Investigative Journalism

 Investigative Journalism

   Welcome back. This is blog entry will be discussing, the first style of Journalistic Writing which is Investigative Journalism, where we'll endeavor on a journey to understand the fundamentals and basics of this style, why its used and its effectiveness in its field, and finally share examples and reading that will further improve your writing capabilities. 
    

   The simple and summarized definition of Investigative Journalism is the unveiling of matters that are concealed either deliberately by someone in a position of power, or accidentally, behind a chaotic mass of facts and circumstances. Even though this is quite simplified and easy to understand there isn't a set definition for the term agreed by upon all journalists. 
   

   While definitions of investigative reporting vary, among professional journalism groups there is broad agreement of its major components: systematic, in-depth, and original research and reporting, often involving the unearthing of secrets. Others note that its practice often involves heavy use of public records and data, with a focus on social justice and accountability.
    

    Story-Based Inquiry, an investigative journalism handbook published by UNESCO, defines it thus: “Investigative journalism involves exposing to the public matters that are concealed–either deliberately by someone in a position of power, or accidentally, behind a chaotic mass of facts and circumstances that obscure understanding. It requires using both secret and open sources and documents.” The Dutch-Flemish investigative journalism group VVOJ defines investigative reporting simply as critical and in-depth journalism. 

As I've noted before it's not a simple matter, it requires a lot of research practice and understanding of the fundamentals in order to create a well written piece with the investigative journalism style. Here are some steps to help lay a base to understand the basics to follow when writing. 

1. Educate and inform - it aims to impact decision makers and the public by shining a spotlight on a human rights violation; the report explains what has happened or what is happening.
2. Keep it simple. That’s self-explanatory.
3. Avoid jargon & pomposity. Don’t forget: not everyone reading your report will be an expert in your field. They may not know the jargon. It doesn’t mean that professional jargon is wrong; just that it’s specialised. In a report, write for the non-specialist. As for pomposity… have a look at what you’ve written. Does it come across as really serious and important but you can’t tell what it means? Okay: it’s too pompous. Simplify. Talk straight. Plain words. 
4. Keep It Active. Don’t say, “The man was bitten by the dog.” Say, “The dog bit the man.” The first way is called the “passive voice” and usually is a way of keeping yourself at arms’ length from what you’re saying. The end result lacks conviction and is unpersuasive. Which - since you’re writing to persuade -you don’t want. 
5. Short Takes. This is an old newspaper anecdote. Reporters used to write their stories a sentence at a time. Then they’d hand it to the copy-boy. One sentence contained one statement. One paragraph contained one idea. 

These are important and crucial guidelines when considering investigative writing as a style. As promised here are some links that include examples of investigative writing. Take it as extra practice in order to aim for higher and extensive results. 

https://shorthand.com/the-craft/investigative-journalism-examples/ - Shorthand comes with numerous examples that very helpful in understanding the foundation that investigative writing is built on. 

The next entry will discuss the second style which is News Journalism....