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Chapter 9: Investigative Quiz
Test your knowledge of the investigative chapter material!
1 / 10
True or false: The EDGAR database of corporate filings kept by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) can teach you more about private companies.
Only publicly traded companies file with the SEC. Read more on page 95.
Correct! Only publicly traded companies file with the SEC. If you are covering a business beat with publicly traded companies, the EDGAR database should be a regular stop for you.
2 / 10
True or false: You don’t have to specialize in investigative reporting to come across a great investigative story.
The great thing about investigative business reporting is that any reporter has the capacity to do it. Read more on page 94.
Correct! The great thing about investigative business reporting is that any reporter has the capacity to do it. Some of the best investigative journalism has been done by beat reporters, who in the course of their routine beat work ran across a document or a source that opened a door to an important story.
3 / 10
On which organization’s website can you find the EDGAR database?
Answer can be found on page 99.
Correct! In addition to containing the EDGAR database, the main webpage for the SEC contains lots of information on securities, laws, and regulations as well as enforcement cases brought by the agency.
4 / 10
When localizing an investigative story, you should:
Answer can be found on page 97.
Correct! Localizing an investigative business story – assuming it isn’t a piece that starts and ends in your backyard – often involves picking some broader national or even international subject and then finding a hook close to home.
5 / 10
Which of the following websites would be useful when looking for information that has been buried in SEC filings?
Answer can be found on page 100.
Correct! All of these websites are helpful resources for journalists, but Footnoted specifically tracks SEC filings and highlights buried nuggets of corporate news.
6 / 10
Contacting a subject for their side of the story early on serves which purpose?
Answer can be found on page 102.
Correct! Whatever path you take on reporting the story, it’s vital to keep testing your main premises early and often.
7 / 10
Which of the following is a publicly traded company’s annual report?
Answer can be found on page 95.
Correct!
8 / 10
Which of the following is a publicly traded company’s quarterly report?
9 / 10
What would a journalist use the software QGIS for?
Answer can be found on page 101.
10 / 10
What might the “related-party transactions” section in SEC filings tell you?
Answer can found on page 95.
Correct! In this section, the company must report any outside business/financial dealings it has had with a company executive or director – i.e. transactions that could represent a conflict of interest.
Your score is
The average score is 75%
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