The in's of journalism:
Investigate: This one is pretty self explanatory, the journalist in not simply just given all the facts, figures and details, but they have to go out and dig for them, to look deeper into the matter/or event at hand.
Intelligent: It requires a lot of intelligence, to not just see the service of the story, but to be able to discover the deeper levels of the story, to be able to connect the dots, to determine what people may be hiding, covering up or the things they do not want you to know, it requires intelligence to break through that shell of the story to gain the true story.
Informed: You need to know what you're talking about, you need to know the people involved, you need to know the facts, the situation and the people involved in the story. You need to be able to determine which people are pulling the strings. If you are not correctly informed then you can miss the fundamental aspects of the story.
Intuitive- you need to be able to rely on your intuition. Are the people you are talking to telling you the truth? Are they hiding something? Is there more to this story then what is being seen? However, it is not just in regards to getting the story. As previously mentioned, journalism can often wind up putting you in different, tempermental or dangerous situations and you need to have the intuition to know when to stay and when to leave. It is all about going with your gut, whilst it is important to get the exclusive details that could make your story stand out, it is more important to stay alive, to not get hurt and to literally be alive to report the story. Otherwise what was the point?
Inside- Sometimes you have to get inside to see what is going on, you need trust from the people involved in the story, you need to put yourself out there, and to get to know the people. Not only will you be better informed but you get a better account of the story from all perspectives, rather than just an outsider one.
Invest- If you are going into investigation journalism, you're going to have to invest your time, money, resources and often relationships as journalism can take a toll on most aspects of your life. There is a lot involved not only physically, but mentally and emotionally. It is important you understand what is required of you before it is too late to back out.
That are deeper meanings and purposes of investigation journalism:
1) Critical and thorough journalism: the journalist is an active participant with what's going on, they are not just observing from the side, but they are physically getting involved. They wholey commit to the story.
2) Custodians of conscience: determining right and wrong. Investigation takes societies' morals and norms and holds breaches up to public scrutiny in other words, what they call 'civic vice' is exposed for society to respond. Exposure is key, making people accountable for the things they do, and exposing them.
3) Providing a voice to those without one, and to hold the powerful to account: Social justice- power to the powerless, voice to the voiceless. With the key idea being 'Public Interest'.
4) Fourth Estate/Fourth Branch of Govt/Watchdog: important role of the media to keep the other 3 states accountable for what they do.
Expressions explained:
Fourth Estate: Journalists represents the interest of those without power to balance the power of government.
Fourth branch of government: Journalists ensure free flows of information necessary for the functioning of democracy by interrogating the judiciary executive and legislature.
Watchdog: journalists make accountable public personalities and institutions whose functions impact social and political life.
You may have heard the expressions:
'Shoe leather' journalism: in simple terms this means wearing out your shoes, putting in the hard yards and physically going out and finding the stories. Not sitting in an office, leeching off other sources to do the work.
'Standing back' journalism: to stand back in order to see the situation. Often when you are to close to a situation you often miss out on the bigger picture. This expression is thus a response to that in saying that sometimes whilst being involved is important, standing back and observing the situation can be just as vital.
'Taking nothing for granted'- this is an important expression and an integral part of journalism. People in a situation will give you plenty of information to work with, however this expression is elaborating that it is important not be be cynical and disregard the information, but to rather be skeptical and to question everything. To go that step further and to check out the source, to corroborate the information and to really question is reliability and credibility.
A great quote included in the lecture was:
"It is not enough or journalists to see themselves as mere messengers without understanding the hidden agendas of the message and myths that surround it. - John Pilger
This quote is an excellent contribution to the lecture to reiterate the overall messages about investigation journalism. It is not merely about just delivering an event, but rather it is about understand the event, the stories, the who, what, when, why and how. Even further, it is not simply just delivering these details, but connecting the dots in order to gain the deeper story, to break through the layers of a situation in order to find a deeper meaning behind what and why it happened. It is going beyond the surface, to discover motives, agendas, reasons, the myths involved and the overall message which equates from the situation.
Do the hard work, deep a little deeper, invest yourself into the story and being skeptical about everything, often things aren't as they always appear. It is our job as journalists to work out the hidden messages.
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