The Importance of Investigative Journalism Essay - 769 Words

Though connected through the general base of being a part of the media, investigative journalism is far from the daily reporting and paparazzi reports we are used to. Investigative journalists look to bring attention to violated laws, regulations or wrongdoings that they feel very strongly about. The topic of their research is completely up to their own personal interest and choosing. Their research often takes a long time to collect, and must be very thorough and involve many different sources while providing the public with important information that may have been slightly covered up or less attainable to the news reel of the average Joe. This type of research often looks at what is not working in society and predicts trends and changes,†¦show more content†¦One of the references he makes compared New Orleans, to the Dutch: â€Å"Nevertheless, if we compare the failures in New Orleans with the successes in the Netherlands, one lesson stands out: social context matters mor e than technological prowess. The Dutch have been relatively good at preparing for climate change largely because of their long history of consensus-based water management and their shared belief in social planning. By contrast, Louisiana’s efforts have been crippled by the state’s history of poor government, its dysfunctional relationship with the Army Corps of Engineers, the power of its oil and gas interests, its continuing reluctance—even after Katrina—to acknowledge the reality of global warming for fear that might harm oil and gas production† (Hertsgaard, 132). The failure of the US to recognize what a critical opportunity we have missed and the steps we need to take to adapt and reduce the consequences of our actions is one of Hertsgaard’s most prominent points, and is a large part of his unveiling of how the global warming situation was handled. The undoubted authority and urgency in Hertsgaard’s tone along with his undispute d evidence and research is what leaves readers flipping through his works, eager to listen to what he has to say and to consider the solutions he offers. Alongside Hertsgaard, there are many other investigative journalists, such as Greg Palast. Palast’s work primarily focuses on corporate fraud, one of his moreShow MoreRelatedEffects of Technological Advances806 Words   |  4 PagesFrom the time printed publications were the dominant medium to the modern era where the internet has emerged as the dominant medium the field of journalism has experienced colossal growth, development, and evolvement. The changes caused by the gradual introduction of new and more efficient mediums consistently affected journalism and the way journalists delivered content to the public. Prior to the concept of broadcasting, newspapers were the primary means of communication in society. InitiallyRead MoreThe Role Of Journalism And Its Impact On Journalism2056 Words   |  9 PagesHistorically, professional journalism has been built around two fundamentals: visual and textual. While numbers have played a role in journalism as well, journalists have constantly downplayed their importance in making up the professional skillset, which leads to a difficulty in presenting numerical data responsibly and accurately (Maier 2002). A noteworthy is the subfield of computer-assisted reporting, which focuses on examining quantitative data through a journalistic lens. Over the past severalRead MoreA Field Of Forces Within The Field817 Words   |  4 Pagesby itself, i.e., outside the relations of interdependence which link it to other products† (Bourdieu, 1993: p. 32). These goods are also produced under specific conditions, not in a vacuum. This assumption is valid to art, literature, but also to journalism as a massive cultural production, like Bourdieu and other authors had demonstrated (Benson Neveu, 2005; Benson, 2006; Bourdieu, 1994; English, 2015; Marlià ¨re, 1998; Murrell, 2015; Schultz, 2007). Thus, cultural products are entangled in a netRead MoreThe Importance Of Journalism And Photography955 Words   |  4 Pagescitizens are aware of them. This is where journalism and photography come to play. Journalism and photography allow for current events in other parts of the world to be shown to the public for awareness. Some of these events such as the time during the Arab Spring, where revolutions and protests broke out across the Middle East and North Africa, allowed for citizens to get an idea of what is going on in that particular part of the country. A world without journalism cause much of the people to be in theRead MoreThe Public Sphere : An Encyclopedia Article Essay1683 Words   |  7 Pagesmembers of the plebeian classes† (Fra ser 10) from participation. In this paper I will support Fraser’s critiques of Habermas’s utopian vision of the public sphere to argue that the participatory culture Web 2.0 introduced has transformed the notion of journalism while reflecting real-world inequalities and eliminating democracy in the process. The paper will be concluded with recommendations to creating an enabling environment for the media to make a positive contribution to democratic development. HabermasRead MoreThe Documentary About Nevsun, A Canadian Mining Company For Granting Forced Labor And Abuse Of Human Rights913 Words   |  4 Pagesadequate evidence to support allegation on funding terrorism in the region. Though Nevsun does not directly engage in the destabilization security in the area, its continued operation in the country contributes money used to fund the rebels. The importance of the Filth Estate program extends beyond portraying the violation of human rights and forced labor in Eritrea. Keen observation on several mines operated by Canadian, Chinese, and Australia firms of late have comes under the allegation of collaboratingRead MoreThe Changing Role of the Us News Media Essay934 Words   |  4 PagesMedia The internet is our modern source for news media; the importance of the newspaper has not only declined, it is in a sense, obsolete. We now turn to the internet for opinions, news, and entertainment. Even though the way in which we consume information (PBS) has changed, the importance of an unrestricted and watchful media has not changed. (Magleby, Light, Nemacheck, 2010) The Framers of our constitution were well aware of the importance of the press as a judge to discuss the implications andRead MoreAl Jazeera and CNN1741 Words   |  7 Pagesor informative programing, was extremely different than visiting the Al Jazeera website. The CNN website is cluttered and over stimulating with clusters of videos on a vast array of topics with no clear focus. Many videos were examples of yellow journalism such as the top two trending videos that consisted of a â€Å"Model’s Shocking Transformation† and a program on photo editing asking â€Å"Has this Photo Editing Gone too Far?† Both of these videos had their pictures presenting images of slim, Caucasian,Read MoreWatergate : A Decade Of Corruption, Lies, And Shadiness1224 Words   |  5 PagesAccording to The Watergate Crisis, The effect of Watergate on the media was astonishing. A new breed of investigative journalists took center stage, and the nature and style of reporting about preside nts changed dramatically. (Genovese). Watergate was a key factor in reinforcing the importance of investigative reporting. Thousands of young American men and women were inspired to become investigative journalists (Feldstein). Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein were two of the most famous reporters duringRead MoreMedia And Politics : A Brief Note On Media Politics2454 Words   |  10 Pagesdecision opened up the press as a space for serious political discussions and criticism of government in a way that would construct the future political movements of America, including its independence from Great Britain. These events cemented the importance of free press, which would become the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. An important Supreme Court case concerning the media was New York Times Company v. United States in 1971. This case dealt with the constitutionality of publishing