Also, the fact that stories might result in expensive lawsuits makes news companies nervous about supporting investigations. Notwithstanding these factors, there has been no shortage of investigative stories produced in the past decade. Major urban newspapers in the United States have produced articles that have revealed corruption, injustice, and environmental mismanagement. Local and network television news frequently produce investigative stories, which generally focus on diverse types of consumer fraud, in areas such as health care, social services, and home mortgages. Investigative reporting is distinctive in that it publicizes information about wrongdoing that affects the public interest.
Denunciations result from the work of reporters rather than from information leaked to newsrooms.
While investigative journalism used to be associated with lone reporters working on their own with little, if any, support from their news organizations, recent examples attest that teamwork is fundamental. Differing kinds of expertise are needed to produce well-documented and comprehensive stories. Reporters, editors, legal specialists, statistical analysts, librarians, and news researchers are needed to collaborate on investigations. New technologies are extremely valuable to find facts and to make reporters familiar with the complexities of any given story. Democracy and Investigative Journalism Investigative journalism matters because of its many contributions to democratic governance.