself around.
Behar said: “I’m ultimately an optimist. I really feel like this industry is going through a massive upheaval recreating itself. Young people have an opportunity that I didn’t have to be part of the creation of a new industry. I hope it goes in the right direction. I think its gonna land on its feet. “
Behar is currently working on a book for Random House about Bernie Madoff.
“It’s an enormous challenge,” Behar said of the Madoff project in the radio interview. “I love it for that reason. You’ve gotta peel that onion. The public is not interested in reading this unless you can really advance the ball on some major questions that are very hard to answer.”
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