Investigative Journalism

This report is designed to give funders a succinct and accessible introduction to the practice of funding investigative journalism around the world, via major contemporary debates, trends and challenges in the field. It is part of a series from DW Akademie looking at practices, challenges and futures of investigative journalism around the world.

The paper is intended as a stepping stone, or a springboard, for those who know little about investigative journalism, but who would like to know more. It is not a defense, a mapping or a history of the field, either globally or regionally; nor is it a description of or guide to  how to conduct investigations or an examination of investigative techniques. These are widely available in other areas and (to some extent) in other languages already.

Rooted in 17 in-depth expert interviews and wide-ranging desk research, this report sets out big-picture challenges and opportunities facing the investigative journalism field both in general, and in specific regions of the world. It provides donors with an overview of the main ways this often precarious field is financed in newsrooms and units large and small. Finally it provides high-level practical advice – from experienced donors and the investigative journalism field – to help new, prospective or curious donors to the field to find out how to get started, and what is important to do, and not to do.

Recenzie - Melania Cincea, „Frăția penal-academică. Cercetarea științifică din penitenciarele României: o investigație jurnalistică” (Editura Humanitas, București, 2018, 100 p.), „Compoziții pe dictafon” (Editura Universității de Vest, Timișoara, 2018, 443 p.)

Two major – and quite extraordinary – developments have happened recently in investigative journalism in South Africa. The first is the various dogged investigations into the Gupta-perpetrated “state capture” (Hellman and Kaufman, 2001) of the country which were led by the independent journalistic unit Amabhungane. The unit started life as a funded entity within the Mail & Guardian newspaper but then decided there were advantages to working independently. In addition to, and in association with, AmaBhungane, South Africa’s only new online newspaper The Daily Maverick started an investigative unit called Scorpio and then the editor of News 24 Adriaan Basson brought to bear South Africa’s largest media company’s resources to help expose the Guptas. This consortium’s efforts resulted in two whistleblowers releasing hundreds of thousands of emails (#Guptaleaks ) to the journalists from within the Gupta empire. The unravelling of the process of how state capture had been perpetrated had already started but the emails lent credibility to the investigations and named those involved. This development also benefitted from the attention of the Public Protector (2017), the 2016 South African Council of Churches hearings into corruption and research by the Public Affairs Research Institute (Bohrat, 2017). Apartheid-era investigative journalist Jacques Pauw, now retired from journalism, weighed in with a massive book, The President’s Keepers (2017), in which he laid bare the “gangster state” (Coovadia, 2017) South Africa had become. The combined efforts had the desired effect; President Zuma was removed and two commissions (the Zondo and Nugent commissions) have been set up to identify the conspirators and help new President Cyril Ramaphosa repair the damage.
The second development within investigative journalism is a much more sobering – and perplexing – situation. It became clear only once this state of affairs was out in the open that journalists at one of the country’s largest newspapers, The Sunday Times, had been complicit in enabling state capture to take place. This unfolded when the editor Bongani Siqoko made public an unprecedented and extended apology on Sunday 14 October 2018 . In effect Siqoko told South Africans that a specialist investigative unit within the newspaper had been so manipulated by captured intelligence sources that they had manufactured stories which were used to discredit police officers, Revenue Service investigative officials and others who had the power to thwart the Gupta’s plans. The impacts of these fabricated stories were not just a misled public and deeply affected individuals who lost their jobs. The many front-page scoops over a period of years had also contributed to devious efforts to overthrow proper, accountable governance and to fraudulently acquire South Africans’ taxes. In short, journalism itself had been captured. Siqoko said prizes and prize money awarded to these journalists would be returned and that two of the most recognised of these journalists had left the organisation.

IMPRENSA, Crise Política e Golpe no BRASIL traz um conjunto de artigos, entrevistas e ensaio de renomados autores, nacionais e estrangeiros, acompanhando os acontecimentos políticos referentes à derrubada do Governo Dilma Rousseff, as ações da Operação Lava Jato e o papel da imprensa na cobertura jornalística do recente período da história brasileira que colocou a democracia recém-conquistada em “vertigem”.
A obra conseguiu envolver dois países em sua organização e edição, Brasil e Portugal, correspondendo a um regime de coautoria entre a Editora do CCTA (Brasil) e a RIA Editorial (Portugal).
O livro fortalece a robusta política editorial do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Jornalismo (PPJ) da Universidade Federal da Paraíba (UFPB), o primeiro mestrado em jornalismo profissional do país, fundado em 2013, com a finalidade de capacitar profissionais em nível avançado para atuar no exercício das atividades que constituem o campo jornalístico. Entre os anos de 2015 e 2019, 72 dissertações e produtos jornalísticos foram defendidos no referido Programa de Pós-Graduação, com uma dezena desses trabalhos de pesquisa publicados, fortalecendo o conhecimento na área do jornalismo em nível regional e nacional. Em 2018 o PPJ/UFPB recebeu o Prêmio Adelmo Genro Filho de Melhor Dissertação, outorgado pela Associação Brasileira de Pesquisadores em Jornalismo (SBPJor), com a pesquisa O jornalismo na tela vestível: novos formatos da notícia no relógio inteligente, defendida por José Cavalcanti Sobrinho Neto, sob a orientação do Prof. Dr. Fernando Firmino da Silva.
Ao mesmo tempo, o livro IMPRENSA, Crise Política e Golpe no BRASIL visibiliza os esforços desenvolvidos no sentido de firmar cooperação acadêmica em âmbito nacional e internacional, intensificada no Programa a partir de meados de 2017 e consolidada em 2018, junto à Pró-Reitoria de Planejamento e a Agência UFPB de Cooperação Internacional (vinculada ao Gabinete da Reitoria da UFPB).
A realização deste livro está alinhada com a trajetória e o crescimento do PPJ/UFPB. Especialmente, por meio de um projeto integrado realizado pelo Laboratório de Jornalismo e Editoração (LAJE) com destaque de alguns dos seus principais trabalhos editoriais: Coleção Livro-reportagem - Maestro Chiquito: o metalúrgico dos sons (Adeildo Vieira); Coleção Jornalismo em Sala de Aula - Rotinas do Jornalismo no Cinema (Org. Pedro Nunes); Coleção Âncora - Escutas sobre o Jornalismo (Orgs. Fernando Firmino, Joana Belarmino e Pedro Nunes); Jornalismo em ambientes Multiplataforma (Org. Pedro Nunes); Jornalismo Participação e Cidadania (Orgs. Pedro Nunes, Joana Belarmino e David Campos); Coleção Jornalismo e Memória - Memórias Compartilhadas (Org. Pedro Nunes); e Travessias Acadêmicas (Pedro Nunes).
Outra iniciativa editorial de fôlego circunscrita ao trabalho do LAJE com projeção internacional é a Revista Latino-Americana de Jornalismo – ÂNCORA, com periodicidade semestral, que já disponibilizou dez edições, colaborando com a disseminação da produção científica, apresentação de resultados de pesquisas aplicadas e as releituras dos processos comunicacionais no campo do jornalismo. Prova de sua força capilarizada é que a revista ÂNCORA dispõe de um Conselho Científico formado por 191 pesquisadores nacionais e internacionais e o seu cadastramento em 24 indexadores, Bancos de Dados e Fatores de Impacto.
Destaca-se na contribuição do LAJE para os estudos na área do Jornalismo (regional e nacional) o trabalho gigantesco, a dedicação e a experiência profissional do Prof. Dr. Pedro Nunes Filho, responsável pela implantação e consolidação do referido Laboratório, e de todas as suas publicações (a exemplo da revista ÂNCORA), como editor até 2017 e sempre envolvendo colegas no processo de organização e colaboração até a presente publicação deste livro.
Para a realização deste livro contamos com a competência e extrema colaboração do Centro de Comunicação, Turismo e Artes (CCTA), da Universidade Federal da Paraíba, na pessoa do diretor, o Prof.Dr. José David Campos Fernandes, e da parceria com a RIA Editorial, em especial do Prof. Dr. Denis Porto Renó, da Universidade Estadual Paulista e da Universidade de Aveiro (Portugal).
Acreditando que o conhecimento pode contribuir para modificar o campo jornalístico e político, e que, juntos, podemos conquistar a plena democracia brasileira, apresentamos, com todas as honras acadêmicas, o livro IMPRENSA, Crise Política e Golpe no BRASIL. A obra, em sua complexidade, reúne pesquisadores e pesquisadoras de 20 universidades (envolvendo Brasil, Argentina, Colômbia e Portugal) para refletir sobre as fragilidades e incongruências do jornalismo brasileiro; a condução coercitiva do ex-presidente Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva; as coberturas tendenciosas da imprensa sobre o golpe de 2016; abusos do Poder Judiciário, do Poder Legislativo e do Poder da Imprensa; crise da democracia brasileira; vulnerabilidade dos direitos civis; polarização política; apologia ao ódio e à intolerância em todos os níveis; enfim, toda sorte de tormenta, provocadora de incertezas e angústias no Brasil contemporâneo.
Enfim, o livro pode ser considerado enquanto um belo e minucioso tratado que repensa o jornalismo em tempos de crise política, decadência do Poder Judiciário e falência do Estado brasileiro. Aponta questões relevantes e caminhos indispensáveis para a prática do jornalismo investigativo, contextualizado e humanizado.
Profª. Drª. Zulmira Nóbrega
Coordenadora do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Jornalismo – UFPB
(Biênio 2019-2021)

PARTICIPANTES

Adriana Crisanto MONTEIRO
Adriano Charles da Silva CRUZ
Adriano Lopes GOMES
Alfredo VIZEU
Bianca Pessoa Tenório WANDERLEY
Carla BAPTISTA
Cid Augusto da Escossia ROSADO
Cláudio Cardoso de PAIVA
Daniel Dantas LEMOS
Denis RENÓ
Diego García RAMÍREZ
Felipe PENA
Fernando IRIGARAY
Francisco Vieira da SILVA
Geilson Fernandes de OLIVEIRA
Gustavo PADOVANI
Heitor Costa Lima da ROCHA
Joana Belarmino de SOUSA
João Carlos MASSAROLO
Juciano de Sousa LACERDA
Juliana COLUSSI
Laís Cristine Ferreira CARDOSO
Leonardo Magalhães FIRMINO
Lila LUCHESSI
Lilian Carla MUNEIRO
Lucas Oliveira de MEDEIROS
Luiz Ademir de OLIVEIRA
Luiz Custódio da SILVA
Marcília Luzia Gomes da Costa MENDES
Maria das Graças Pinto COELHO
Maria de Lourdes SOARES
Mariane Motta de CAMPOS
Mozarth Dias de Almeida MIRANDA
Paulo Roberto Figueira LEAL
Pedro NUNES
Sérgio Arruda de MOURA
Sérgio GADINI
Thays Helena Silva TEIXEIRA
Viviane Amélia Ribeiro CARDOSO
Zulmira NÓBREGA

Communication for and about development are significant components of international development cooperation, interlinked in practice though separated in research. This article examines their interaction in donor-driven aid through the lens of journalism. How is bilateral development cooperation communicated about in the news? How does a donor agency communicate for and about development? And what are the links between one and the other? In 2016, a prime-time exposé aired by the Swedish public TV reported on alleged corruption in aid to Zambia, depicting events as the double failure of donor and recipient. Our analysis clarifies how (a) how the news media in a top donor country covers public development aid for its citizen audiences; and (b) how a bilateral donor agency understands and practices communication as it interacts with the news media on the one hand, and with partners and beneficiaries on the ground on the other. We focus on the news media as mediator of the donor’s communication with its tax-paying citizen audiences, demonstrating the potential of an integrated conceptual approach to communication for and about development, and raising questions for future research.

This paper considers the performativity of shaming in investigative TV-journalism. It argues that the construction of shame is not only a constituent element in investigative TV-journalism but also an important factor in pursuing some of its main objectives: establishing morals, exercising social control, reinforcing journalistic identity and ideology, and competing for attention in a diversified media theatre where drama, entertainment and emotional thrills are the hard currency. An empirical study of the Swedish TV programme Uppdrag granskning, is used to inductively propose three categories of shaming and to give some examples of the ways in which shaming is performed. The core of the paper is a theory driven analysis in which the performativity of shaming in investigative TV-journalism is analysed in the light of some converging media and societal trends.

Η μελέτη αυτή διερευνά τις αναπαραστάσεις του δημοσιογράφου-ερευνητή στο σύγχρονο ελληνικό και αγγλόφωνο αστυνομικό μυθιστόρημα. Παραδοσιακά, ο δημοσιογράφος ως λογοτεχνικός ήρωας ενσάρκωνε ενίοτε τον έντιμο υπερασπιστή της αλήθειας και ενίοτε τον «κακό» της υπόθεσης που χρησιμοποιεί και αθέμιτα μέσα προκειμένου να επιτύχει το στόχο του. Ο ρεπόρτερ  της σύγχρονης αστυνομικής λογοτεχνίας σκιαγραφείται με τρόπο ρεαλιστικότερο, ισορροπώντας ανάμεσα στις δύο προηγούμενες αναπαραστάσεις. Στα μυθιστορήματα που αναλύονται εδώ εμφανίζεται ως μια πολύπλοκη διασταύρωση δύο κόσμων, του θετικού και του αρνητικού, η δικαίωση της οποίας προκύπτει από τον ίδιο τον αναγνώστη. Έτσι, η φιγούρα του γίνεται πιο πειστική, πιο καθημερινή, αλλά και πιο ανθρώπινη. Όπως προκύπτει από τη μελέτη μας, οι συμβατικές και στερεοτυπικές αναπαραστάσεις των δημοσιογράφων στην αστυνομική λογοτεχνία αντανακλούν κοινωνικοπολιτικές πτυχές και αναπαραστάσεις του δημοσιογραφικού κόσμου, όπως αυτές έχουν εδραιωθεί στην εκτός μυθοπλασίας πραγματικότητα.

The problem of the study is to examine how the Egyptian press interested in covering different social issues through the investigative and traditional reportage in addition to analyzing the narrative paradigm to determine the Inclusive elements and coverage trend. The study monitored the features of the watchdog Role reflected by the Egyptian press. The study also measured the extent to which the audience depends on investigative journalism and dependency effects. The study monitored public attitudes towards the watchdog role and social responsibility of the Egyptian press, as well as evaluated the professional performance of the investigative journalists, and determined their attitudes towards social responsibility of the press and its watchdog role.

Karakteristik media massa sebagai sumber informasi terus berubah mengikuti dinamika regulasi dan perkembangan industri media. Perubahan ini berdampak tidak hanya pada program hiburan tetapi juga program siaran berita. Sebagai konten dengan budaya tinggi (high culture), program berita investigasi seharusnya diproduksi melalui sejumlah tahapan investigatif dengan konten dan kualitas yang berbeda dengan berita reguler. Pada kenyataannya, pekerja media dituntut bekerja secara instan mengikuti logika industri media. Berita investigasi berubah dari semula memiliki budaya tinggi menjadi budaya populer (popular culture). Dengan pendekatan kualitatif dan metode studi kasus maka penelitian ini bertujuan mengetahui bagaimana pekerja media menciptakan berita investigasi dari budaya tinggi menjadi budaya populer. Teknik pengumpulan data primer berupa wawancara dilakukan kepada informan, pekerja media di salah satu program investigatif televisi swasta. Penelitian menemukan bahwa industri budaya pada berita investigasi dilakukan pada tidak hanya pada konten tetapi juga sumber daya manusia di dalamnya. Berita investigasi diproduksi oleh jurnalis yang sebagian besar tanpa kompetensi investigasi. Berita investigasi berpatokan pada besarnya kuantitas berita yang dihasilkan, durasi produksi yang singkat, efisiensi anggaran, selera pasar, serta kepentingan pemilik dan pengiklan. Perubahan program berita investigasi dari budaya tinggi ke budaya populer ini pada akhirnya berdampak pada kualitas berita investigasi.

This study explores the recovery experiences of survivors of a flash flood event, five years after a natural disaster in South East Queensland. In-depth interviews were conducted with 33 of the original cohort of 120 post-disaster interviewees who experienced sudden traumatic bereavement and/or their own near-death experience. The data reveals that many of the survivors and rescuers were in worse – or far worse – situations than they had been in the weeks and months immediately after the disaster. Interviewees identified the worsening of their situation as being caused by systems failures by civil authorities, health care systems, welfare programs and the insurance industry. Further research is recommended to assess the needs of people affected by natural disasters and the viability of a state-funded recovery scheme that could expedite personal, family and community recovery. The proposed scheme is based on the Queensland WorkCover scheme that scaffolds recovery and return to work for injured workers.

ONCE I worked with a Kenyan chief editor, George Githii of the Daily Nation, who observed wryly about media freedom in developing nations: “For governments which fear newspapers, there is one consolation: We have known many instances where governments have taken over newspapers, but we haven’t known of a single incident in which a newspaper has taken over a government.”  George, always dressed in a dapper bow tie, no matter what the emergency—such as a senior reporter being abducted before dawn by secret police because of a front page exposé on a pharmaceuticals corruption case—had impeccable credentials politically. He was former press secretary for then President Jomo Kenyatta, founding “father” of Kenya. His comment stuck with me for a long time, and at one stage I used the quote as a personal email rider. The notion that newspapers might take over a government or two seemed laughable. -  "Reporting in West Papua is a risky business." - Introductory chapter to David Robie's 2014 book Don't Spoil My Beautiful Face: Media, Mayhem and Human Rights in the Pacific.