“An investigative journalist … to discover
the truth and to identify lapses from it in whatever media may be available.”
~ Hugo de Burgh, 2000
Investigative journalism comprises of 5
“INs” – IN-telligent; IN-formed; IN-tuitive; IN-side (or IN-timacy); and
IN-vest. Of course, it is also about the main “IN” – IN-vestigate. To do
investigative journalism, one must know the facts beforehand and not just go
barging right in. You have to develop a keen sense of intuition and learn to attain
trust from people on the inside. Naturally, you have to be prepared to invest a
lot of time, money, resources and even, relationships. You have to be prepared
to take risks. No one ever said investigative journalism was going to be easy.
What is investigative journalism, and what
is its purpose?
- Critical and thorough journalism
The key idea is ACTIVE INTERVENTION. Journalists must be active participants and make substantial effort when undertaking investigative journalism. - Custodians of conscience
The key idea is EXPOSURE. The investigation journalists do must expose “civic vices” for the society to react to. - To provide a voice for those without one
and to hold the powerful to account
The key idea is PUBLIC INTEREST. Social justice is the main aim for investigative journalism. - Fourth Estate / Fourth branch of the
government / “Watchdog”
The power of the government has to be balanced and journalists represent these interests of those without power, journalism takes checks on the other branches of government, the judiciary, executive and legislature, to ensure transparency and lastly, journalists have a duty to hold people and institutions in power accountable for actions that impact the society.
“Be sceptical, not cynical.” – this is what
investigative journalism is about. It is not about slamming or criticising
everything but being sceptical, taking things with a pinch of salt and if there
are indeed suspicious business going about, expose it. Everything is not to be
taken for granted and journalists have to stand back and observe the big
picture.
“It is not enough for journalist to see
themselves as mere messengers without understanding the hidden agendas of the
message and myths that surround it.”
~ John Pilger
As an old journalism saying goes, “if your
mother says she loves you check it out.” Journalists have to always check their
facts, and check it again. We should never assume anything. We can do this by
interviewing and observing, analysing documents and of course, triangulation.
Does everything up to that point – what you were told, what you saw, what you
recorded etc., all line up? Check, check, and check again.
Of course, investigative journalism in
modern times is facing threats. The most prominent one is definitely the lack
of resources. Online news is primarily the cause of this. Due to online news,
less revenue and money are made by news organisations. This, in turn, means
less journalists and less time are available to do reporting and thus, less
investigative journalism is done.
Secondly, public relations (PR) is also
another menace to investigative journalism. PR is all about propaganda as a
tool of selective use of ‘facts’ to present a case to the general public, and
usually a very persuasive tool. On the other hand, journalism needs to verify
the ‘facts in the public interest’. With the growth of PR out there constantly
feeding selected facts to the public (and the media), there is a shrinkage in
journalism.
So, what lies in store for investigative
journalism? Youtube recently launched a channel “tailored to investigative
journalism” but I’ve checked that out and truth be told, the whole thing seems
a little dodgy.
However, there is The Daily Mail, which
does investigative journalism. For the moment it is going strong but really, what
will happen if resources run out for it? But, let’s try to see on the bright
side, if it is out there long enough and people start taking notice, that might
just be the boost we need to get the ball rolling on investigative journalism
again.
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