Our second last JOUR1111 lecture stated that most good journalism can be defined as investigative journalism. As all journalism involves an investigative process, the practice of 'investigative journalism' is more far-reaching than one would think.
The lecture stressed that there are five basic 'in's' of investigative journalism:
-Intelligent: the journalist must clearly know what they are talking about.
-Informed: must consider all the facts, factors, who they are, other people, "who is pulling the strings?"
-Intuitive: journalist (to some degree) much rely on their gut instinct to know what is right to do.
-Inside: to get the information you want, you have to be able to get the informant to trust you.
-Invest: no good journalist ever got anywhere without a little (or a lot of) effort.
Much of what is published as investigative journalism, goes deeper than the average news piece. It incorporates critical thinking, and an active and thorough approach to get to the facts. It aims to expose breaches in societies norms and morals, as well as "provide a voice for those without one, and to hold the powerful to account". Investigative journalism also aims to follow the standards emphasised in this quote by Sir Theodore Bray, editor-in-chief Courier-Mail (1965)": ‘Newspapers clearly have a function beyond mere reporting and recording – a function of probing behind the straight news, or interpreting and explaining and sometimes of exposing … The press lives by disclosure.’
It is clear that the future of investigative journalism is under threat from on-line news sources, which is not only unfortunate for investigative journalists, but also the educated public who want a deeper truth, not just the news.
As I have stated before, The Global Mail http://www.theglobalmail.org/ is an excellent website for investigative journalism, and a site I would be extremely sad to see become lost in a society of fast news and fleeting interest.
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