From muckraker articles in McClure’s Magazine at the turn of the twentieth century to the Watergate scandal in the 1970s and the work of modern-day Pulitzer Prize winners like Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, investigative journalism has a long history of holding authorities and businesses accountable. Whether it is police corruption, tax evasion, or human rights violations, it is the job of investigative journalists to ensure that these important aspects of our society are not hidden from us.
As the profession evolves, so has investigative reporting. In addition to utilizing traditional tools like document analysis, research and in-depth interviews with sources, many investigative journalists now also work with immersive visual and interactive content to bring these stories to life for their audience.
For example, when Sam Sally told her friends she was leaving Chicago to start a new life in Raqqa, journalist Josh Baker used archival video and photography and in-person interviews with Sally’s family members to uncover the truth of how she ended up in an ISIS controlled city. This investigative report was repurposed into an in-depth documentary for BBC Panorama.
Investigative reporting can often be compared to doing a jigsaw puzzle. At the beginning there is a jumble of pieces, but over time they slowly come together to reveal a whole picture. It can take days, weeks or even years of research to make sure every detail makes sense and that all relevant facts are included. This is particularly true when working with confidential sources who may not be willing to speak on the record.