Saturday 12 November 2011

Media Law-Investigative Journalism

Ordinary News Journalism involves simply telling the news, and is determined by what the public want to know about, which is known as the 'news agenda'. Investigative Journalism on the other hand involves going off the agenda and deciding for yourself what people want to know and hear about.
An example of this sort of journalism is BBC Panorama where they try and uncover stories which can create an agenda of their own, as they subsequently become topical because of the show.

Journalist's must consider six key points when publishing an investigative piece of journalism. They are as follows;

(1) Be sure of your witnesses;
Always make sure your witnesses are available to give evidence if you need them to. Make sure they are alive, awake and in the country!
(2) Make sure your witnesses are willing to give evidence;
Make sure you are 100% certain that your witnesses will turn up in court if they are needed.
(3) The standing of your witnesses;
It is widely accepted that an upstanding member of society such as a Nurse or a Police Officer will offer more support in court than a ex-convict street sweeper.
(4) Signed Statements;
Investigative journalist's should ensure that they get a signed witness statement from the time and has it clearly signed.
(5) Be cautious of photocopied documents;
It is always best to use the original and you may have to prove in court that your copy is authentic otherwise.
(6) Ensure you keep all evidence;
Journalist's are expected to always be able to prove their facts in court, so they must keep shorthand notes at all time and not dispose of rushes.

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