Investigative Journalism

The great British newspaper publisher Lord Northcliffe once said: “News is what somebody, somewhere wants to suppress; all the rest is advertising.” Investigations is the key of journalism. Investigative stories require a lot of time, effort and resources from journalists as well as media companies. Investigations can be done through interviews, observations and analysing documents. When a journalist tries to report on matters which an organisation or a person wants to keep a secret, it is investigative journalism. 

Dr. Redman spoke about the importance and purpose of investigative journalism during the lecture. Investigative journalism is critical and thorough journalism whereby active intervention is the key idea. Journalists have an active role to play. Investigative journalism is also the custodians of conscience where exposure is the key idea. Through investigations, journalists can reveal previously hidden information to audience members. Investigative journalism serves public interest by providing a voice for those without one. We can hear the plight of the suppressed and exploited souls around the world through journalists. Investigative journalism also serves as a fourth branch of government and its particularly important in Queensland because there is an absence of an upper house (a house of review). Therefore, anything decided in the lower house will go through and no one's there to overlook it. Therefore it is important for journalists to represent the interests of those without power to balance the power of government. 

The major threat posed to investigative journalism is the growing popularity of online news. With online news, media companies have less money to spend hence they hire lesser journalists which means there is lesser time for investigations to take place. However, investigative journalism is essential as it helps to uncover important stories that people try to hide. The future of investigative journalism looks bright with YouTube contemplating about launching a service dedicated to investigative journalism. To find out more about the service that YouTube is thinking of launching, please visit the following website. http://theconversation.edu.au/can-youtube-save-investigative-journalism-3411