WEEK 12 - "Investigative Journalism"

In an effort to spice things up a little, Dr BR changed our lecture topic from the Political Economy of Communication to Investigative Journalism. I must admit, I was glad about this change as I think investigative reporting is an interesting topic and very important in the field of journalism and mass communication.

When I think about investigative journalism, I imagine a young male reporter putting their life on the line in a dangerous war zone, wearing khaki colour clothing. Boy was I far from the truth and Ross Coulthart was the person who set me straight. He said, “Isn’t all journalism meant to involve questioning investigation of facts and opinions presented to us?”  Amen to that! 


Here are the "in's" of investiagtive journslism: 

• Intelligent
• Informed
• Intuitive
• Inside
• Invest

And here are the deeper definitions and purpose of investigative journalism:

1. Critical and thorough journalism (Dutch-Flemish Association for Investigative Journalism): critical = the journalist is an active participant; thorough = the journalist makes a substantial effort
2. Custodians of conscience (Ettema and Glasser): Exposure is the key idea
3. To provide a voice for those without one and to hold the powerful to account (Centre for Investigation Journalism, City University London): Social justice and public interest are the two key ideas
4. Fourth Estate / Fourth Branch of Govt / “Watchdog”: All about journalists representing the interests of those without power to balance the power of government and making accountable public personalities and institutions whose functions impact social and political life.

In any profession, there are always those people who take an extra step forward, so to speak, and change the future forever. Dr BR referred to the investigative journalists who have done this as ‘trailblazers’. Here are some well-known trailblazing cases of investigative journalism.

• 1826: “The Sydney Monitor” and Edward Smith Hall – this trailblazer was jailed for revealing the truth about convict treatment in Australia at the time
• 1885:The Maiden Tribute of Modern Babylon”, W.T. Stead and the Salvos (William Booth) – the reporting of extensive child prostitution in London caused the age of consent to be raised from 12 to 16
• 1972-74: “Watergate”, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein – Exposed the US political scandal where the Nixon administration attempted to cover up sabotage of the Democratic National Party, which ultimately lead to his resignation
• 1987: “The Moonlight State”, Chris Masters, Phil Dickie and Shaun Hoyt – These trailblazers divulged the widespread corruption and bribery in Queensland’s police force
• 2010: “WikiLeaks” and Julian Assange – Released confidential information and videos affiliated with questionable activity worldwide and has contributed to the ever present war on information

My favourite quote of the lecture: “If your mother says she loves you, check it out.” This really hits the nail on the head when it comes to investigative journalism. That is, always check your facts, assume nothing and expect whistleblowers to be or go crazy.

What’s the job of an investigative journalist?

1. Interviewing: Numerous interviews with on-the-record sources as well as, in some instances, interviews with anonymous sources e.g. whistleblowers
2. Observing: Investigation of technical issues, scrutiny of government and business practices and their effects. Research into social and legal issues
3. Analysing documents: including law suits, legal docs, tax records, corporate financials, FOI (Freedom of Information) material

And of course, there’s the ever present threat to journalism confronted by the Internet and social media. Keep an eye out for my Annotated Bibliography which will appear here in a couple of days as I will be addressing this very issue.