Dr Mohamed Kirat
By Dr Mohamed Kirat
Many observers thought that the Arab Spring would bring about a new kind of journalism that will make a difference. Journalism that will reflect the aspirations of Bouazizi and others who took to the streets deploring injustice, nepotism, corruption, and maladministration. Journalism different from what they had been used to for decades, since their countries gained independence. People in the Arab region were expecting responsible, accountable and engaged journalism: investigative journalism, watchdog journalism. Unfortunately, not much of this happened, and investigative journalism remains a dream that doesn’t want to come true, in the Arab Spring countries, in particular, and the Middle East in general.
“In the service of the public Interest, our purpose is to uncover corruption, injustice, maladministration and lies. As a duty to readers and viewers as well as self-protection in a hostile legal environment, investigative journalism seeks above all to tell the documented truth in depth and without fear or favour. It is to provide a voice for those without one and to hold the powerful to account. It’s to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable”. This is the definition of investigative journalism adopted by the notorious Center for Investigative Journalism at London City University. Investigative journalism is not daily reporting, reporting leaks, single-source reporting, misuse of information, or paparazzi journalism. It is watchdog journalism; exposing how laws and regulations are violated, and making the powerful accountable.
Investigative journalism is finding, reporting and presenting news which other people try to hide. It is similar to standard news reporting, except that the people at the centre of the story will usually not help you and may even try to stop you doing your job. The job of journalists is to let people know what is going on in the community, society and the world. Journalists do this by finding out facts and reporting them to readers or listeners.
Throughout the world, though, there are still a lot of things happening which people want to keep secret. In many other cases, governments, companies and individuals try to keep secret decisions or events which affect other people. When a journalist tries to report on matters that someone wants to keep secret, it is investigative
journalism.
Arab countries need investigative journalism for several reasons. People have a right to know about the society they live in. They have a right to know about decisions that may affect them, even if people in power want to keep them secret. People in power — whether in government, business, or any other group in society — can abuse that power. They can be dishonest, corrupt, steal money, break laws and do all sorts of things that harm other people and society in general. They might just be incompetent, unprofessional, and unable to perform their duties properly. They will usually try to keep all this secret. Journalists try to expose this.
Journalists also have a duty to watch how people in power perform their jobs, especially those elected to public office. Journalists should constantly ask whether such people are keeping their election promises. Politicians and others who are not keeping their promises may try to hide the fact; journalists should try to expose it.
Journalists should be able to expose abuse, corruption and criminal activities in all fields of public life. Companies, for instance, may break the law and should be exposed. Companies like to keep their activities secret for other reasons. Perhaps they have made a mistake or lost money. Perhaps they do not want competitors to steal their secrets, or they do not want people to oppose a development they are planning. However, even private companies have some responsibility towards the public. Companies are a part of society. They usually make use of natural resources, take money from customers and shareholders, provide jobs to people and use services provided by the government. Where their activities affect the rest of the community, the community has a right to know what they are doing.
Although governments and companies can be corrupt sometimes, criminals make their living from breaking the law. They act like leeches on the community, so readers and listeners have the right to know about them.
There are, of course, all sorts of other individuals and organisations that like to hide things that affect the public. A private clinic may try to hide the fact that it is cheating insurance companies by overbilling patients or by inflating fees. A football club might be lying to its fans about the money it spent on recruiting a new football star. A real estate developer may promise his clients villas of a certain style to be completed in two years’ time, collect money from them and disappear. All these things need to be reported and brought to the attention of the public so that it can be aware of what’s going on in society and what actions should be taken to protect citizens from criminals and wrongdoers.
Readers care about watchdog reporting and believe it is important for a news organisation to investigate community issues and provide citizens the information they want.
In the digital era, fewer people are turning to their local newspaper to find out what happened yesterday. Most news has become a commodity supplied by a number of sources — all readily accessible on the computer or cellphone. To thrive, news organizations should focus on unique content that readers consider valuable.
If readers see a newspaper as one that provides them content they can’t get elsewhere, and as a watchdog that is on their side when it comes to taking on powerful interests, they will welcome it in their living room.
Arab countries badly need investigative journalism that reflects the concerns, problems and aspirations of the people and uncovers corruption, injustice, maladministration, nepotism and despotism. However, this new journalism, which makes a difference, needs separation of powers between state institutions, a strong civic society, and an engaged media that provides a voice to those who don’t have one.
(The author is a professor of Public Relations and Mass Communication at the College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University.)
By Dr Mohamed Kirat
Many observers thought that the Arab Spring would bring about a new kind of journalism that will make a difference. Journalism that will reflect the aspirations of Bouazizi and others who took to the streets deploring injustice, nepotism, corruption, and maladministration. Journalism different from what they had been used to for decades, since their countries gained independence. People in the Arab region were expecting responsible, accountable and engaged journalism: investigative journalism, watchdog journalism. Unfortunately, not much of this happened, and investigative journalism remains a dream that doesn’t want to come true, in the Arab Spring countries, in particular, and the Middle East in general.
“In the service of the public Interest, our purpose is to uncover corruption, injustice, maladministration and lies. As a duty to readers and viewers as well as self-protection in a hostile legal environment, investigative journalism seeks above all to tell the documented truth in depth and without fear or favour. It is to provide a voice for those without one and to hold the powerful to account. It’s to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable”. This is the definition of investigative journalism adopted by the notorious Center for Investigative Journalism at London City University. Investigative journalism is not daily reporting, reporting leaks, single-source reporting, misuse of information, or paparazzi journalism. It is watchdog journalism; exposing how laws and regulations are violated, and making the powerful accountable.
Investigative journalism is finding, reporting and presenting news which other people try to hide. It is similar to standard news reporting, except that the people at the centre of the story will usually not help you and may even try to stop you doing your job. The job of journalists is to let people know what is going on in the community, society and the world. Journalists do this by finding out facts and reporting them to readers or listeners.
Throughout the world, though, there are still a lot of things happening which people want to keep secret. In many other cases, governments, companies and individuals try to keep secret decisions or events which affect other people. When a journalist tries to report on matters that someone wants to keep secret, it is investigative
journalism.
Arab countries need investigative journalism for several reasons. People have a right to know about the society they live in. They have a right to know about decisions that may affect them, even if people in power want to keep them secret. People in power — whether in government, business, or any other group in society — can abuse that power. They can be dishonest, corrupt, steal money, break laws and do all sorts of things that harm other people and society in general. They might just be incompetent, unprofessional, and unable to perform their duties properly. They will usually try to keep all this secret. Journalists try to expose this.
Journalists also have a duty to watch how people in power perform their jobs, especially those elected to public office. Journalists should constantly ask whether such people are keeping their election promises. Politicians and others who are not keeping their promises may try to hide the fact; journalists should try to expose it.
Journalists should be able to expose abuse, corruption and criminal activities in all fields of public life. Companies, for instance, may break the law and should be exposed. Companies like to keep their activities secret for other reasons. Perhaps they have made a mistake or lost money. Perhaps they do not want competitors to steal their secrets, or they do not want people to oppose a development they are planning. However, even private companies have some responsibility towards the public. Companies are a part of society. They usually make use of natural resources, take money from customers and shareholders, provide jobs to people and use services provided by the government. Where their activities affect the rest of the community, the community has a right to know what they are doing.
Although governments and companies can be corrupt sometimes, criminals make their living from breaking the law. They act like leeches on the community, so readers and listeners have the right to know about them.
There are, of course, all sorts of other individuals and organisations that like to hide things that affect the public. A private clinic may try to hide the fact that it is cheating insurance companies by overbilling patients or by inflating fees. A football club might be lying to its fans about the money it spent on recruiting a new football star. A real estate developer may promise his clients villas of a certain style to be completed in two years’ time, collect money from them and disappear. All these things need to be reported and brought to the attention of the public so that it can be aware of what’s going on in society and what actions should be taken to protect citizens from criminals and wrongdoers.
Readers care about watchdog reporting and believe it is important for a news organisation to investigate community issues and provide citizens the information they want.
In the digital era, fewer people are turning to their local newspaper to find out what happened yesterday. Most news has become a commodity supplied by a number of sources — all readily accessible on the computer or cellphone. To thrive, news organizations should focus on unique content that readers consider valuable.
If readers see a newspaper as one that provides them content they can’t get elsewhere, and as a watchdog that is on their side when it comes to taking on powerful interests, they will welcome it in their living room.
Arab countries badly need investigative journalism that reflects the concerns, problems and aspirations of the people and uncovers corruption, injustice, maladministration, nepotism and despotism. However, this new journalism, which makes a difference, needs separation of powers between state institutions, a strong civic society, and an engaged media that provides a voice to those who don’t have one.
(The author is a professor of Public Relations and Mass Communication at the College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University.)
