"Arab journalists operate in an entirely different environment from their counterparts elsewhere. They face not only censorship from state and society, but also the impossibility of obtaining even basic open source information. The need to present models that speak to all the contradictory aspects of the Arab experience was at the forefront of our minds throughout the writing process. We do not want to separate investigative journalism from its essential task of holding the powerful to account. Nor do we want to lose its spirit in pernickety detail. But this handbook is less about the theory of investigative journalism and more an introduction intended to help you develop the conscious and considered tools and skills required by this very particular kind of journalism. In this handbook we are not looking to reduce investigative journalism to a set of strict pedagogical rules. We hope to equip journalists with the skills to do research, to think critically, to fact-check and to make good use of their common sense." (Pages 4-5)