For me, the idea of investigative journalism conjures up the imagery of, as mentioned in the lecture, the thieving of family photos off mantelpieces as well as in-your-face reporters and the guy off ACA who everyone he interviews wants to punch.
Obviously investigative journalism is much more in depth than that and not so negative, involving a process of collecting and gathering information from a number of sources and a number of mediums to create a well-informed, credible and truthful story.
The key elements of journalism are all fairly self explanatory and are conveniently presented with some nice alliteration. Investigative journalism=
- intelligent
- informed
- intuitive
- inside
- invest
There are deeper meanings and purposes of investigative journalism. Investigative journalists have the following functions. They:
- are critical and thorough
- are custodians
- provide a voice
- act as a fourth branch of government
The main idea behind journalists being critical and thorough is that the journalist is to function as an active participant in the story and is to ideally provide a substantial effort. The key idea of being being critical and thorough is active intervention. Investigative journalists also function as custodians. They act as a civic vice and provide exposure. Investigaive journalists provide a voice. The key element of providing a voice is ensuring it is relevant to public interest. Providing a voice to the public promotes social justice and gives power to the powerless. Investigative journalists function as a fourth branch of government or act as a 'watchdog' to political affairs. Journalists make accountable public personalities and institutions which impact social and political life. The free flow of information is vital for a functioning democracy and is especially important in Queensland as there is no upper house in Parliament.
The types of investigative interaction are
- interviews
- observations
- documents
- briefings
- leaks
- trespass
- theft
The interviewing process ideally involves interviewing numerous sources; both on-the record sources and anonymous whistle blowers when applicable. Observing involves the investigation of technical issues, legal issues and social issues as well as the scrutiny of government and business practices. Analysing documents involves analysing applicable legal documents e.g. law suits, tax records, corporate financials and so on.
The major threats to investigative journalism are PR (propaganda by truth?) and online news. With online news as a threat, this means there is less money, which equals less journalists and less time, which in turn equates to less investigative journalism. It is valid to consider pay-walls as potentially making investigative journalism a viable pursuit as it will generate more money for the companies employing journalists, having a trickling down effect.
Investigative journalism is important as it involves the critical questioning of facts and opinions presented to us and in some respects impedes agenda setting influences.
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