Lecture 11

Bruce’s topic for today was ‘investigative journalism’. Firstly, to engage us in the topic, we learnt the ‘ins’, which included intelligence, informed, intuitive, inside and invest. All these words outline what investigative journalism is all about. We discussed the deeper definitions and purpose of investigative journalism which involved critical and thorough journalism, custodians of conscience, social justice and the fourth estate. In particular, there were four key ideas retrieved from these definitions, including active intervention, exposure, public interest and the role of the media. We also learnt that online news is a major threat to investigative journalism. This is as less money provides fewer journalists, which in turn provides less time. An interesting concept discussed was that as the growth in PR increases, journalism decreases. I found this very noteworthy as I am currently studying a bachelor of journalism and communication, majoring in PR and am still considering which career path I wish to take. After listening to this fact, it got me questioning whether journalism would be a successful path to take or would end in a downward spiral. Overall, I think the career path I’m going to take may end up being PR due to the job availabilities, however I think journalism is an essential skill to have when entering the PR industry.