Inspecting the Investigators: An Analysis of Television Investigative Journalism and Factors Leading to Its Production

Abstract

A nationwide content analysis of television stations showed low levels of investigative journalism quality and quantity. Most stories introduced as “investigative” were not investigative by definition. However, in an accompanying survey, about half of respondents said investigative quality and quantity had recently increased at their stations. Utilizing Shoemaker and Reese’s hierarchical model, organizational and social-institutional variables were used to predict investigative production. Stations in competitive markets and stations owned by publicly traded corporations produced more investigative journalism and were more likely to emphasize investigations. Stations emphasizing profit were less likely to emphasize investigative reporting.

A new reporting approach for journalistic impact: Bringing together investigative reporting and solutions journalism

“…Solutions journalism articles ( n = 73) were coded for the presence or absence of six variables that literature showed to be the key characteristics of investigative reporting (Abdenour, 2017; Gaines, 2008; Hamilton, 2016; Houston, 2009; Shapiro, 2003):…”

“…It often pulls back the curtain, revealing information or patterns that would have otherwise remain concealed or unknown or hidden from the public (Houston, 2009). And investigative work often does so when people in power or authority seek to keep the information hidden (they may have concealed it by law or deliberately suppressed it) or when journalists have synthesized information from public records to reveal systematic problems (Abdenour, 2017).…”

Reporting in Latin America: Issues and Perspectives on Investigative Journalism in the Region

“…Consequently, Latin American investigative journalism is biased toward official wrongdoing and political corruption, and rarely reports on economic misconduct or issues that affect the poor (Waisbord 2000). This is different from investigative journalism in the United States, which is characterized by stories originated by a reporter’s own initiative (Abdenour 2017; Ullmann and Honeyman 1983).…”

The decline in orally negotiated news: Revisiting (again) the role of technology in reporting

“…Mounting work pressures and dissatisfaction with the current situation. Following waves of layoffs and accelerated news cycles, journalists are expected to produce more news with less time and fewer resources (Abdenour, 2017; Lund, 2012; Pickard, 2016; Ryfe, 2012; Witschge, 2013). Accordingly, journalists and their employers are experiencing increasing dissatisfaction, which drives innovation in journalism (Prenger and Deuze, 2017).…”