Investigative Journalism

Investigative Journalism is intelligent,intuitive,informed, the best career ever, intimate and invested.
This feels like a compliment.

Investigative Journalists have codes, if you will, to work by. They seem pretty sacred, but in truth, they encompass the key traits of being a good person, andstriving to do your best.

1. Be involved, make a substantial effort, take the time to do a good job.
2. Holds wrong-doings up for scrutiny by the public.
3. Social Justice. Power to the powerless, voice to the voiceless.
4. 4th Estate. Balance out the power of the government by interrogation and questioning.

Dr Redman brought up the concept of "Shoe Leather Journalism." By this he meant, getting outside, walking around, wearing out your shoes to get the story. This struck me, I mean, I knew getting into journalism would mean doing interviews and the like, but to be honest, it is quite possible to erase this whole 'active' part of journalism from the process, however sad that may be. You can skip it all together by pressing a blue button that says "Tweet." It seems new media has it's downfalls.

The point here though, is that journalists should be cutting through the agenda, escaping the media and it's restrictions to get the facts. There have been countless trail blazers in this campaign to cut through the crap, the most modern, and perhaps the most universal is Julian Assange, founder of Wiki-Leaks.

He was enacting the 4th estate, holding these discrepancies up for scrutiny by the internet. He is also a prime example of being committed to a cause, to balancing out the power - and he was charged for doing so. In the words of Sarah Palin before his arrest, " Hunt down Assange like Osama." This coming from someone who "Can see Russia from her house," I am not likely to advocate his arrest, but it does suggest that investigative journalism is a commitment. Some may argue this 'journalism,' because Wiki-leaks is just a bunch of stuff, and they are right, it isn't the classical sense of Journalism, but what is in this new media world?

The future of investigative journalism, is blossoming, especially in the local media sphere.
If we check facts, assume nothing, and expect whistle blowers to go crazy, we can be successful in investigative journalism. Interviews, observations, documents are all things we are sure to encounter on our quest for a story, and a quest it will be, with online news threatening the classical investigator, as do empty news rooms, and the growth of PR. Here's hoping we won't be arrested.

-Shannen