How We Source Narratives

The physical story, pitch or person makes its way to The Doe's editorial team via email, Keybase or social media.

Initial Screening

The editorial team assesses whether the pitch is compelling enough to dedicate time to. Is the narrative unlike anything already on the site or in the pipeline? Is it worth the reader's time? Does it need to be told anonymously? Has this story already been published elsewhere? Will this story support our mission of igniting discourse?

If the narrative passes the initial screening, it holds merit and value for the public and we want to publish it. However, we only publish stories that are true, so narratives move into “due diligence”.

Due Diligence

After we determine the narrative is a good fit, we begin the formal due diligence process. The editorial team begins digging to verify the authenticity of the identity of the individual. When a story comes to us rather than us sourcing a story, the diligence process is more thorough—rather than us digging to find a person, these steps happen in reverse. The editorial team will conduct background searches that involve validating ownership of a person or brand’s social media, speaking to the individual or meeting them in person, requesting applicable documents only the individual has access to (and assessing their validity), requesting government-issued identification and other case-by-case forms of verification to prove individuals are who they claim to be.

Finalize Story

After completing our due diligence, we will work with the John or Jane Doe to finalize and publish their story. The process varies depending on the quality of the writing or if the story has been written elsewhere. Most stories are accepted in draft form and edited with the original author having the final say. Some stories are “as told to’s,” where the editorial team will conduct an interview and scribe the story for the author.

Sourcing a story begins with a pitch or an idea. The editorial team works from a baseline tied to a theme, in which they aim to fill stories that hold true to The Doe’s mission. The process involves considering whether a narrative already exists in the mainstream, what angle would be unique, what needs to be heard, what needs to be discussed and what can we source that will complete the picture of a topic the media has biasedly covered. Beyond the theme-based framework, stories are ideated and sought after based on current events and timely finds.

After a concept has been finalized, the editorial team considers whether a contact may already exist and pursues that individual. If not, the team begins researching.

Researching often entails identifying a person affiliated with the topic. Once identified, an editorial team member will reach out. This process means that the only identity verification required is to ensure they are the person we are attempting to contact. For example: If we want a story from an ex-CIA operative, we would identify Edward Snowden, establish contact with the individual we believe is Edward and then verify the individual we are speaking with is Edward.

The process of confirming identity and asking for a narrative depends on the team member doing the outreach. If an individual is aware of The Doe, often there is a very small story pitch, assessing interest from the individual, then verifying their identity. Sometimes it’s the other way around. Factors such as how contact is made, the pedigree of the person and their knowledge of The Doe can cause those three factors to come in different orders. Nonetheless, Identity is always confirmed. This identity verification is the same as before. We validate ownership of a person or brand’s social media, speak to the individual or meet them in person, request applicable documents only the individual has access to (and assess their validity), request government-issued identification and other case-by-case forms of verification to prove individuals are who they claim to be.

We move to finalizing the story, which follows the same process as funnel one.