Lecture Reflections: Lecture 11 (Week 12)

Investigative Journalism

Investigative journalism is an element of the craft that largely upholds what the public expects of journalists.  Investigation is driven by scrutinising power, authority and persons or organisations in the public interest, and seeking out inconsistencies that are covered up and hidden from the public eye. It is also an area of journalism that has become familiar and idolised by the public through mass media influence, for example through films or documentaries such as ‘All the Presidents Men’ and ‘The Moonlight State’. 

Richard Nixon and the Watergate scandal

 

Tony Murphy and the Fitzgerald Inquiry

Investigative journalism is a pillar of legacy media and arguably the template for all good journalism.  However the interest in commands nowadays has changed dramatically with competing interests from other types of media, for example tabloid news or commercial media.  As Lord Northcliffe puts it, in a rather cynical way, investigative journalism “is what somebody somewhere wants to supress… all the rest is just advertising.” 

The ideals of investigative journalism often times correlate with news values and ethics involving the public interest, however it also often requires the journalist to walk a blurred line between ethics and sourcing when it comes to cover-ups and conspiracies.  It is required of the journalist to be curious in nature and to be sceptical (but not cynical) of what they are led to believe is the truth. Guidelines for good investigative skills can be broken down to the ‘in’s’ of investigation: 

Investigative journalism must be: 

•  Intelligent – A journalist must think about their moves carefully or risk overstepping and missing the mark when going in ‘guns blazing’. 
• Informed – It is imperative that a journalist is on their toes and analyses all the information sourced as facts must be corroborated in case strings are being pulled.
• Intuitive – It is said that this type of journalism requires a natural talent for scrutinizing and seeking out the truth. It is a skill that can be developed but a good nose for cover-ups and scandals has led to some of the best journalism in history. 
• Inside – The people skills of an investigative journalist must enable them to be able to ‘worm’ their way into the story, to get on the inside and infiltrate the network of conspirators. 
• Invest – The cost of investigation is often a heavy weight on the journalist's shoulders. They must be prepared to invest time into sourcing and analysing, money as they may be working as a freelancer throughout the investigation process, they risk relationships with people close to them who may have an ‘in’ to the story and sometimes their own sanity as it is a long, drawn out and confronting process.  It is important to remember that for the people who risk losing their lives, fortunes, reputation etc. from exposure, the investigator is often in their line of fire for trying to expose them.

For this last point, whistle blowers often incur the same cost as investigators to their personal lives. It is said that a whistle blower should go bankrupt, insane, get divorced and risk their health before blowing the whistle, as all of the above are sometimes inevitable. 

Other principles of investigative journalism and its deeper meanings include the following: 

• Critical and thorough journalism – This requires the journalist to be actively involved and to invest a substantial amount of time and energy in verifying their sources and information.
• Custodians of conscience – This involves the upholding of societies norms and laws and challenging any breaches of them. It is the journalists job to expose these breaches and inform the public.
• To provide a voice to those who do not have one – To give power to those who do not have it and to uphold ideals of social justice.
• To act as the Fourth Estate –Journalist help to manage the balance between those who do have power and those who don’t. By holding the powerful accountable they can represent the interest of the public. 

The above can be understood more concisely as the Primary concepts of investigative journalism which are: 

• Active Intervention
• Exposure
• Public interest
• Fourth estate or Watchdog 

The secondary concepts of investigative journalism are: 

• Shoe leather journalism – to be on the ground and involved with the story
• Standing back or to see the big picture – understand the intricacies of the story but see the big picture in the public interest. 
• Take nothing for granted. 

It is also hugely important particularly in investigative journalism, to separate the reporting and sourcing from any obvious or hidden agendas. Investigative journalists must work as a separate entity in order to hold authority accountable. 

There have been huge turning points in history where journalism has been the mouth piece for public interest via investigative journalism. In Queensland history there was the Fitzgerald Inquiry, in America there was the Watergate scandal. These investigations have become household names in relation to the media, truth and accountability. 

Good journalism and thorough investigation is not always in the public eye until a huge scandal hits the press. However it has always played an invaluable role in media, and in my opinion, will always be a noble cause and an incredibly powerful tool to make a difference. 

"I still believe that if your aim is to change the world, journalism is a more immediate short-term weapon." 

Tom Stoppard