If you understand Swedish, you must listen to this presentation titled “The ABC of investigative journalism”, by Nils Hanson from Swedish national television (SVT). It was made during the 2012 seminar on the topic of investigative journalism held in Malmö, Sweden, during the week-end of March 23-25. This was the 16:th time Nils Hanson made this presentation.
The interesting thing here is that Nils Hanson represents the community of investigative journalists and reporters, who think of them selves as being among “the good guys”, revealing the truth to the public, uncovering what corrupt politicians hide and even sometimes shedding light on dodgy activities of government intelligence and security organizations.
However, when listening to Nils Hanson, you will hear him describe to his audience of journalists how they should go about in order to make an unwilling human source talk, how they should go about in order to make an unwilling private person agree to becoming the subject of a news story and so on.
If you have government or military intelligence training in the field of HUMINT, you will immediately notice that the methods recommended by Nils Hanson are spot-on similar to the methods used by government and military intelligence operators. The key words are elicitation, motivation, provocation, flattery, favors and favors in return and so on:
– Build trust and rapport by starting out talking about something irrelevant non-sensitive and/or slightly humouristic
– Reduce tension in a situation where the source is refusing to talk by asking for something trivial like a cigarette, and then a match and so on
– Motivate the source to talk by providing gifts without asking for anything in return and by making considerable and noticeable efforts. This will build confidence, and also a sense of indebtedness.
– When a source is refusing to be the subject of a news story or refusing to being interviewed in television, tell the source that full control is with him/her, and start moving in small steps while telling the source that he/she can back out at any time. Having committed to a recorded interview, where several people spent a lot of time, the source will seldom back out and tell them all that their efforts and work have been for nothing.
All of these methods push well-known and simple psychological buttons and leverage mechanisms of human nature such as our reluctance to jump of the band wagon once we have been on it for a while. Normal people have a strong inner voice that talks about commitment, promise, responsibility, duty, gratitude, debt, payback, fairness etc.
I am sure not many of the journalists at the Gräv 2012 seminar would feel comfortable to think of them selves as working with the same toolbox as an intelligence officer managing his human assets.
iOSINT - information on Open Source Intelligence 