Investigative Journalism

Investigative Journalism is the part of the media concerned with conducting in-depth research into a particular subject. This is done in order to increase the public knowledge surrounding the subject in question, whether that be a person, a company, or a community. This type of journalism must, however, be done to improve public knowledge only. The story should be reported if the public is disadvantaged by not knowing the information presented in the story, or if they are advantaged by being privy to the information presented. 

Created an investigative story takes a far greater amount of time than a regular news piece. Because the story can take several months to compose, it is important to maintain discretion. Many other news outlets will take a leaked story and publish it with haste in order to be the publication that had the story first. Because of the extended period of time that it takes to produce an investigative piece, the journalist pitching the story must also be sure of the worth of the piece; after all, time is money.

Investigative journalism’s extreme time consumption means that working as a team is one of the most effective ways to compile all of the evidence necessary to publish the story in a timely fashion. In addition to that, working with a team of journalists allows for each journalist to report on their specialisation, which vastly increases productivity. 

In addition to simply increasing workflow, working in a team allows for safety in numbers. Investigative journalism often carries the risk of not only legal battles, but also potential incarceration, being held to ransom and death threats. By having a team of individuals working closely together on the same story, the changes of having the entire team taken hostage are severely decreased. It is also essential to ensure that each member of the team thoroughly checks their facts and cross-references their sources. If facts are not checked rigorously before publication, the journalist, the editor and the publication can be sued for publishing defamatory content.

This video from SBS’s Dateline showcases the way in which investigative journalism works. The reporter has been granted special access to a group that is in power, and uses this access to provide information to the public. 

Warning: the footage below deals with the Ku Klux Klan, and may be sensitive to some.