Investigative Reporting Tips

Any reporter will tell you that they got into the business to seek the truth. But it's the small "t" truth, not big "T" Truth. Save the Truth for the religions and philosophical professionals. To paraphrase Joan Didions, in many ways writing is the act of saying "I", of imposing oneself upon another person, of saying "listen to me, see it my way, change your mind." It is an aggressive, even a hostile act.

Function of Journalism

Now, perhaps the number one function of good journalism (or, any journalism for that matter) is to inform. And information is vital. Without it, there cannot be a functional democracy. But more to the point, people like to know what is going on in the world, and it is the journalists duty to get it right.

The first duty of the journalist is to the reader, and the citizen. Journalists have no duties to Corporations, CEO's, or to the Government. Sure, every journalist has an editor, but for the most part a journalists main duty and responsibility is to the reader. Never forget that.