Why Investigative Journalism Is So Important
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Newspapers, TV channels, and other media outlets have, among other things, the task of exposing what is happening in society. That is, to shine a spotlight on and reveal things that are being kept hidden from the public. Such journalistic work is often very time-consuming and requires significant resources. Investigative journalism is extremely important in a democracy. I’ve received some help from ChatGPT in compiling this overview of significant revelations resulting from investigative journalism.
Investigative journalism: time-consuming and costly
Journalism that takes months or years to complete is both costly and resource-intensive. In an era where the news landscape is constantly changing, it’s often easy to avoid allocating resources to journalism that requires lengthy investigation, a great deal of work, and may not yield any results. The media depends on advertising. To attract as much advertising as possible, the media needs as many readers as possible. It’s easy for the media to serve the public light journalism such as sports and celebrity news. It sells well.
Investigative journalism that digs deep and examines government agencies and power structures is complex. The film “Spotlight” gives us a glimpse into just how extensive and difficult this type of journalistic work is. Here, I’ve included a few examples of investigative journalism.
The Watergate Scandal
Journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein uncovered how individuals linked to the presidential administration were behind the break-in at the Democratic Party headquarters and attempted to cover up the incident. Among other things, it was revealed that President Nixon had recordings of conversations from the “White House” that directly linked him to the break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters.
The revelations led to Richard Nixon’s resignation in 1974—the only U.S. president to have done so.
The Pentagon Papers
This is a study conducted by the Pentagon. It was not intended to be made public.
Among other things, it showed that several administrations had made decisions and presented accounts of the war that did not always correspond with internal assessments. Daniel Ellsberg, a former military analyst who had worked on the study, copied the documents and leaked them to the press.
In June 1971, The New York Times began publishing excerpts from the documents. The U.S. government attempted to halt the publication through the courts, citing national security concerns. When The Washington Post and other newspapers also continued to publish the excerpts, the case quickly evolved into a conflict of principle between the government’s desire for secrecy and the press’s right to inform the public.
Panama Papers
A global leak of documents from the law firm Mossack Fonseca that came to light in 2016. The leak revealed how offshore companies were used by politicians, business leaders, celebrities, and others for purposes including tax planning, wealth management, and, in some cases, the possible concealment of illicit funds, and triggered investigations, political fallout, and legislative changes around the world.
Documents from the Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca, collected over several decades. The material was shared with the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung, which collaborated with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) and hundreds of journalists internationally to analyze and publish the findings in a coordinated effort. This made the Panama Papers one of the largest investigative journalism projects ever.
The Abu Ghraib Scandal
The Abu Ghraib scandal refers to the revelations in 2004 regarding the abuse and torture of detainees at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, carried out by certain members of the U.S. military and contractors during the Iraq War. Photographs of the abuses drew international attention, triggered extensive investigations, and became a lasting symbol of human rights violations during the conflict.
The revelations led to several military investigations and trials. A number of soldiers were convicted for their role in the abuses, while reports also criticized leadership, training, and oversight. At the same time, a wide-ranging debate arose over whether responsibility extended beyond those directly involved and over the significance of interrogation methods and command structures during the war.
The Spotlight Revelations
Spotlight—the revelations were a series of investigative journalism pieces published by The Boston Globe in 2002 that exposed widespread sexual abuse of minors committed by Catholic priests in the Archdiocese of Boston, as well as systematic attempts to cover up the abuse. The revelations are considered a turning point in the understanding of the abuse crisis in the Catholic Church and triggered investigations, lawsuits, and similar revelations around the world.
The revelations had a major impact on both investigative journalism and the public debate on institutional accountability. They showed how a lack of transparency and internal loyalty structures could contribute to abuse continuing over a long period of time. The series received widespread recognition, and the work of the Spotlight editorial team was later dramatized in the film *Spotlight* (2015), which won the Oscar for Best Picture.
Tobacco Papers
In 1994, researcher Stanton Glantz at the University of California, San Francisco, received approximately 4,000 internal documents from the American tobacco company Brown & Williamson. The documents consisted of decades of internal correspondence, research reports, and strategy memos. This material was later analyzed and published in the book *The Cigarette Papers*.
The release of the documents had a major impact on lawsuits against the tobacco industry. It strengthened government regulation of tobacco and gave researchers unique insight into how the industry handled scientific findings internally. The documents also contributed to the establishment of digital archives containing millions of industry documents that are still used by researchers, journalists, and health authorities.
Sources:
Teach Democracy: The Watergate Scandal
Britannica: The Pentagon Papers
Center for Constitutional Rights: Fact Sheet: Torture at Abu Ghraib and Al Shimari v. CACI