The Art of Storytelling: When Journalism Meets Qualitative Research
Exploring storytelling through journalistic techniques in qualitative social science research methods.
“Let us also produce some bold act of our own – and join the ranks of the most emulated.”
– Seneca, Moral Letters
ATTN Qualitative Inquisitor:
Welcome back to the Qualitative Inquisition, where we explore the philosophical and transformative power of qualitative social science research methods!
It has been quite a month and a year for all the developments around the world. We have approached summer, nearing mid-year reflections now!
In the previous issue, I explored the power of storytelling, offering some general interconnections of storytelling in qualitative social science research methods, and connecting it to poetry for America’s National Poetry Month.
In this issue, given that journalism has been under much scrutiny, I wanted to continue the conversation of storytelling in reference to the intersection of journalism and qualitative research, highlighting how journalistic insights and techniques can enrich qualitative investigations and vice versa.
But first a note on the relevance to current affairs.
In the past several months, the field of journalism has faced layers of challenges. One prominent, ongoing issue is the targeting of journalists in war zones. In recent months we witnessed a significant number of journalists being killed in a conflict zone (Gaza), arguably the most in modern world history. We have also witnessed tremendous dissemination of misinformation, mainstream propaganda, and myths spewed by Western news channels to cover up a genocide, claiming journalistic integrity. Connected to this challenge of integrity in journalism, is the integrity in the academic space, as campus protests continue across the world in solidarity with the Palestinian people.
This is deeply concerning, as it is the job of journalists and academics to be the “truthtellers,” and share stories with evidence-based data and validated, reliable, and irrefutable facts. Unfortunately, many journalists and academics are failing at this task. It is a grave injustice, especially in the question of Palestine, that those facts continued to be distorted by very powerful players. But as many others have stated, we are now seeing the tides turning slowly.
We would not be credible and trustworthy journalists, writers, scholars, researchers and academics, if we did not acknowledge irrefutable facts, the truth, as we “follow the science.” The job of journalists and qualitative researchers/academics is not to write fiction, but to unveil truths, often the hidden stories, as I noted in the previous edition. I hope that we give more attention to the media that works hard to be objective, and reveal the facts without serious racial, economic, political and systemic biases. We need “independent media” now, more than ever. I hope to share my thoughts on this in a future edition.
For now, we continue this journey to uncover truths, with the Qualitative Inquisition.
Like A Journalist
In my expeditions and fact-finding missions, for example, while conducting doctoral field research in Pakistan, I would often feel like a journalist. I first discovered the intersections when deeply immersed in my doctoral fieldwork. I saw how important journalistic techniques were to incorporate in qualitative research and also the great synergies in the investigation.
This synergy was certainly evident in all the events, conferences, meetings, focus groups, and individual interviews that I’d partake in. I considered it the most thrilling part of the overall “Qualitative Inquisition.”
An essential aspect of telling the stories as qualitative researchers is investigation. This investigation involves finding the relevant stakeholders to a problem or social phenomenon you are looking to understand or resolve, and asking the questions.
Journalistic Techniques in Qualitative Research
By incorporating methods and techniques from the field of journalism, the qualitative Inquisitor can enhance the depth and impact of their research.
Journalism and qualitative research share a core objective: to uncover truths and present them in a scientific, compelling, engaging, and informative narrative that invites more inquiry. Many research techniques in qualitative research can, hence, be taken directly from the field of journalism.
Here are some journalistic techniques that are naturally integral to qualitative research:
In-depth Interviews: Similar to investigative journalism, the crux of qualitative research involves detailed interviews. Direct engagement and interaction with a respondent provide a wealth of data and insights into personal experiences, social, economic, and political trends, and further inquiries, alongside identifying potential data sources. These interviews can include both open-ended questions which help uncover deeper insights, or semi-structured, meaningful questions prepared in advance. I like to keep a blend of both open-ended and semi-structured interviews depending on the respondent’s position, to keep focused, but also allow for the research to go in any direction that could invite more fascinating explorations and revelations.
Cultural Immersion and Participant Observation: Journalists, similar to qualitative researchers, often use observational techniques to capture the nuances of their research subjects and their environments. Qualitative researchers employ ethnography within fieldwork expeditions to observe and interpret the behaviors, and interactions within a community or a particular environment. Fieldwork is a method that Journalists and Qualitative researchers tend to be eager to embark on. It is certainly a personal favorite element of the Qualitative Inquisition!
Narrative Construction: Every good story needs a thought-provoking, intriguing, and compelling narrative, and this is where journalistic writing skills can take the spotlight. Researchers can use narrative techniques to construct more engaging and relatable articles, stories, and/or reports, making their findings more impactful to a broader audience, or an audience beyond their original niche or discipline.
Document/Content Analysis: Journalists review a ton of diverse documents to verify facts, triangulate information, or encounter more information to reveal new insights. In qualitative research, analyzing documents such as letters, emails, archives, and other types of official records is vital to providing critical context and depth, to help triangulate with other forms of data collected in field research, interviews, participant observation, and secondary data collection through reputable sources.
The Ethics in Storytelling
Incorporating journalistic techniques into qualitative research can enhance your storytelling. Another critical intersection between journalism and qualitative research is the ethics of storytelling. There are research ethics to consider when gathering information, including ensuring you are abiding by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) and human subjects research ethics at your institution. If working as an independent scholar, journalist, or researcher, general, universal research ethics must still be considered. This includes “informed consent” and “member checking”, and respecting anonymity should research respondents prefer to remain anonymous in your study.
I will dedicate an entire newsletter edition on research ethics within qualitative research in a future edition.
Concluding Reflections
Referencing Seneca, the great Stoic Philosopher, as quoted above, investigative journalism and qualitative research share a necessary boldness in attributes. It takes courage to write stories, to investigate, to engage, and tell the truth. While some academics and journalists alike won’t embrace this language, storytelling, and journalism are essentially in the act of “Speaking Truth to Power.” Many people inspire us in their courageous expeditions to uncover the truth. Be inspired by them and let it ignite a brave and bold move of your own!
Ultimately, by integrating journalistic techniques into qualitative research, we can enrich our methods and outputs, making our work not only more thorough but also more accessible and engaging to all. This approach can bridge the gap between academic research and public discourse, enhancing the societal impact of our findings!
I appreciated that my graduate studies helped me understand how to bridge this gap. My research study was inherently independent, interdisciplinary, and flexible. This flexibility allowed for creativity, through the open-ended questions, leading to invigorating, honest, conversations that helped enrich the narratives, and bring depth and meaning to my qualitative inquiries.
I mention this, especially because much of the work we do as scholars is independent study. Though I prefer to call it “interdependent,” because it normally takes a village when incorporating the techniques noted above.
Lastly, I’d like to encourage everyone to support independent writers, artists, scholars, journalists, and activists, now more than ever.
Please support our work, and this can happen beyond monetary support, simply by sharing and engaging the writings and our art with the world. In the next section, I share a personal example and what I see as a recent “success story” in seeking support as an independent scholar.
Personal Update
Crowdsourcing for Academic Purposes – Upcoming Conference
Speaking of non-traditional paths or independent work, I want to share a personal note about an upcoming academic conference I am preparing to attend, next week. The conference is a great opportunity for me to present my research on Afghanistan, network with fellow scholars, and further my career in academia. As many of you know, pursuing academic endeavors can be both rewarding and challenging, especially when it comes to funding travel and participation.
To help support my journey, I launched a Fund My Travel page. You can learn more about the conference and the specific opportunity on that page.
I am happy to say that within just two weeks of launching the campaign, I managed to get 107% funded for the conference travel!
This is truly incredible. I want to thank all my supporters, both anonymous and other donors!
You can still support the page, as I hope to keep it up until after the American Political Science Association’s (APSA) Annual Conference this September. As I note on the campaign page, I hope to present a poster at that conference as well as attend for the academic job market this fall!
Your support, whether through donations or simply sharing the page with your network, will be very helpful. Thank you for being a part of my academic journey! You can read more about my efforts this summer in my Medium piece HERE.
Join the Qualitative Inquisition!
Storytelling and journalism are central to qualitative methods. I’ll come back to more specific journalistic techniques in this newsletter. In the next edition, I will talk about Creativity in Qualitative Research Methods, which piggybacks on storytelling. I’ll cover the importance of creativity and the interdisciplinary nature of qualitative research, my passion in art, and how I have connected it to my academic pursuits.
As noted above, please support independent research and media. I hope to share some independent media sources that I have been curating from independent news outlets in a future article to help diversify our news intake this critical year. Stay tuned for that!
Also, May is Mental Health Awareness Month, as I shared here in this piece on Medium. Please feel free to read the piece.
I hope we continue those difficult conversations and continue to share our important stories of survival as well.
Have a wonderful Summer! See you next month!
Thank you, and in the meantime, stay Inquisitive!
In Solidarity,
Your fellow qualitative Inquisitor,
Dr. Elsa
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Top News Roundup
Students Worldwide Supporting Palestine in Campus Protests
A Massacre in Rafah – Updates on the Gaza Genocide
Climate Crisis, Hunger and Deadly Floods in Afghanistan
Pakistan Bearing the Brunt of Climate Change through Scorching Heatwaves
The World is Ignoring Sudan’s Ongoing Genocide
Iran: Death of a President - Political Implications
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Academic Book Recommendation
The Academic Job Search Handbook, by Julie Miller Vick, Jennifer S. Furlong, and Rosanne Luric
‘Tis the season of the academic job market! I’ve been here more than once over the last four years. As I am working to find the “right home” for me, I want to support other fellow scholars as well. This was recommended to me when I graduated almost 3 years ago, and it is a great resource to help jumpstart the summer in your Academic Job Search!
Professional Development Book Recommendation
Limitless: Upgrade Your Brain, Learn Anything Faster, and Unlock Your Exceptional Life, by Jim Kwik
You can read about my thoughts regarding this important book in my Medium article here: “Relearning How to Learn.”
What are you reading these days? Share in the comments!
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TRIVIA
This month’s Trivia Question:
Which Middle Eastern news network gained worldwide recognition for its coverage following the events of September 11, 2001?
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Answers from the Previous Edition’s Trivia Question:
Question: During which period in history did the Islamic world experience a flourishing of poetry, literature, and scientific advancements?
Answer: The Islamic Golden Age refers to the period from the 8th century to the 14th century when the Islamic world experienced a flourishing of poetry, literature, science, and culture.
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Quote of the Month
“Courage starts by showing up and lettings ourselves be seen.”
– Dr. Brene Brown
Thank you for reading and engaging! You can learn more about me here. If you feel inspired by my writing and would like to support me, you are welcome to do so here on my Buy Me a Coffee Page. I appreciate your support! I also welcome discussion. Thank you, I wish you well on your academic, writing, and artistic journey!