Wikileaks, CIA secret flights, Qatar World Cup, Prince Charles's "black spider" memos, social housing scandals, chicken and horsemeat scandals, Serco, HSBC... The list reads like a summary of some of the best investigative journalism of recent years. Attendees at July's Guardian Masterclass were treated to inspiring guidance from the reporters behind these prominent news stories.
The four experts sharing their experiences of
investigative reporting were none other than:
David Leigh, Investigations Executive Editor, The Guardian & City University
Felicity Lawrence,
Special Correspondent & Investigative Reporter, The Guardian
RobertBooth, Senior Reporter, The Guardian
HelenDarbishire, Executive Director, Access Info Europe
The audience was a mixture of aspiring and
working journalists - as well the curious from a variety
of backgrounds.
Basic reporting skills
Robert Booth began the day with a presentation on the basics. He described how various sources built the Prince Charles stories. An initial
investigation can turn into a much bigger story - e.g. a migrant
worker abuse story moved ever closer to the Qatar World Cup organising
committee. Relatively little
of weeks or months of work finds its way into the eventual story.
" Investigative
journalism can be arduous,
but it creates some of the
best reports"
Dogged determination
Felicity Lawrence's investigations have largely
focused on food production. She described the
dogged determination required to pursue a story against
the politics of food, big brands, powerful lawyers and transnational companies.
The latter can be more powerful than a State in the modern world.
Felicity described how to work with
confidential sources and whistle-blowers. She stressed the importance of going
to the companies concerned and asking questions in an appropriate manner. She
prefers to make an initial contact by phone and then follow up with her
questions in an email. Felicity
described her approach as working within her personality, i.e. not aggressive.
Legal
threats
If the company decides to employ a top legal
firm to warn you off the story, you know you are "on to something". Twelve-page
legal letter? Time for high-fives.
Personal
safety
Both Felicity and Robert emphasised the
importance of having colleagues to share difficulties with. In Felicity's case,
working with a team provided some protection when the story revealed organised
crime.
"Great merit in being a
middle-aged woman with grey hair.
When you walk in, no-one sees
you"
Felicity stressed the strength of video in
modern journalism and the role of undercover filming in the chicken news
stories. The downside is that there is no room for nuance, subtleties or the
denials required legally. Some people clam up on video. Others even find being
confronted by a notebook intimidating. A combination of reporting methods is
the ideal mix.
After Felicity's tales of dirty chicken, it was a relief to discover that the Guardian canteen had a fish and vegetarian menu. The canteen has a great view of the somewhat aptly named Battlebridge Basin.
After Felicity's tales of dirty chicken, it was a relief to discover that the Guardian canteen had a fish and vegetarian menu. The canteen has a great view of the somewhat aptly named Battlebridge Basin.
 |
| Guardian Canteen overlooks the canal and Battlebridge Basin |
Freedom
of Information
After lunch, Helen Darbishire gave a presentation entitled Your Right to Know: Legal Leaks.
She is based in Spain, the country with the most recent Freedom of Information
Act of 10 December 2014. From her historical presentation, it rather seemed
that the UK is endeavouring to buck the trend for greater access.
Helen provided a wealth of
information that could form its own entirely separate blog. She stressed how
Freedom of Expression includes the Right of Access to Information. Her ten tips
on how to request information and success stories should encourage
all attendees to launch their own FOI requests in future. As she said in her
final tip:
It’s your right:
use it or lose it!
use it or lose it!
"The
Enemies"
David Leigh's
presentation Enemies of
Investigative Journalism was the highlight at the end of a fascinating day. He described how 50% of the energy in any news
story has to go into getting the story out and published.
Who are these alleged enemies?
1. The journalists' own bosses who may not want to "tweak the cat's tail at this difficult time".
2. A subset of the intelligence services - especially if the story touches on their own activities as in the case of Snowden.
3. The Law - there are all sorts of legal hurdles. Top lawyers are paid to intimidate investigative journalists on behalf of high profile individuals. (There is no such protection for ordinary people).
1. The journalists' own bosses who may not want to "tweak the cat's tail at this difficult time".
2. A subset of the intelligence services - especially if the story touches on their own activities as in the case of Snowden.
3. The Law - there are all sorts of legal hurdles. Top lawyers are paid to intimidate investigative journalists on behalf of high profile individuals. (There is no such protection for ordinary people).
David carefully and dramatically uncovered these alleged enemies using the wording of the legal firms' own websites.
Libel
Libel law has journalists treading on eggshells.
A libel case can cripple an NGO. A case is expensive whether you win or lose.
An apology can be exacted for a trivial mistake, even if there is substantial
evidence that a company has been "up to no good".
UK legal
fees
A University
of Oxford academic study compared legal fees for defamation proceedings across Europe. Fees in the
UK under a conditional fee agreement are 140 times more costly than the average
cost of the other countries (Source: International Bar Association). David explained The Reynolds Defence. The new UK Defamation Act of 2014 has reduced libel tourism.
The traditional newspaper business
model is difficult to fund in the internet age. People want to save
investigative journalism for the Nation. A story rarely ends well for a
whistle-blower. Massive data leaks cannot be prevented. They will happen over
and over again in the future.
Cross-border collaboration brings success today in investigative journalism.
"Rich and victorious time
for investigative journalism"
I came away from the Guardian Masterclass inspired and full of admiration for the reporters who pursue news stories so doggedly. Investigative journalism and freedom of information make a difference in our world. The small organisation and "the little guy" stand a much better chance of being heard thanks to professional investigative reporters.
Karen Andrews runs
Anglicity Ltd. She is
an entrepreneurial
French to English
translator, editor,
content writer and
marketing consultant.
Contact karen@anglicity.com
for further information
on Anglicity's services.
Anglicity Ltd. She is
an entrepreneurial
French to English
translator, editor,
content writer and
marketing consultant.
Contact karen@anglicity.com
for further information
on Anglicity's services.
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