Get To The Bottom Of It

Investigative journalism. Wow. Those who are brave enough to practice investigative journalism have my respect. Investigative journalism is, in essence, a form of journalism in which you give everything just to get the truth. It often covers a lot of scandals, cover-ups, and lies in the media, meaning investigative journalists get the real information from scandals, cover-ups, and lies in the media. The stories that are classified as 'investigative' are usually hard-hitting, passionate, and revealing. This form of journalism is an effective but difficult one to master.

An investigative journalist must be courageous, persistent, and truthful. It isn't enough to just want the facts; you have to dig deeper to get all the facts. You need to be able to fight until the very last bit of information is yours. Although it may be tiring or difficult at times, investigative journalism bears very rich fruit.

There are many reasons why investigative journalism is awesome and needed nowadays. Firstly, there are too many people in the public eye who try to hide information. The information they hide is information that the public wants to know, but the public doesn't know they want to know the information until they learn the information. You following me?
Secondly, people with the power to hide information often abuse this power. Even if there is nothing to cover up, the thrill of having the ability to be in the public eye as 'suspicious' is too tempting for many. Politicians, celebrities, and other groups in society have the tendency to try and stay popular for as long as possible; scandals are one of the most effective methods of this.
Lastly, it is a journalist's duty to report the information that the public needs. If there is some investigative journalism to write, it should be written, printed, and published for all to see. This is the responsibility - and the right - of a journalist to make sure that the information they produce is correct, logical, and is needed by the audience.

Although it is a spectacular form of journalism, investigative journalism comes with a price. Most investigative journalists aren't liked by the celebrities in the public eye. People don't really like others who reveal their secrets and call them on their bluffs for the whole world to see. This, however, just adds a level of challenge to getting the information. It is the equivalent of playing on 'Extreme' difficulty, only not in a game.

My dear readers, to be able to write investigative journalism is a gift. Not only must you be persistent and adopt a 'never say die' attitude, you must also be able to put that into practice with the writing half of it. You cannot have one without the other. I believe that I happen to have the latter: a way with words, if you will. However, I seem to have a hesitancy towards pushing a point further than intended. I over-analyse, don't get me wrong, but that is only half of investigative journalism. I can determine whether or not someone is hiding something, but getting it out of them is the trick. That's the gift. That's the heart of investigative journalism.

Again I must say that those in this field of writing are talented indeed, and at times I admit I envy their tenaciousness. However, I should be suited fine to a life of reporting basic information that the public wants to hear. The information that the public knows they want to hear. That life will be my life.

Investigative journalism. Some are born investigative journalists, some achieve investigative journalism, some have investigative journalists show up on their doorstep and demand information. That's just how life goes.

I raise a glass and tip my hat to all those investigative journalists out there, and I encourage you to do the same. If any of you readers know any investigative journalists, give them a high-five from me and congratulate them on their outstanding talent. Please.

If you wish to ... investigate this further (see what I did there?), below are some links to the information about investigative journalism. Enjoy!

http://www.thenewsmanual.net/Manuals%20Volume%202/volume2_39.htm
http://theconversation.com/wikiworld-the-future-of-investigative-journalism-13284
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Investigative_journalism