Investigative Journalism in the Modern World - Essay Example

and No and Investigative Journalism (Individual Right to Privacy) 30 November (estimated word count = 1,142) Introduction Investigative journalism is a special form of journalism that aims to expose corrupt or anomalous practices in the government or on other matters of intense public interest. It is this supposedly journalistic pursuit for purposes of reporting unto something that is imbued with a public nature that justifies the often aggressive nature of a deep investigation. However, some of the tactics used to gather sensitive information had been brought to question because of the ethical or moral nature of these investigative pursuits that often crosses the boundary of what is considered to be generally prim and proper in journalism ethics. Journalism is also a profession and as such is bound by its own code of ethics and the code of professional conduct. This means all accredited journalists have to follow the strictest guidelines on certain matters such as confidentiality of their sources and how information in their reports was obtained in the first place. Its primary purpose is supposedly to discover or uncover the truth in many diverse areas of public interest such as organized crime syndicates, government corruption or corporate shenanigans of which there are many examples. Investigative journalism serves an important purpose in bringing to light anomalous or unethical practices and policies in either the government or corporate world because it is a form of journalism beyond the usual purview of regulators, the courts or the police system. It aims to correct these wrong practices by making the public aware of them and influencing all those affected to mend their ways and find alternative solutions. This brief paper tries to seek and discuss the importance and drawbacks of this special form of journalism. Discussion The recent unsavory events involving investigative journalism such as phone hacking has led to the public questioning the value and to what extent or limits is investigative reports are valid or not; this had caused the government to form an official inquiry as to its nature. It had in prior years managed to expose a good number of public issues which led to positive or at least, caused vital changes to some practices which had remained hidden. A journalist who investigates any valid issue has an extremely high level of patience and persistence; it may be months, years or decades before any sufficient information can be gathered from vital sources such as whistle blowers and it takes special courage to dig this deep. The common view is that the general public is largely in favour of investigations that help to expose sordid details of anomalous practices as long as it sticks to the genuine public concerns. Society is better served with investigative journalism when it does not cross those imaginary moral and ethical boundaries into the private lives of people. Critics often cite that media today brandishes investigative journalism as a form of blackmail and how an excessive media power is detrimental to its original lofty purpose. Many areas of public life remained unscrutinised and it is the duty of investigative journalists to shed light on these concerns and bring it to public attention and hopefully, a change for the better. Investigative journalism serves an idealistic purpose as long as it is not affected by the biases and prejudices of the reporter or journalist. Further, it must not be sensationalised that can take away or diminish the significance of its findings. Moreover, the choice of the target of investigation may also determine whether the journalist is merely reporting an unvarnished truth or creating news itself in the process of reporting. Lastly, the most important thing is to maintain the idealism in journalism which is to remain impartial and objective. British forms of investigative journalism are constrained by budgets and partisanship (Burgh, 2005:6). There is always the temptation to resort to shortcuts when there are many constraints. Investigative journalistic practices can become dangerous because of these shortcuts and may undermine the whole purpose of the investigation by bringing into question the results it has. A good example, often cited, was the Watergate investigation that brought down a presidency as investigative journalism at its best because it prevented further abuses by politicians. It had proven the efficacy of this system and the important role of journalists (ibid.). Investigative journalism is sometimes referred to alternatively as watchdog journalism and exposed a variety of ailments in society and other issues such as current state of mental institutions, child prostitution, illegal drugs, arms smuggling, trafficking in persons (a modern form of slavery), the shocking lives of poor immigrants in a foreign nation and an unhygienic practice in the food and restaurant industries. A main difficulty with investigative journalism is where to draw the line when it comes to regulations. Industry practitioners have to regulate themselves in a meaningful way to prevent abuses and excesses. An important source for the information for journalists are whistleblowers who must be assured of anonymity and safety. An example would be Wikileaks which divulged sensitive diplomatic cables and messages. To regulate would be a cause for intense debate as an abridgement of the right of free speech and to information. However, the question all boils down to what constitutes fair play in journalism as British media standards can be quite cavalier at times and the perception is a famous person can be fair game for journalists eager to make a good impression on the editor of their newspapers and can even resort to harassment (Holton & Holden, 2011:1). The critics contend there is a fine line indeed between what is a good topic to investigate and what other topics are off limits but this argument holds thin if journalists start to peer into private lives. A good investigative reporter spends time and effort to uncover the truth. This involves all such mundane tasks as scrutinizing public documents (tax records, corporate filings, reports, etc.). Conclusion The genre of investigative journalism must not succumb to the temptations to attract a buyer of a newspaper but to uphold always a positive and healthy public discourse of crucial topics that affect society. Its moral agenda should not be made a commodity (Burgh, 2008:26) and the right to investigate carries with it a corresponding social responsibility (ibid. 65). As Mr. John Pilger claimed, investigative journalism must be used to correct an injustice. Burgh had stated that “investigative journalism is a valuable public service endangered by the new technology and crass management” (ibid. 3). The main purpose of investigative journalism is “to explain serious issues which are going to affect peoples lives dramatically” (ibid. 65). In conclusion, investigative reporting “is not about asking important people what happened. It is about finding out yourself.” (Spark, 1999:3). It advances the public knowledge on important matters or issues of the day but must not intrude into the lives of private individuals of which it has no business whatsoever to investigate. Otherwise, it becomes mere voyeurism. Reference List (Bibliography) Burgh, Hugo de (2005) The Chinese Journalist: Mediating Information in the Worlds Most Populous Country. London, UK: Routledge Curzon. Burgh, Hugo de (2008) Investigative Journalism: Context and Practice. 2nd ed. Oxon, UK: Routledge. Holton, Kate & Holden, Michael (2011) Author J. K. Rowling Says “spiteful” U.K. Press Hounded Her. [on-line]. Reuters. 25 November. Available at: [accessed 28 November 2011]. Spark, David (1999) Investigative Reporting: A Study in Technique. Oxford, UK: Focal Press. Read More