The Fourth Estate (week 12)

“In America, the President reigns for four years, and journalism governs for ever and ever.”
– Oscar Wilde, The Soul of Man under Socialism (1891).

After weeks of looking at different ways that journalism can be used to manipulate reality and churn out shocking, meaningless half-truths, we come at last to the noble and sophisticated end of the journalistic profession – investigative journalism.

Ross Coulthart argues that all good journalism involves “questioning investigation of facts and opinions presented to us.” This ‘good’ side to journalism is now a rare art form, and a profession that has sadly suffered throughout the transition into the new media. Nonetheless, it is still practiced in news media institutions that can afford such luxuries, and its role in a democracy is still as important as ever.

So how can we spot this sophisticated and prudent form of journalism amongst the hordes of vulgar, ignoble churnalists that make up today’s largely-commercial media landscape? Dr Redman characterises investigative journalism according to the five “ins”; intelligent, informed, intuitive, inside and an investment (of the journalists’ blood, sweat, money, time and tears) – all for the pursuit of truth. The five “ins” essentially mean that the investigative breed of journalists become part of the story they are reporting through substantive investigation and the consultation of sources. In this way, investigative journalism is both critical and thorough.

Perhaps the most defining feature of investigative journalism is that it is focused on public interest, not tainted by the majority of the media’s news values. As a result, it is generally associated with topics regarding social justice. Due to this, investigative journalism has a adopted a role in modern democracy as the ‘fourth estate’ – an institution above society, the state and the capital, holding the latter two to account and exposing hidden truths. 

While this role as the ‘custodians of concience’ (Ettema and Glasser) seems romantic and imagined, it is evidenced in The Moonlight State, an investigation by Four Corners in 1987 which resulted in the exposure of mass-corruption in the Queensland police force and the consequent retirement of the chief commissioner. The Moonlight State was largely a result of the efforts of Chris Masters, Phil Dickie and Shaun Hoyt. 

http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/stories/2011/08/08/3288495.htm

Other examples of great investigative journalists range from W. T. Stead, whose 19^th century investigation into the white slave trade resulted in the age of consent being raised to sixteen (from the previous twelve) across the Commonwealth, to Bernstein and Woodward, responsible for exposition of the Watergate scandal. The common feature of all these people and their work is the fact that they ultimately changed the world.

Sadly, though, investigative journalism has suffered throughout the transition into the new media. Naturally this long-form journalism involves a huge commitment in terms of time and money. These are two things that newspapers no longer have, and two things that commercial television stations have no intention of giving up for the sake of social justice. Sir Harold Evans, former editor of the The Sunday Times in the UK, explained the situation in an interview last year:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TL1vEzzBRY

Thankfully, there is hope yet for investigative journalism. Firstly, websites like www.theglobalmail.org see the decline in investigative journalism as a hole in the market for an educated audience, reviving the profession.  Secondly, institutions like the ABC will continue to be reserves for the endangered investigative reporter thanks to their own legislation:

“The ABC cannot simply report; its legislation clearly implies that it should also work within the best traditions of investigative journalism … systematically to pursue issues of public concern through innovative and reliable journalism…” (ABC, 1985).

The last custodians of Conscience: shows like Four Corners and the youth-focused Hungry Beast continue to deliver thorough investigations, ensuring at least some of the fourth state remains intact and active. 

While investigative journalism has taken a big hit with the recent dramatic changes in the media landscape, it is still active and as powerful as ever. So long as there is a viable market and the public media to protect it, investigative journalism will continue to expose the truth and hold the separate three estates to account.