(Common Journalism Terms for Writers.)

Journalists have been exposing society’s ills through covert methods for almost two centuries and the term ‘going undercover’ is, of course, universally known. But what does the work really entail?

When undercover, a journalist conceals their identity and purpose while secretly gathering information, often recording either audio or footage with a hidden camera. This can involve infiltrating a group, getting a job where discrimination is suspected, or even something as risky as becoming institutionalized. The purpose is to uncover evidence impossible to acquire through regular reporting methods. It usually involves allegations of corruption, unethical practices, criminal activity, or abuse.

In its Code of Ethics, the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) advises us to, “avoid undercover or other surreptitious methods of gathering information unless traditional, open methods will not yield information vital to the public.”

This is great advice on a subject dear to my heart, as my most memorable (and potentially dangerous) assignments involved undercover work. Infiltrating an alleged cult in Cardiff, Wales, and spending five weeks secretly filming, was both exhilarating and exhausting. This was my biggest undercover role, and it affected my personal life in many ways, which I’ll discuss shortly. For another story, I posed as a chinchilla breeder while investigating illegal fur farming. I spent several nights ‘spying’ on a group of unruly youths and recording their noise from an elderly lady’s bedroom window. And being ‘conservative with the truth’ was necessary when asking permission to film at a greyhound racetrack for a piece exposing the cruel treatment of retired racing dogs.

The moral dilemma for me—which mirrors some of the concerns expressed by many in the industry—was having to make up a story to conceal my identity. In simple terms, I had to lie. A lot. Pretending to be someone else when you’re acting in a play is one thing, but deceiving people in real life? It’s dangerous and emotionally draining, especially when long term and when there are innocent people involved, who you cannot help without blowing your cover. But the end justifies the means. In my case infiltrating and exposing the (allegedly) second most dangerous cult in the UK, accused of ruining many lives, was reason enough.

Breach of trust is one of the issues that emerges with undercover journalism and why some professionals are concerned. When you must lie in order to reveal the truth, do you lose credibility and the public’s trust? Does the outlet gain a reputation for deceit? I would argue that it depends on the story and most people are savvy enough to understand the reasons for a journalist’s exposé.

Undercover journalists have been exposing society’s ills for a long time, telling important stories that would have otherwise remained hidden. In 1887, journalist Elizabeth Cochrane (Nellie Bly) spent 10 days undercover as a patient in a New York sanatorium. Her six-part series, “Ten Days in a Mad-House,” was published in The New York World, and exposed terrible conditions and abuse, leading to improvements in the treatment of those with a mental illness. And in 1935, journalist Marvel Cooke and activist Ella Baker went undercover to expose the working conditions of Black women domestic workers in the Bronx, and their piece, “The Bronx Slave Market,” was published by The Crisis in November 1935.

But the journalism field has dramatically changed, and the media landscape is now vastly different.

Undercover work is not easy, it’s not cheap, and it can have serious repercussions. My assignments were only possible because we had a team of experienced professionals, a healthy budget, the luxury of time, the tools, and… lawyers. To successfully pull off these types of investigations today you need money, bottom line. Money buys you the staff that can spend weeks, months, or even years on a story. It buys you expertise, training, and equipment. And because there could be legal actions, it pays the lawyers’ fees—before and after getting sued. And our program did get sued. This also occurred in the mid to late 90s, which was a completely different era in journalism.

“This is expensive work, it ties up staff for months on end, it’s stressful, and it requires all kinds of legal vetting,” says New York University professor, Brooke Kroeger, author of Undercover Reporting: The Truth About Deception. She adds that journalists should “think really hard” before undertaking this type of work, while emphasizing that, “historically, the impact of these stories, when they worked, was just extraordinary. And they are the stories we remember.”

Today, traditional news outlets still employ investigative teams, but budgets have been severely cut and undercover work is not as prevalent. According to the Associated Press, the country has lost one-third of its newspapers and two-thirds of its newspaper journalists since 2005. This amounts to more than 3,000 closures, especially affecting local newspapers in rural areas, causing some regions to become news deserts. With fewer journalists, cutbacks, and closures, it’s little wonder that undercover journalism is in decline.

In addition to budgetary issues, there are legal repercussions. The famous Food Lion case explains some of the media’s reluctance to pursue undercover journalism. In 1992, ABC journalists working for “Prime Time Live” went undercover as Food Lion employees and secretly filmed, exposing possible unsanitary practices. Food Lion sued ABC in federal court in Greensboro, NC, alleging fraud, breach of the duty of loyalty, trespass, and unfair trade practices under North Carolina law. Food Lion claimed ABC used illegal news-gathering methods to obtain the information.

The focus here therefore was not defamation, but the methods used. This is a landmark legal battle addressing whether journalists can be protected by the First Amendment when they lie to gain access to private facilities for the purpose of news-gathering. (More information on this case, the appeals, and the 2023 challenge to the ag-gag law by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) can be found in the Resources section below.)

The group I infiltrated and secretly filmed tried suing me and the TV show for invasion of privacy, but luckily, the station lawyers dealt with it.

But what about personal consequences? As I mentioned earlier, going undercover can be stressful and risky. I joined the alleged cult ‘cold’ with no knowledge of the group and having never watched interviews with former members accusing them of brainwashing and manipulation. This way I started my investigation with a clean slate and no preconceived ideas. But this also left me vulnerable to their tactics, which do wear you down, even when you’re ‘in the know.’

When developing a cover story, we stuck to the truth as much as possible, to prevent slip ups. This meant using my real name, address, and phone number, and telling them I’d just moved back from the US with my American husband and was unemployed. Unfortunately, work and home life often intertwined. A prominent member started calling my husband to persuade him to join the church. When the show was broadcast one of his colleagues confronted him, saying, ‘Your wife did that hit piece on my church.’ 

It turned out one of his smoke break buddies was a member. We ended up moving to a different apartment and changing our phone number a few weeks later. I did suffer from nightmares for about a month, but there were no lasting effects. Overall, it was an interesting and challenging time. Would I do it again? I doubt it.

While this is not work for lone freelancers to even contemplate, many independent outlets and documentarians have, and still do, engage in undercover work, with varying degrees of success. Groups like Project Veritas became well known for their undercover stings but were largely criticized by the mainstream press for being sensational, and they have since suspended operations.

Many argued that undercover journalism became overused as ‘stunt journalism’ with one Guardian columnist back in 2007 describing it as “entertainment puffed up with a fake significance,” and a “journalistic addiction, a habit we need to kick.”

Undercover work can appear exciting and appealing. But it’s unacceptable and can ruin lives when used in isolation, for example one short clip on TikTok with no reference material and no interviews with the ‘accused’ or the other side.

But when done correctly, and is part of a wider, well-researched investigation and included in a report alongside supporting material conducted through traditional journalistic methods, it’s a powerful and potent tool for good.

But just like they say on TV shows, please don’t try this at home.

Resources:

• https://gijn.org/resource/gijns-guide-to-undercover-reporting/
• https://www.cjr.org/campaign_desk/the_ethics_of_undercover_journalism.php
• https://www.npr.org/2020/08/03/898547327/ghosting-the-news-author-says-local-journalism-freefall-is-accelerating
• https://freedom.press/issues/is-it-time-to-revisit-undercover-journalism/
• https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/women-reporters-undercover-most-important-scoops-day-180960775/
• https://knightcolumbia.org/blog/the-long-shadow-of-food-lion
• https://www.rcfp.org/journals/news-media-and-law-spring-2012/landmark-food-lion-case/
• https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/the-supreme-court-leaves-in-place-a-court-victory-for-peta-over-north-carolinas-undercover-gag-law
• https://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2007/jan/21/goingundercoverisajournali
• https://www.nyu.edu/about/news-publications/news/2012/august/nyu-launches-history-of-undercover-reporting-database.html
• https://www.nyhistory.org/blogs/how-journalists-ella-baker-and-marvel-jackson-cooke-exposed-domestic-works-slave-market

The post What Is Undercover Journalism (and Why Is It Usually Discouraged)? appeared first on Writer's Digest.

In this post, Mike discusses the process of researching and writing his new political nonfiction book, They Came for the Schools, his hope for readers, and more!

Name: Mike Hixenbaugh
Literary agent: Lauren Sharp, Aevitas
Book title: They Came for the Schools: One Town’s Fight over Race and Identity, and the New War for America’s Classrooms
Publisher: Mariner Books
Release date: May 14, 2024
Genre/category: Politics, Education, Religion, Extremism
Elevator pitch: They Came for the School is an investigation into the growing far-right movement to remake public education in America, told through a suburb at the epicenter of the conflict, as well as the students and educators whose lives have been reshaped and disrupted by it.

Bookshop | Amazon
[WD uses affiliate links.]

What prompted you to write this book?

Much has been written about the political fights raging through schools in recent years. Most people have probably seen news coverage of angry parents speaking out against “critical race theory” or LGBTQ-affirming library books.

But that’s not the whole story.

I set out to write a book that would place these incendiary debates in their full context—revealing how the new conservative backlash against school diversity programs followed years of modest efforts to protect students of color and LGBTQ+ teens from bullying, particularly after President Donald Trump’s election seemed to usher a wave of racist and xenophobic harassment in schools.

I also sought to show how this moment in our history fits into a much longer story, connecting the Moms for Liberty of 2024 with the white suburban parent groups of the 1950s, 60s, and 70s that also sought control what children were allowed to learn at school.

For anyone who’s watched their local school board descend into chaos in recent years and wondered why it was happening—and who stood to benefit from the acrimony—They Came for the Schools provides the answer.

How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?

In early 2022, after I’d spent more than a year reporting on the anti-CRT and anti-LGBTQ+ backlash for NBC News, I realized there was more to this story than could fit into a news article or even a podcast series like the one my colleague Antonia Hylton had produced about the conservative uprising in Southlake, Texas.

I started working on a book proposal in January of that year; by May, we were ready to pitch it to publishers. Given the urgency of this story, which is still reverberating in communities across the country, with implications for the presidential election, we set a tight deadline to ensure the book would be published by the spring of 2024.

Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?

As a first-time author, I found learning moments at every step of the process. Fortunately, I made it through thanks to a lot of handholding from my editor, Deanne Urmy, who kindly agreed to read sections of the manuscript as I finished them. Getting feedback along the way saved me a lot of time and stress as my deadline approached.

Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?

I was surprised—and I think readers will be, too—to discover throughout my reporting that the fractures dividing suburban communities across the country don’t break cleanly along the traditional left vs. right political divide.

Many of the school board members, teachers, librarians, and administrators now being accused of forcing a far-left ideology on students are themselves Christian, conservative Republicans. Some have lost friendships or been ostracized from their churches for their continued support of program, curriculum, and library books aimed at making all students feel welcome at school.

This reality has been missing from much of the national conversation.

What do you hope readers will get out of your book?

I want readers to come away with a richer, more nuanced understanding of what’s driving political extremism in school politics. And even more importantly, I want them to understand how these conflicts are affecting children and educators.

Readers will meet a Black student scarred by the repeated use of racial slurs at her high school, an LGBTQ+ teen who fought to get an out-of-touch principal to protect her from verbally abusive classmates, a mother who came to question her decision to raise her Black children in a wealthy suburb, and a white teacher determined to do right by marginalized students—and who paid a steep price for it in the end.

These stories are too-often drowned out when news coverage focuses only on the loudest voices at school board meetings. They Came for the Schools instead puts them front and center.

If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?

Don’t be afraid to share your unfinished drafts with trusted loved ones. My wife’s early reads were a gut check on whether I was heading in the right direction. She also flagged sections that dragged or where there wasn’t enough context for the average reader to follow along.

The post Mike Hixenbaugh: On Writing About Current History appeared first on Writer's Digest.

(5 Different Forms of Journalism.)

The book centers on my family’s search for information about my paternal grandfather, Lee Chul Ha, who was imprisoned by the Japanese during Korea’s colonial era as a teenager and died soon after his release, when my father was a toddler. After his death, my grandmother never spoke about him. She destroyed all of his papers and books in the early days of the Korean War. In 2000, I traveled to Korea to locate the originals of his prison records. This search forms the narrative arc of the book.

When I started this journey, I knew that while I could write about my search for information about my grandfather, I had no idea how to insert myself into the story other than as the narrator/observer. I needed to inject the “I” in memoir and make myself the central character. This type of writing required skills I didn’t learn in journalism school.

Here are some steps I took in becoming a memoir writer.

I read a lot of novels (and memoirs too).

I’ve always preferred to read fiction because I love the feeling of immersing myself in a world of an author’s making. I wanted the reader to have that immersive feeling reading Starry Field. As I struggled to find my writing voice, I began reading novels with an eye to structure, point of view, dialogue, scenes, and narrative arc. 

I also read memoirs that employed novelistic methods, such as Angela’s Ashes, Liar’s Club, Fierce Attachments, and later, The Best We Could Do, In the Dream House, Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls, and so many others. I re-read classics, including War and Peace, The Portrait of a Lady, The Age of Innocence. 

I dug deep into the oeuvres of writers like William Trevor, Paula Fox, Gish Jen, Jennifer Egan, and Ian McEwan. His Black Dogs, was especially relevant, since it explores the personal consequences of political ideas, namely Communism, which is a theme of Starry Field.

I took generative writing workshops.

After writing a draft of the book I wasn’t happy with, I put it away. My agent left the business. Life happened. I met my life partner, got married, had kids. 

When my son went to preschool, I enrolled in a generative writing workshop. The moderator gave us prompts to write from and asked that our pens not leave the paper. After our allotted writing time was over, we could choose to say aloud what we had written and get feedback from the group on what resonated with them. What came out my hand, and then my mouth, was eventually a new draft of my book. 

Putting my manuscript away allowed me to digest all the research I had done, as well as my grandmother’s oral history, and what emerged was the emotional arc of the book—told in scene with dialogue.

I gave myself time.

It took me years, actually decades, to realize why I was writing my memoir. From the beginning, I knew that I had a story of a lifetime in the uncovering of the facts of my forgotten grandfather’s life in an era that many knew nothing about. 

What I didn’t know is how I fit into the story and why I had devoted years of my life in pursuit. It wasn’t until I had kids that I knew why I wanted to write this book. I wanted them to grow up knowing about their family’s history, which is something I never had. 

I guess I could have written a journalistic book 20 years ago, but I know now that it wouldn’t have been the book I wanted it to be. Sometimes you need to give yourself the time to know why you are writing something.

Check out Margaret Juhae Lee’s Starry Field here:

Bookshop | Amazon

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I honed my craft.

This goes along with the generative workshops, but I practiced memoir writing in a focused way. When my kids were babies, I hired a babysitter once a week so I could attend the generative workshop. 

Once they were older, I made writing dates with friends to shape what I wrote in the workshop and fashion them into chapters. I read craft books like Vivian Gornick’s The Situation and the Story, and realized that while I had the situation down pat, I needed to work on the actual story. I joined a writing group that met once a month. 

Later, I applied to juried workshops and conferences—like Tin House, Writer’s Hotel—and writing residencies, where I could take a week or two away from my family and work to devote solely to my writing. I also took writing classes, mostly online, through places like Corporeal Writing, and found community there.

I found a writing community.

Writing is a solitary and often lonely endeavor, and we all need people to help get us through the process. Through classes, workshops and residencies, I met fellow writers and formed a community. 

Most of my community building has occurred online, since I have been a caretaker for both sporty children and aging elders and don’t have the bandwidth to meet in-person. I also joined various Facebook groups of memoir writers and writers trying to navigate the publishing process. 

Currently, I’m on a text chain with a group of 2024 debut authors, which has proved invaluable. We are able to experience our unique publishing journeys together. 

The post How My Writing Changed From Journalist to Memoirist appeared first on Writer's Digest.

In nearly a decade as a national correspondent, Lowery has specialized in issues of race, justice, and law enforcement. He led the Washington Post team that was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting in 2016 for the creation and analysis of a real-time database to track fatal police shootings in the United States.

His project, “Murder with Impunity,” an unprecedented look at unsolved homicides in major American cities, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 2019. His first book, They Can’t Kill Us All: Ferguson, Baltimore, and a New Era in America’s Racial Justice Movement, was a New York Times bestseller and awarded the Christopher Isherwood Prize for Autobiographical Prose by the Los Angeles Times Book Prize.

Find Wesley on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. 

In this post, Wesley shares what inspired his most recent book, how long it took to write it, and how he starts each of his projects.

Name: Wesley Lowery
Literary agent: Anthony Mattero (CAA)
Book title: American Whitelash: A Changing Nation and the Cost of Progress
Publisher: Mariner Books/HarperCollins
Release date: June 27, 2023
Genre/category: Nonfiction, Race and Justice, Anti-racism, History, Social Justice
Previous titles: They Can’t Kill Us All: Ferguson, Baltimore and a New Era in America’s Racial Justice Movement
Elevator pitch for the book: We’re living in a time of increased racialized violence and a resurgent white supremacist movement. One of America’s leading journalists probes our nation’s past and present to try to figure out why.

Bookshop | Amazon
[WD uses affiliate links.]

What prompted you to write this book?

As the Obama administration gave way to the Trump Era, the headlines were full of stories of white racialized violence—in Charleston, in Charlottesville, in Pittsburgh, in El Paso, and in Buffalo. After having spent years covering issues of race and justice, it felt like there was no more important task to undertake than to chronicle and contextualize the violence of our era, and the lives that were lost.

How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?

I initially sold this book in 2018, and the idea expanded, contracted, and clarified in the years that followed. As a reporter, I start each of my projects with a question, and then fill my notebook with stories, research, and insights that may help provide the answers. And so, over the course answering the question, the idea evolves and changes.

What do you hope readers will get out of your book?

I hope readers walk away from this book with a historically based understanding of the moment we currently occupy and are better prepared to call white racialized violence by its name, hold accountable powerful people who traffic in dangerous rhetoric, and strive to build a more equal and equitable world.

If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?

Write the sentence. Walk away for a week. Then write it again.

[Click to continue.]

The post Wesley Lowery: On How to Dive Into a Journalism Project appeared first on Writer's Digest.

(What Is Investigative Journalism?)

Opportunities are no longer limited to the legacy media of television, radio, and print. While mainstream outlets suffer from closures and waning public trust, online platforms are multiplying and thriving.

There are openings in both traditional and digital platforms, but just remember that we are trending towards multimedia journalism. News and features are now presented in a multitude of ways, combining text, graphics, images, audio, and video. So keep this in mind when researching courses, training, and academic qualifications.

Whether you’re a student, just graduated, or feel like switching professions, here are some tips to help get you started.

What Is the Role of a Journalist? 

Journalists are nonfiction storytellers, responsible for informing the public about events on a local, national, and international level, covering everything from politics and breaking news to entertainment and sports. They are entrusted with finding, researching, and writing/producing newsworthy and topical stories, with impartiality, credible sourcing, objectivity, and accuracy.

Which Medium Is Journalism?

Journalism falls into four broad types—news journalism, feature journalism, opinion/analysis, and investigative journalism. Mediums include broadcast (television and radio), print (newspapers and magazines), and digital (online outlets and platforms).

Explore all these formats and see which one suits you best but diversify your interests and learn as many skills as possible.

Why Journalism?

Ask yourself why you want to become a journalist? To make a difference? Do you want to see more truth in journalism? Explore your motives. A journalist needs to be bold, passionate, driven, persistent, and have a thick skin—not everyone will like what you report. Do you have what it takes?

Which Type of Journalism?

You can train as a news reporter for various mediums, cover sports and entertainment, specialize in politics, go into public relations, or opt for investigative and longform journalism. You can produce hard news shows, current affairs shows, write features for newspapers and magazines, or become a foreign correspondent. You can get into radio or focus on photojournalism and videography. There are so many choices in modern journalism!

Do I Need a Journalism Degree?

It depends. In job ads, traditional outlets say they prefer journalism or communication degrees, or a combination of education and experience, yet many successful journalists majored in fields such as English, history, politics, or American Studies. Having any degree is advantageous when applying to established media positions (whether traditional or online) but not necessarily the case with newer outlets.

If you already have an undergraduate degree there’s no need to go back to school, but you can benefit from courses and training, and you should try and get some experience for your portfolio (which we’ll get into shortly). Your current degree may be an advantage in specialized fields, such as science and environmental reporting.

What Will I Learn in Journalism School?

Journalism classes include news writing and reporting, storytelling skills, media law and ethics of mass communication, including rules on defamation, slander, and libel. You also study the different news mediums and ways of disseminating information and electives are available as students begin to narrow their interests. Several colleges now offer majors in Multimedia Journalism, which is a great new option.

How Much Will I Make?

You probably won’t get wealthy as a journalist unless you’re on the top rungs of the profession. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics www.bls.gov in 2020 the median annual salary for a journalist was $49,300. But you will be rich in experience—guaranteed. And you can always become a freelance journalist, then you won’t be on a fixed income.

Should I Specialize?

What’s great with new journalism is that you can work in many mediums, from writing news items to videography and editing, whereas in the past you were confined to one format. Practically all TV news channels, major newspapers, and magazines have online versions, some are digital first operations.

You can be anything form a general news reporter to narrowing your focus to environmental journalism, politics, international journalism, and any number of specialist areas. If you want to specialize, become an expert in your chosen field, say politics for example, but learn skills from all mediums, so you have more work options.

I Don’t Have a Degree, Now What?

If you don’t have the time or means to pursue a four-year degree, then consider community college or private institutions that offer short journalism programs with hands-on experience. You can also find courses online that will help build your skills. Many writing groups offer journalism writing courses as well as annual conferences.

Start Pitching

You can also pitch stories as a freelancer. Editors are more interested in good stories than credentials. If you write well, and can hook them with your ideas, then try it. However, it’s recommended to first master the basics of article writing—the who, what, where, when, why, and how.

How About Citizen Journalism?

Much to the horror of some industry professionals, citizen journalism is growing. Many people are learning the skills, bypassing the gatekeepers, and creating their own platforms on sites like YouTube, Patreon, or SubStack. Again, if you think you can hack it, go for it. There’s no law against it…yet!

Internships and College Media

If you’re pursuing journalism in college, try getting an internship with a publication or news outlet. This offers real-world experience and course credits. In the meantime, work on the school paper, get involved with student radio, and any other media produced at your school. Learn as many skills as you can and get some bylines so you can add them to your portfolio.

Build a Portfolio

When applying for jobs or pitching editors, a portfolio will improve your chances. Here are some tips on how to get bylines:

• Write a blog—create a WordPress site or write on a platform like Medium.
• Volunteer to write for non-profit blogs or newsletters (ask for a byline!)
• Pitch freelance articles to newspapers, magazines, and online publications– start with covering local stories and events.
• Create videos—go out and do some vox pops (man on the street videos) asking people their opinions on topical stories or create a mini-documentary on a social issue. You can shoot video on your iPhone and edit on readily available free or affordable editing software.
• Do you have a friend who owns a business? Ask them if you can write a blog for their website.
• Do a Q&A interview with an interesting person.

Try writing reported pieces as well as personal essays and blogs, so you can learn how to find and interview sources and how to extract and incorporate good quotes into an article or video segment.

Just remember—whatever you write and/or produce online could be visible to any potential future employer. Keep it clean, objective (unless of course it’s an opinion piece), and professional. It’s best to avoid sharing strong political views in your content and on social media.

Networking

Study what existing journalists are doing. Get to know professionals in the industry. Follow them on social media. Ask them questions and listen to their advice if they’re gracious enough to offer it.

Join a Writing Group!

Many members will be working journalists, and you can learn a lot from them. Groups may offer affordable courses in all kinds of topics, from writing to interviewing skills.

Learn Videography and Editing

Good camerawork and editing take time to master and it’s best to learn from experienced professionals. Look for courses online or in your area. These skills will open many doors and will make you a more proficient reporter or producer/director if you choose to go into broadcast journalism.

When you’re ready, work on your resume, create a portfolio, open a LinkedIn account, clean up your social media, contact your industry acquaintances, and start sending out applications.

Good luck on your journey.

Click to continue.

The post How to Become a Journalist appeared first on Writer's Digest.

(How Not to Write a How-To Book)

This was my most memorable assignment as a television investigative journalist—going undercover for five weeks with an alleged cult. The job wasn’t always so dramatic of course, most days involved in-depth research. Which, in a nutshell, answers the question: What is investigative journalism?

But let’s dig further into this definition.

Journalism falls into four broad types: news journalism, feature journalism, opinion/analysis, and investigative journalism. Investigative journalism goes beyond reporting the ‘who, where, how, what, when, and why,’ which works for most news stories and features. It is fundamentally all about the intensity and thoroughness of the research and the time allotted to conduct it, hence the word investigative. This separates it from other forms of deadline-driven news journalism. The types of stories also differ, involving “bigger,” more complex issues and components, which we’ll get into shortly. It’s a deeper dive into a story and the uncovering of something previously unknown or deliberately hidden. Additionally, the journalist has the time and resources to find the information and plough through all the evidence needed to substantiate the story, making it worthy of broadcast or publication.

If you search the term “investigative journalism” online, you’ll find a general description such as: the uncovering of corruption, fraud, and crime, often in politics and business. But it encompasses so much more. A journalist can investigate just about anything if it’s a good story, if something untoward is going on in any institution or group, or citizens experiencing wrongdoing or injustice.

A typical day as an investigative journalist involves phone calls, poring over documents and sifting through data, analyzing information and thorough fact-checking. Additionally, for me it would be meeting up with contacts, building a relationship of trust with the main source, filming interviews and logging tapes. I would work on one story for as long as it took to gather information and make a “case.” Often, they wouldn’t pan out after some initial research, usually due to lack of evidence or sources unwilling to talk on record.

David E. Kaplan, Executive Director of The Global Investigative Journalism Network, describes investigative journalism on the organization’s website as the “in-depth, systematic use of original research and reporting. It often uses large amounts of data and documents. It uses public records to find out what is going on.” Kaplan explains that according to veteran trainers in the field, the best investigative journalism “employs a careful methodology, with heavy reliance on primary sources, forming and testing a hypothesis, and rigorous fact-checking.”

As to what investigative journalism achieves—it shines a light on something unacceptable, that was previously hidden or kept secret. It exposes corruption, big or small, or a danger to the public or workforce that’s been covered-up, and it holds leaders accountable.

Some of the most famous modern investigative stories are the Watergate scandal first published in The Washington Post in 1972, and more recently in 2017, The New York Times exposé of Harvey Weinstein. Both these investigations caused sweeping changes in our society, which is another element of investigative journalism—the motivation behind the stories, to bring about change and improve a situation. As Kaplan states, investigative journalism often involves the “unearthing of secrets” and “has a strong emphasis on social justice and accountability.”

Historically, activism has been an integral part of investigative journalism. Black journalist Ida B. Wells was using investigative skills in her reporting long before they were common, revolutionizing the “power of the pen” and uncovering the truth about lynchings in the late 1800s. The New York Times stated in an obituary that Wells “pioneered reporting techniques that remain central tenets of modern journalism.”

So, what does it take to become a good investigative journalist? It involves digging for information and using primary sources, be it records or people. It requires excellent communication skills—asking tough questions, probing, and listening to people’s stories. You need keen observation skills, instinct, and discernment. Do you think the storyteller is sincere? It requires patience, following up on leads, careful analysis, checking facts, following data trails, and talking with lawyers. And to reiterate—it takes time. Some stories require weeks, months, or sometimes years to investigate.

Investigative journalism doesn’t always produce worldwide attention-grabbing headlines; often they’re more localized stories, but are equally important.

I spent a year investigating the dangers of low-flying military jets in Wales. A headmistress suspected her school was being used as a practice target, endangering students’ lives. To test the hypothesis, we trained the kids to use a video camera and methodically record the frequency of jets whizzing 100 feet over their classroom, and the results were significant. Further research uncovered near-misses involving police helicopters and civilian pilots. We also interviewed a man who described an F1-11 crashing in the field behind their farmhouse. These additional cases broadened the scope and strengthened the story. The British Ministry of Defence (unsurprisingly) refused our invitation to offer “their side” of the story.

While traditional media outlets have suffered massive budget cuts and funding loss for investigative journalism, technology has opened doors for a new generation of documentarians and citizen journalists. With camera phones, go-fund me campaigns, and digital access to data, those with the skills and passion for finding the truth have options. Whether this work is reliable and/or reputable is open to debate. Although this type of “reporting” does not conform to the same rigorous standards and accountability demanded of traditional investigative journalism, it’s here to stay and growing.

There is now an abundance of excellent documentaries which many argue already come under the umbrella of investigative journalism, although some are heavily one-sided. And there are independent investigative journalism outlets sprouting all over the internet, some more credible than others.

Are we seeing a new phase of investigative journalism? Will we have to redefine this branch of journalism soon?

Maybe. But in the meantime, our definition holds firm, keeping the investigative journalists among us accountable, believable, trustworthy, and allowed the freedom to excel in their profession, bringing us stories—big or small—that would otherwise never see the light of day. Stories that could change the world.

Resources

https://gijn.org/about/investigative-journalism-defining-the-craft/

https://www.cima.ned.org/resource/global-investigative-journalism-strategies-for-support/

https://blogs.loc.gov/headlinesandheroes/2020/02/ida-b-wells-and-the-activism-of-investigative-journalism/

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/shopping/2022/01/12/ida-b-wells-barbie-doll/9186016002/

https://www.pulitzer.org/prize-winners-by-category/206

https://www.thebureauinvestigates.com

https://www.guilford.com/books/The-Journalism-of-Outrage/Protess-Cook-Doppelt-Ettema/9780898625912

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