Loomio
Sun 22 Jun 2014 12:01PM

DISCUSS: Investigative Journalism & Public Interest Journalism

SO Stephen Olsen Public Seen by 173

STARTER QUESTION: What differences do you discern between "investigative journalism" and "public interest journalism"?

Note: Recently a New Zealand Centre for Investigative Journalism (NZCIJ) has been established. It is one of a growing number of investigative journalism centres around the world. Its founding steering group members here are James Hollings, Keith Ng and Nicky Hager.

The first conference of the NZCIJ takes place on 28-29 June 2014 at the Massey University campus, Wellington.

NZCIJ has several main goals (see http://cij.org.nz/about-us/) that focus on the doing of investigative journalism and the people who do it. One complementary intent of a Foundation for Public Interest Journalism would be to enable a better 'ecosystem' to help such journalism to thrive.

Please remember that a real power of using this tool - one discussion at a time - is to head towards well-conceived actions and decisions...

SO

Stephen Olsen Sun 22 Jun 2014 8:49PM

Welcome @alisonmcculloch @jasonbrown

DU

Alison McCulloch Sun 22 Jun 2014 9:25PM

Hey there. New to Loomio so hoping i get the groove. In terms of the specific groups (CIJ and Public Eyes), I know that a key difference is that CIJ is not (currently at least) intended to try to fund journalism, rather to be a group that supports projects. And of course it's the $money$ stuff that makes setting up PublicEyes especially complex.

AT

Alastair Thompson Sun 22 Jun 2014 10:03PM

Also new to Loomio. Hi Alison and Stephen. Delighted to hear about the meeting and will definitely be there. My understanding is as Alison's is, that the CIJ is not intending to be a funder, more an association of peers.

DU

Alison McCulloch Sun 22 Jun 2014 10:16PM

As to the theoretical side, I think investigative and public interest journalism would overlap a whole lot. I struggle to think of places they wouldn't, or at least couldn't, overlap. Perhaps the practitioner group wrt public interest journalism is a bit broader, including less "professional" journalists (citizen etc.). But I'm not sure about that since I guess they, too, can obviously do "investigative" journalism.

SO

Stephen Olsen Sun 22 Jun 2014 10:37PM

Welcome @alastairthompson1 To steer us back to the QUESTION it would be great to focus on developing some absent clarity on just "public interest journalism" and where it sits alongside "investigative journalism".

Reverting to Wikipedia there is no definition for the former, but the latter is well covered: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Investigative_journalism

On this first principles question - just a starter but especially important for people new to this topic - there's a thoughtful article published 7 years ago by the British Journalism Review, that hasn't dated too much: http://www.bjr.org.uk/data/2007/no2_moore

Finding a one-size definition may not matter??

SO

Stephen Olsen Sun 22 Jun 2014 11:03PM

Welcome @merrinmacleod1 @anne1

AT

Alastair Thompson Sun 22 Jun 2014 11:20PM

IMO Investigative journalism is a sub-set of public interest journalism. An important sub-set but a relatively small one. Investigative journalism is a particularly important component of journalism as it is the "sharp end" of the business and the practice of it is what many journalists aspire to. Uncovering secrets which are being actively hidden. Discovering truths which are uncomfortable and important. In answer to your question @stephenolsen there is possibly no huge need to settle on a definition.

What it is important to do is to determine whether we agree it is something that is needed and ascertain how we might go about creating the "eco-system" in which it can continue to be a thing in NZ.

SO

Stephen Olsen Mon 23 Jun 2014 1:44AM

Welcome @ninafowler

SO

Stephen Olsen Mon 23 Jun 2014 4:39AM

Welcome @rodoram

LB

Louis Brown Mon 23 Jun 2014 4:56AM

I am interested in how mainstream news media is an engine for positive societal change. The current state of play I believe is antonymous to the above statement. I met with David Bornstein when I was in Seattle in 2012. He is a journalist for the New York Times and has written a number of books around social enterprise. He wrote 'How to Change the World' has helped to mainstream social enterprise.

Over a drink his analysis of the US news media, societal change complex was extraordinary and had lots of valuable insights. He has started becoming a social entrepreneur himself and started to think about he can transform the us news media.

I point towards www.dowser.org which he founded a while back. He has stepped down, even after it seemingly being quite successful. Something he said to me which is rather than supporting and training progressive journalists to tell stories that help to change the world (e.g. dowser), he believes we must focus on mainstream journalists and news outlets to give them the skills and the appetite to be able to sell frontpage stories to their editors amongst an atmosphere of 'if it bleeds, lead'.

I would be interested in some attention being put towards an entity that is fundamentally attempting (yes, it is very hard) to change the news media - societal complex in NZ.

And attention on not just supporting mainstream journo's and news presenters, but also PR practicioners who are providing a lot of content to newsrooms especially now with less time for journo's to investigate stories.

Kia ora.

Louis

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