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| This is the Golden Age of access |
| Bratislava, 23.10.2015 |
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| Pulitzer-winning James Steele says newspapers need investigative reporters to stand back from the rush of daily news and catch things that go under the radar
Tell me something I don’t know. That is the inner drive that James Steele follows when looking into a source; whether an ordinary person from the street or a gigantic file of governmental statistics alike.
He knows that the readers of his stories are driven by the very same force as the journalist who wrote them. Tell me something I don’t know.
This basic curiosity, so familiar to all journalists, is the essence of journalism. Steele, recipient of two Pulitzer Prizes and a number of other prestigious journalism awards, spoke to The Slovak Spectator in October, prior to his visit to Slovakia, about that, as well as other qualities investigative reporters must possess, and the reasons why investing into investigative journalists is worthwhile for every media outlet.
The Slovak Spectator (TSS): You were the pioneer of data journalism in the 1970s. What is your view of the use of data analysis in journalism today, in the digital era?
James Steele (JS): It really has been a marvellous new frontier for journalism. Years ago, before data journalism came into being, you would sometimes wonder when you came up with certain facts about a story or a situation: Is this just anecdotal or does it represent a broader pattern of what might be going on in an institution? I can’t speak for other journalists, but I think an awful lot of us in the investigative field do not begin with an agenda that we want to prove. What we want is to collect the information, analyse that information, and see what conclusions we can reach.
I judge a lot of journalism contests from time to time and it is astonishing how deeply ingrained computer analysis is into so many stories anymore. Having said that, I want to emphasise that none of this takes the place of all the usual methods that we use, like interviewing people. But it supplements that, and brings much more authority to the story. So I think that’s the greatest plus for data journalism. Whatever story you’re doing, what kind of data can you find, what kind of information can you analyse, what numbers can you crunch to help you broaden it out and bring more authority to the story, rather than just using data for the sake of data?
You find this little division. Some journalists say, let’s take any data pack and see what we can find, but in my case it’s always been the other way around. It’s an additional tool that you bring to make your story stronger and better.
TSS: What are the main qualities an investigative reporter must possess, and can any of these be learned? Do you need to be born an investigative reporter, or is it something that you can learn?
JS: The heart of all journalism is just basic curiosity. You see that in all the best journalists, whether they’re writing stories every day or beyond that. Why is this such an issue? What caused this? What explains this? Journalists are just naturally curious. Can curiosity be taught? I think in a way it can. I think some people are naturally more curious than others, but I’ve also become aware of the questions that sort of lurked behind every subject.
I think almost all of us in journalism begin by doing shorter-range things, as Don [Donald Barlett] and I did the first years. And that tunes you to working on a short-range basis. So when you switch to investigative reporting, one of the great challenges is the need for patience. Because on a daily basis you work on a story that just takes a few days, you make progress in a short period of time. But in an investigative piece patience is one of the paramount requirements, because there are many days when nothing is happening. Those are the days that are very frustrating, that require great patience. So I think patience probably is the most important asset to have as an investigative reporter. Another one is certainly a low threshold, anger about things that you’ve seen and believe are unfair, unjust or hypocritical, or in some way or another violating public trust. Shortened
Michaela Terenzani Spectator |
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Address : Euro-Brew Ltd., Hlboká 22, 917 01 Trnava, Slovakia
Tel. : +421 33 53 418 53, Fax : +421 33 53 418 52, E-mail : info@eurobrew.sk |
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