Investigative journalism earns timely praise

Journalism rarely attracts good press but for all the attacks and the public’s supposed declining trust, investigative journalism has never been so needed.

The force of investigative journalism goes beyond simply exposing scandal. It requires an editorial commitment and the will to campaign for social justice and reform. So, recognition of the Herald’s commitment to investigative journalism in this year’s Walkley Awards for Excellence in Journalism is cause for great pride. Not only were six of our investigations selected as finalists, but our most experienced investigators were honoured for the far-reaching effect their work has had on national life over many years.

The Herald’s chief investigative reporter Kate McClymont was named winner of the prestigious Walkley Award for most outstanding contribution to journalism on Thursday night. It is her 10th Walkley and fitting recognition of her decades-long status as a powerhouse of journalism and a central figure in holding to account the powerful in Australian public life.

Nick McKenzie and Chris Masters – the powerhouse duo behind our groundbreaking coverage of war crimes committed by Victoria Cross recipient Ben Roberts-Smith – were awarded the Walkley honour for media freedom. Further, we are proud that the Walkley Foundation’s directors have resolved to establish an annual $10,000 grant to support investigative journalism, titled the Masters-McKenzie grant for investigative journalism.

Currently, investigative or public-interest journalism appears to be even more urgent as the turmoil of contemporary life prompts a search for order. But it was not always so heroic. Muckraking, watchdog journalism … investigative reporting had a number of near-pejorative names for nearly a century, until London’s Sunday Times formalised the form with the establishment of its Insight team in the early 1960s.

In 1972 the work by Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein on the Watergate scandal resulted in the resignation of a US president, and the subsequent book and film made them heroes and investigative journalism briefly admired worldwide. Australia jumped on the bandwagon, and dedicated investigative journalism spread across newspapers and television, exposing political corruption, crime, human rights abuses and social justice issues: the fall of Queensland’s Bjelke-Petersen government, The Age tapes, “the loans affair” and the Eddie Obeid scandal were some of the exemplars.

Much has changed since. At a time when factual, trustworthy information is critical to public trust and the future of democracy, there are fewer owners, fewer newspapers and fewer professional journalists as the internet, social media and citizen journalism rewrite the media landscape.

But investigative journalism helps us peer into hidden financial deals and scams, criminal and corrupt associations, crooked links in the judicial system, and ineptitude by regulators. It is a form of journalism noticed by regulators, politicians, corporations and individuals because its impact demands a response. Those under investigation often need to be seen responding because of what’s been revealed. Sometimes it can result in a royal commission, parliamentary or departmental inquiry, a dismissal or just issuing a statement.