Investigative Journalism Overview

a form of journalism in which reporters deeply investigate a single topic of interest, often involving crime, political corruption, or corporate wrong doing

watchdog journalism or accountability reporting

There should be a good relationship between the two: the J connects the P to voters and the P offers information

hidden information that politicians try to hide

controls the three other powers: legislative, executive, and judicial

presumes that the undisclosed information points towards a breaking of the law or of the ethical rules

The corruption cases of political, business, and financial elites involving abuse of power or cases when public funds go to private pockets

the respect of confidentiality or the general publics interest

first began in 1690 with muckrakers

media doesn't tell us what to think, but what to think about

A collective process in which reporters make issues more notable for media, the public, and policy makers. Reporters' basic goal is to stimulate agenda-building process in order to create reformist outcomes

The first journalists who revealed political misconduct. Their goal was to correct problems and to impact public policies.

coined the term muckrakers when discussing a character from John Bunyan's 1679 classic Pilgrims Progess

publisher of the first public newspaper, Publick Occurences Both Forreign and Domestick in September 1690

He published a paper portraying the torture of French prisoners by the British-allied Native Americans. This caused the suspension of his printing license by the British Army.

Helen Hunt Jackson, Lincoln Steffens, Upton Sinclair, Frank Norris, Ida Minerva Tarbell, John Spargo, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Samuel Hopkins Adams, Ray Stannard Baker., David Graham Phillips

A Century of Dishonor (Attacked U.S. policy regarding Indians)

Shame of the Cities (attacked political corruption)

The Jungle (attacking the meatpacking industry)

the Octopus (attacked the railroad industry)

a series of exposes in Ladies Home Journal (attacked Standard Oil)

Bitter Cry of Children (attacked child Labor)

attacked child Labor

attacked medicine industry and public health system

attacked Americas racial divide

attacked the corruption by big business of the Senate

Published in 1906 in Cosmopolitan, exposed the influence of large corporations and other major financial interests on the government policy making

exposes on corporate monopolies resulted in the enforcement of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act 1909 created federal income taxes workman's compensation laws (1915) mothers pension laws (1908-1913) Direct election of US Senators and changes in state laws.

Result of the popularity of RFK and Lyndon B Johnson in 1963, economy was good so the number of newspapers declined and news was de-emphasized

WW1, WW2, and the Cold War generated feeling of patriotism and increased support for government... between 1917 and 1970 objectivity and deference to authority became primary journalistic values

1969 - Seymour Hersh, Anti-Vietnam activist, investigated allegations against an army officer and found that he was responsible for the murder of at least 109 civilians at My Lai