NR26

Reporters’ approaches to crucial insiders are often ghosted – the potential sources don’t even bother to respond.  It’s an unfortunate point of failure in many investigations:  Not getting enough help particularly from knowledgeable former employees of the wrongdoing businesses and government agencies.  
  
Stefanie Dodt and Jim Mintz show how emails to formers often fail because they are boring, pushy or vague.  Successfully approaching people has little to do with being nice, or begging for help. The key that unlocks the cooperation of former employees is understanding the six ways you may be interesting to them, and to benefit from the six ways they may be interesting to you. 
  
Line by line, they demonstrate un-boring email examples that cannot be ghosted.  The result is information and help from inside perspectives that deepens your reporting.