By Hailey Rogenski
News plays a major part in our daily lives, whether it be something we see on TV, the internet or in the local newspaper.
There is always something interesting in the news but there is a portion of news that we don’t pay as much attention to as we should: investigative journalism.
Investigative journalists expose the bad and the dangerous, and they definitely don’t get enough credit for it.
When I first joined Youngstown State University, I had no idea that investigative journalism existed. My American Journalism class was where I first learned about investigative journalism through the eyes of Nellie Bly.
According to Arlisha R. Norwood from the National Women’s History Museum, Bly was an investigative reporter who became well known for exposing an asylum’s mistreatment of patients, in the late 1800s to early 1900s.
Aside from her undercover asylum expose piece, she also exposed local “government corruption,” “the black market for buying infants” and wrote a piece on how she broke the “world-record” for how fast she could travel “around the world” as stated on the National Women’s History website. She is still to this day one of my favorite journalists.
I really love reading investigative stories and learning about the history of inquisitive journalism. One of my favorite sites to read is ProPublica.
I really enjoy reading news stories about corrupt business owners. ProPublica wrote a story about St. Jude Children’s Hospital hoarding donation money. It’s stories like these that people should be paying more attention to.
I also enjoy watching “60 Minutes.” One episode, where whistleblower, Frances Haugan, came forward and exposed Facebook for “allowing harmful content on their platform,” is my favorite.
I know if I become a reporter I definitely plan to take the investigative path. I would like to do undercover investigative stories and expose criminals of high status, and even expose criminal acts among public figures.
It seems as if sometimes we forget how important investigative journalism actually is, so here is a story of investigative reporters and their historical impact on society.
Two of my favorite investigative journalists made a mark on our world and left a huge imprint in history. Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein exposed one of the largest, most notorious scandals in the U.S. – The Watergate Scandal.
“All the President’s Men” is a book written by Woodward and Bernstein which describes the scandal and what part they played, starting with the burglary of the Democratic Party Headquarters and wiretapping of phones. This was traced back to the Nixon administration’s re-election committee.
“All the President’s Men” is my favorite book of all time and I would highly recommend it, especially for others interested in investigative reporting.
I have lots of respect for investigative reporters. They are one of many everyday heroes that protect us when no one else can. It may not seem like it, but their words are among the most powerful and influential defense weapons to ever exist.