When I had decided to study journalism in university, I had always imagined that I would go to places where an event is happening, and report from that event. In short, I wanted to take up investigative journalism for a career.
This is because, although I don’t mind sitting in a cubicle and writing a feature, or writing a blog from home, I am more interested in being present in an area that has action.
Now this is not what all investigative journalism is about. It can also be used after an event has already taken place.
According to Paul Lewis from The Guardian, “What you’re doing in this kind of journalism is enquiring…it’s trying to establish…the truth of what has gone on…not just…collecting statistical data but also people’s testimony and observed events and…many people’s experiences…”
What Lewis means by this quote is that a journalist can also go to a war veteran for example, and ask him or her questions about a war that has already taken place and ended.
My career map will be posted in three blog posts. Each post will contain different content. This blog post will feature research on the kind of publications I am interested in working with and the analysis of the work of an investigative journalist I admire.
Planning my career
The Guardian is a great publication to work with for investigative journalism, because it is quite popular online and deals with current events and news from all around the world.
However, another amazing publication to work with for investigative journalism is Buzzfeed.
Now that may sound odd because Buzzfeed is mainly for entertainment. But it attracts people, especially teenagers and young adults from all around the world, and they need to be made aware of current events as well.
Working with a publication that is famous with the current generation is the perfect way to reach out to the public and make them aware of controversies and corruption in today’s world.
Buzzfeed appeals to the current generation
Meanwhile, Buzzfeed also reports the news and current events in a way that appeals to youth and piques their interest. This is very helpful if a story is about a particular cause that requires donations and support from all around the world. An example of an investigative journalism story is about a historical child sexual abuse case that was reopened by investigative journalists from Buzzfeed itself.
An investigative journalist I admire is Paul Lewis from The Guardian, who won reporter of the year at the British Press Awards in March 2010.
Paul Lewis
I have come to look up to him because he had exposed the truth about the involvement of the police in the death of Ian Tomlinson and revealed other details during G20 protests in London in 2009.
Lewis had not only written a detailed feature of the newspaper seller being assaulted by the police, but had also included a video that showed the gory scene. The video was obtained from a businessman who was on a trip to London.
Ian Tomlinson was attacked by the police during G20 protests in 2009
Lewis included many quotes from different witnesses and used short sentences to continue the quick pace of the story.
In order to obtain the whole story, the techniques followed by Lewis must have been waiting for information, interviewing many people and witnesses who were present, and looked for new information online as well.
Lewis talks about the approaches that should be used by investigative journalists in an article by Alastair Reid in journalism.co.uk.
Shruti 
