Investigative Reconstruction Method
Reconstruct complex institutions through exhaustive reading, sources, and documents
- Difficulty
- Expert
- Time to result
- ~months to results
- Steps
- 6
- Confidence
- 96%
The method begins by reading as much of the existing record as possible, including journalism, academic work, legal material, and government documents. That foundation reveals the institution's timeline, major actors, unresolved contradictions, and gaps in public knowledge. The researcher then builds relationships with former insiders, beginning where possible with senior people who can explain the organization and identify additional sources. Interviews focus on eliciting concrete stories, decisions, and interactions rather than abstract opinions. Memories are strengthened or challenged with contemporaneous emails, records, and other documents. Finally, competing accounts are compared to reconstruct dialogue, incentives, conflicts, and consequences. The output is a narrative that combines institutional scope with character-level detail while remaining anchored to documentary evidence.
Origin
Extracted from Masters in Business, where David Enrich described researching Deutsche Bank for Dark Towers.
Core principles
- 01Read the existing record before seeking new evidence
- 02Interview people across the institution
- 03Ask sources for stories rather than conclusions
- 04Corroborate memories with contemporaneous documents
- 05Use competing perspectives to expose hidden conflicts
How to run it
- 1
Master the public record
Read prior media coverage, academic papers, government documents, legal records, and other available material. Use this research to establish the timeline and identify unanswered questions.
Pro tip Create a chronology and source map while reading so recurring names and contradictions become visible.
Watch out Do not treat published accounts as automatically accurate or complete.
- 2
Identify institutional insiders
List people who worked at different levels, functions, and periods within the organization. Start with knowledgeable former insiders who can speak more freely and direct you toward others.
Pro tip Senior former employees can provide an organizational map even when they cannot substantiate every detail.
Watch out Former employees may carry grievances or reputational motives that shape their accounts.
- 3
Ask for stories
Use open-ended interviews to elicit specific scenes, conversations, decisions, and relationships. Follow each story by asking who else witnessed it and what records might exist.
Pro tip Informal settings such as breakfast or dinner may help sources recall events naturally.
Watch out A vivid anecdote is not proof until it is corroborated.
- 4
Acquire contemporaneous evidence
Seek emails, memoranda, regulatory correspondence, calendars, and other records created near the events. Use them to verify chronology and reconstruct dialogue accurately.
Pro tip Ask sources about old personal accounts or archives where legitimate access may preserve work-related records.
Watch out Confirm that documents were obtained lawfully and evaluate their provenance.
- 5
Triangulate competing accounts
Compare each source's version with documents and testimony from other participants. Separate agreed facts from disputed interpretations and self-protective narratives.
Pro tip Treat disagreement as a clue to incentives, power struggles, and concealed decisions.
Watch out Do not let access to a compelling source turn the reporting relationship into advocacy.
- 6
Build the evidence-backed narrative
Organize verified events into a causal story showing how people, incentives, and institutional choices interacted. Preserve complexity without losing the central mechanism.
Pro tip Use character development to make institutional forces understandable to non-specialists.
Watch out Narrative coherence must never override contradictory evidence.
In the wild
Enrich read decades of reporting, academic work, government documents, and laws before interviewing scores of former Deutsche Bank employees. Bitter departures made many insiders willing to explain their side, while contemporaneous emails and documents helped him recreate events and dialogue. Comparing those accounts exposed how incentives, fragmented oversight, and internal conflicts contributed to the bank's failures.
→ The research produced a character-driven institutional history grounded in interviews and documentary evidence.
A reporter first builds a timeline from filings, lawsuits, archived announcements, and technical papers. Former executives, engineers, customers, and regulators then provide specific accounts, which are checked against emails, meeting notes, and product records. Conflicting versions reveal where leaders concealed risks or misunderstood the technology.
→ The reporter can explain both what failed and the organizational mechanism that caused it.
Common mistakes
Starting interviews without groundwork
Without mastering the public record, the interviewer cannot recognize contradictions, ask precise follow-ups, or use scarce source time effectively.
Trusting one embittered insider
A former employee may possess valuable evidence while still presenting a selective or self-serving account. Corroborate every consequential claim.
Confusing access with friendship
An intense source relationship can acquire the tone of friendship even though the journalist must remain independent and report uncomfortable facts.
Is it for you?
Best for
It is best for journalists, authors, and researchers investigating complex organizations over long periods.
Not ideal for
It is not ideal for rapid reporting assignments that lack time for extensive sourcing and corroboration.
From the transcript
“I did my best to read every single thing that had been written about Deutsche Bank from the midies to the present day.”
“And then I just set out to meet as many people as I could who have been involved for it, worked for the bank”
“and you just sit down with these people over drinks or dinner or breakfast, and you you know, you just asked them to tell you…”
From the episode
David Enrich on Deutsche Bank’s Clean-Up (Podcast)
David Enrich