Investigative journalism is a highly skilled field that requires years of practice to master. It involves painstaking research that scrutinises powerful individuals, uncovers secret scandals and brings them to light. The results can bring down governments, force businesses to change policies and even save lives. It can also highlight alleged miscarriages of justice or expose the shady dealings of big business people and politicians at home and abroad.
In the past, classic examples of investigative journalism have included muckraker articles like those published in McClure’s Magazine around the turn of the twentieth century and the Watergate scandal that forced US President Nixon to resign. In the cutting-edge twenty-first century, it may be more focused on finding out whether local business people are using illegal business practices to rip off their customers or whether builders are cutting corners and risking the safety of homes or workers.
As an investigative journalist, you will often be investigating stories that have been tipped to you by sources or found through a Freedom of Information request. It is very important to judge each tip-off carefully and use your news judgment to determine whether it is worth following up or not. Most newspapers, radio and television stations receive lots of such tips that are trivial or outright lies and it is up to you to decide whether the public is served by investigating them.
To become an investigative journalist, you will need to complete a degree in journalism and build up your portfolio with work for smaller radio stations or television shows before applying for jobs with larger organizations. This will give you the experience and skills to be able to investigate sensitive and often confidential topics, and to assist more experienced journalists in their work.