My spidey sense is tingling (Lecture 11)

So the second last lecture and we get the topic of Investigative Journalism. Now after reading some of my fellow students blogs, I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m not the only one who is seriously interested in IJ (Investigative Journalism). I love the idea of being an Investigative Journalist, even more so than most other things (LOTR included). It has honestly been one of those things that have kept me awake at night, with questions like would I be willing to reveal certain information, even if it might result in death giving me pause for thought? All these factors combined kept me interested in the lecture and have given me a new perspective and respect for IJ.

According to Dr. Bruce, there are 5 In’s involved in IJ. Those are INtelligent, INformal, INtuitive, INside and INvest. Each of these provides the budding young Investigative Journalist with a set of various goals to aspire to, yet these are only what Dr. Bruce had to say on the topic. When we went deeper into the definition and purpose, we found out 4 very important factors. These four factors are:

1. Critical and Thorough Journalism
2. Custodians of Conscience
3. To provide a voice for those without one and to hold the powerful to account
4. Watch Dog/Fourth Estate/Fourth Branch of Government

Critical and Thorough Journalism, entails that the journalist is not only an active participant, but that they are enthusiastic about the topic and willing to invest a significant amount of effort. Custodians of Conscience is all about exposure, how will we do it and whether it will be in good taste or not (good old ethics). No. 3 (Because I am not writing that out again), revolves around social justice, the idea that we as the journalists (first lecture coming back) have the power to provide a voice for the downtrodden, allowing them to have some say in what goes on. Finally, we have Watch Dog and fourth Estate. This is similar to No. 3, but is there more to hold the government accountable (take that opposition), providing the general public with the opportunity to critic and question the government.

The bulk of the lecture that followed the first section, was looking to the past (distant and close) and assessing previous trailblazers, those who set the standard for future Investigative journalistic practices. This section was interesting to see not only what these people did, but what risks they faced. The most interesting was the case of W.T.Stead, who was responsible for bringing down a large human trafficking ring in the UK. While he was responsible for its downfall, because of his presence to the actual trade, he was thrown into jail. This really spoke to me, because it shows that there have always been risks when it comes to investigation and to be a good investigative journalist, I’ll just have to accept these aspects as part of the trade.

To close off the lecture and this blog post, Dr. Bruce discussed the types of interactions one can expect to have as an investigative journalist. This part was particularly interesting, because while playing on some standard assumptions, it was good to know that leg work and leaks are still considered high priority. 

Lecture 11, which I might add was the second last, was probably one of the best lectures of the semester, helped in no small part by the very interesting topic of discussion. While I have to admit I have fears about certain aspects, I’d say the lecture has done more to harden my resolve than dissuade me from this career and I can honestly see myself becoming an investigative journalist in the future.