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Investigation Journalism - is it dying or dead?

Biggins

The more I scan the printed newspapers and see the like of Jordan rubbish and Strictly boring Ballroom gossip, I keep asking myself is investigation journalism dying or dead?

It seems to me that only a few papers now print even fewer articles that have and substance and research beyond what the fcuk Britney is wearing (or not!) or how brain dead (or "vacant") is skank Paris Hilton and who she is banging this week!

What the hell has happened to the good years of investigative journalism?
Bring back Woodward and Bernstein to teach the mob today how to be a decent journalist. If half their likes existed today, there would be a LOT less of the crap being pulled by our crooks in white collars!

All we are getting today is the latest regurgitated news as events unfold - which is fair enough to some extent - but in an era of the internet, hell, I know about current events happening before the newspapers are printed the next day so 90% of their article are null and void to surfers interest alone!

Is there any one decent newspaper out there today that can really be called a newspaper worthy of having decent investigation journalists? I despair!
Its all just dumbed down fodder for the sheep population!

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orourkeda

Look at the title of this thread. Perhaps we should investigate how to use a dictionary?

Morlar

orourkeda wrote: »

Look at the title of this thread. Perhaps we should investigate how to use a dictionary?

Whistleblower !!

dr.bollocko

orourkeda wrote: »

Look at the title of this thread. Perhaps we should investigate how to use a dictionary?

Dictionaries do not work that way.
All of those words are in the dictionary.

TheScribbler

humanji wrote: »

You wouldn't need people like me. This is Ireland. You can be as corrupt as you like and tell everyone about it. Nothing will ever happen to you as long as you're wealthy. That's why there's little need for investigative journalism. Once people can be made accountable for their actions then there's a need. Until then, it's a pointless exercise.

Ummmm. Not so much wealth as, 'connected,' even if wealth is a feature of being connected in the first place. In some case the wealth follows the connectedness rather than precedes it!

TheScribbler

I believe there is always a need for good investigative journalism. However I am at the age that I have become very sceptical of official government utterances on so many things of public interest, but one cannot rely on the impartiality of tabloid newspapers either.

Good journalism remains the preserve of quality newspapers and magazines.

mud

I'm in my 1st year of a journalism undergrad.

Ten weeks in and totally disillusioned

I had a very different idea of what journalism was all about before I started this degree.

Wazdakka

dr.bollocko wrote: »

Dictionaries do not work that way.
All of those words are in the dictionary.

Oh yea?

Lux23

mud wrote: »

I'm in my 1st year of a journalism undergrad.

Ten weeks in and totally disillusioned

I had a very different idea of what journalism was all about before I started this degree.

I have a qualification in journalism and don't let what you are studying colour your view of the job. Most people teaching journalists are failed journalists themselves who never really had the killer instinct, great at the theory but its one of those jobs where theory doesn't go very far.

mud

Lux23 wrote: »

I have a qualification in journalism and don't let what you are studying colour your view of the job. Most people teaching journalists are failed journalists themselves who never really had the killer instinct, great at the theory but its one of those jobs where theory doesn't go very far.

thanks for that, my main fear is that I don't have said 'killer instinct', don't want to write about who fell out of where holding whos you know what etc

The more I'm examining newspapers from an academic point of view, the more I realise that it's a jaded, jaded business, who's going to believe the truth when there are so so many lies . . .

not bakunin

mud wrote: »

The more I'm examining newspapers from an academic point of view, the more I realise that it's a jaded, jaded business, who's going to believe the truth when there are so so many lies . . .

.....and the cynical businessman who owns the paper will say who gives a fuuck so long as people keep reading and all that lovely juicy advertising revenue keeps flowing in..

jdivision

Lux23 wrote: »

The problem with investigative journalism today is that so many articles in the better newsapers in the Times, Examiner, Independent etc are based on a random quote from someone who has very little idea of what the real situation is. Then they just rehash the story so far. But there are some good fearless journalists out there.

In fairness if there was three newspapers less likely to break a story of any significance then you named them. Come on, they just rehash press releases, their editors are universally laughed at within the media. the Irish Times is embarrassing.
If people don't feel the levels of investigative journalism are where they were at then they need to look at how media is consumed, ie in many ways it's become free so costs, meaning salaries and staffing levels, are being driven down. That way there is no way people can have the time to follow up on stuff properly and investigate it properly, they have to do their daily quota of work instead. The public has chosen it wants crap, news agendas reflect that.
And then a lot of the time RTE and the dailies in particular are lazy. In RTE there are many parts that don't even get the Sundays so there's this news lapse. as a sunday journalist you feel like you've broken a big story, you get pickup on Today FM and Newstalk initially and then RTE ignores you because the intern in the newsroom hasn't gotten the paper (this does happen, some sections of RTE don't get the Sundays despite fact that the news agenda for the week is generally set there, obviously i'm excluding the sindo and red tops from this point). I've experienced this many times, where I've broken stories on a sunday, somebody else has repeated them later in the week (with nothing new!) and suddenly it's the lead story on Six One. The Funnniest was rte's own rezoning application that led the bulletin, six weeks (I think) after it was first reported. But hey RTE could "exclusively" reveal it. There's a lot of laziness out there but also there isn't a single radio or TV journalist that I'd rate in any way.
mud, feel free to pm me if you want any advice. will help any way i can.

jdivision

Just as an aside, the result of all this has been the FF crap that we've all gotten used to. It's directly related to the dumbing down of standards, and high up people in journalism get away with it. Soundbite from Govt, soundbite from opposition, reply from Govt. end of story. No critical facilities whatsoever. How often does a paper run a lead story saying "political sources say"exactly what we knew already.
This was how Bertienomics worked. Union claims money, bertie says no and "won't back down", union threatens strike, bertie backs down. Good times don't last, bertie's non climb downs mean country bankrupt. The embarrassment that people voted for this ****. I feel a certain amount of dignity that I never did.

orourkeda

dr.bollocko wrote: »

Dictionaries do not work that way.
All of those words are in the dictionary.

They're spelt correctly in the dictionary.

orourkeda

mud wrote: »

I'm in my 1st year of a journalism undergrad.

Ten weeks in and totally disillusioned

I had a very different idea of what journalism was all about before I started this degree.

Wait until you finish your degree and start looking for a job.

You won't know what real disillusionment is until then.

mud

orourkeda wrote: »

Wait until you finish your degree and start looking for a job.

You won't know what real disillusionment is until then.

eh thanks?

Bigdeadlydave

It depends were you look. I'm a subscriber to National Geographic and they do quite a lot. This month their was a particularly good one exposing the worlds No 1 animal smuggler.

Nodin

dr.bollocko wrote: »

OMG!
AMY WINEHOUSE GOT A BOOB JOB!

Yep. New gates out the front of a burning bungalow.

Nodin

stovelid wrote: »

I don't think it's as obvious a case as your first example, but there is definitely a subtle titillation in the coverage. It's a common tabloid trait to simultaneously moralize and titillate, whether for sex or crime stories. They're not stupid. It's a pretty accurate approximation of how the readership feel: they abhor the crimes, but want the gory details. There is also the fact that scobes and probably the criminals themselves actually like the overall lionization of their activities, even if it bites them sometimes when they're exposed or whatever.

There is also the uncomfortable Veronica Guerinization of Paul Williams to contend with: there is a serious vanity and cult of personality in his self-appointed position as scourge of the criminals.

I'm not sure that the police (at least in private) are that fond of this kind of rabble coverage - perhaps I'm wrong.

Stick in "exaggerate" there and you're bang on.

Gingervitis

The Wire Season 5 tbh. David Simon certainly nails it.

JuliusCaesar

Biggins wrote: »

The more I scan the printed newspapers and see the like of Jordan rubbish and Strictly boring Ballroom gossip, I keep asking myself is investigation journalism dying or dead?

It seems to me that only a few papers now print even fewer articles that have and substance and research beyond what the fcuk Britney is wearing (or not!) or how brain dead (or "vacant") is skank Paris Hilton and who she is banging this week!

What the hell has happened to the good years of investigative journalism?
Bring back Woodward and Bernstein to teach the mob today how to be a decent journalist. If half their likes existed today, there would be a LOT less of the crap being pulled by our crooks in white collars!

All we are getting today is the latest regurgitated news as events unfold - which is fair enough to some extent - but in an era of the internet, hell, I know about current events happening before the newspapers are printed the next day so 90% of their article are null and void to surfers interest alone!

Is there any one decent newspaper out there today that can really be called a newspaper worthy of having decent investigation journalists? I despair!
Its all just dumbed down fodder for the sheep population!

Your answer is here

4leto

Its not that investigation journo is dying, newspapers are dying circulation and revenue has slashed drastically world wide.

So papers cannot afford to have spare staff running around like lois lane chasing a hunch they would rather put her talents to use in an opinion section.

Also paparazzies revenue has declined by nearly70% apparently we no longer want to see Britney eating a Sambo.

4zn76tysfajdxp

Biggins wrote: »

The more I scan the printed newspapers and see the like of Jordan rubbish and Strictly boring Ballroom gossip, I keep asking myself is investigation journalism dying or dead?

Don't you often post videos on Youtube about The X Factor? How is that any more worthwhile than the stuff you listed?

OutlawPete

I'd like to see Paul Williams done by CAB as he has made more money from the crime in this country than the rest put together.

The General, Crime Wars, Crimelord, Crimelords, The Untouchables, Evil Empire etc etc.

dan719

Aadhya Ashy Veil wrote: »

Don't you often post videos on Youtube about The X Factor? How is that any more worthwhile than the stuff you listed?

Any chance of a link there Aadhya Ashy Veil? I'd bet my left testicle that Biggins is a closet Jedward fan.

aDeener

Biggins wrote: »

Very true. I know of one VERY high TD who's antics is pure shame filled madness but has yet to be reported on so yes, I believe other cases like that do exist.

If you know it, and can prove it, then give it to a newspaper and have it published under your name a a freelance writer. If you don't well then you're part of the problem. What good will sitting on a scandal achieve... Indeed most of your posts talk of the need for change in the political system, well heres your chance to do something about it.

4zn76tysfajdxp

dan719 wrote: »

Any chance of a link there Frada? I'd bet my left testicle that Biggins is a closet Jedward fan.

http://www.youtube.com/user/BigginsIrish#p/u

partyatmygaff

Aadhya Ashy Veil wrote: »

http://www.youtube.com/user/BigginsIrish#p/u

Ouch, someone just got busted

Aadhya Ashy Veil and his investigative journalism reveal all. :pac:

PK2008

Just watched Ross Kemp in Gaza and it was pretty good.

I know he used to be Grant mitchell but still- he's got balls, he was just interviewing a suicide bomber who was rigged up and ready to go

(Did I just show my noobness to the journalism cool kids?)

RonMexico

We badly need a good dose of real journalism in this country. The politicians alone would provide enough dirt to keep a newspaper in circulation forever.

This country is rotten to the core and an ineffectual media is partly to blame.

hooradiation

aDeener wrote: »

If you know it, and can prove it, then give it to a newspaper and have it published under your name a a freelance writer.

This.
A thousand times this.

If you know something then you are no better than the people you berate if you continue to sit on it. Lets see you actually back up your righteous indignation at everything with something more than posting lots on AH.