Investigative Story Proposal

This is a sample letter to an editor for an investigative story idea, as we were assigned to do in class.


To: Editor
From: Jennifer Chapman

Re: Story Outline: Shady business at the Body Shop

Subject: Body shop accused of substituting used parts when insurance companies are paying for new parts

Scope: We will research the quality of work that the insurance company is paying for versus what they are getting from the body shop. The concern is that a particular body shop is using used parts after the insurance company has paid for new parts to make more money.

Need: Insurance companies are allegedly being scammed by the body shop, while the body shop is making money it doesn’t deserve. This could be happening to individuals as well.

Methods: We can interview former customers and former employees. We can also send in a wrecked car to be fixed, and have a professional inspect it afterward to see if it is a new or used part that is used.

Sources: We can interview former employees, former customers and insurance companies and get information from personal experience if we choose to test them by having a car repaired there. We will also interview the owner of the body shop and have him respond to what we found.

Presentation: This is likely to be a story that could be ran in just one day.

Follow-up: If the body shop is found to be involved in wrongdoing, it is likely that they would face fines and lose credibility with the insurance companies. A story on the aftermath on the body shop would be needed.