definition of investigative journalism is multifaceted (Houston, 2010). It is also known as exposé journalism, adversarial journalism, in-depth journalism, muckraking journalism, advocacy journalism, public service journalism, watchdog journalism and journalism of outrage. These names have various definitions, which reflect numerous conceptions. Among layman, the term investigative journalism invokes a picture of crime reporting. For some, any news is investigative because it requires research before the reporter can write the news. However, daily news and investigative news have differences, especially in terms of their depth, issues covered, focus and even the information-gathering techniques. Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE), the world largest non-profit investigative journalism association, defined investigative journalism as “systematic, in -depth, and original research and reporting, often involving the unearthing of secrets, heavy use of public records, and computer assisted reporting, with a focus on social justice and accountabili ty” (Investigative Reporters & Editors, 1983). This definition clearly classifies standards for investigative reports in terms of specific criteria, the process of doing this reporting and the focus that distinguishes this journalism from the others. Scholars like Anderson and Benjaminson (1976), Greene (1981), Ullman and Honeyman (1983), Gaines (1998), Feldstein (2006) and Houston (2010) subscribed to this definition. issues and doing the investigation on their own, not reporting of investigations made by authorities. However, there are scholars like Waisbord (2000) who contended that the American model of investigative journalism is extremely influential but it is not the only possible paradigm. He asserted that the meaning of investigative journalism varies according to dissimilar press traditions and conditions for journalistic practice in a country. The IRE definition which is heavily buried with American values and cultures does not suit South America because it has a different political, social and media environment. For example, he explained that the “it should be the original work of the reporter, not resulted from information provided by someone else” requirement in the American definition does not suit media and journalistic environment in South America. The absence of Freedom of Information (FOI) Act prevents reporters from getting information without help from sources. Because they do not have the luxury of examining government records to assist their investigation, information leaks are crucial for South American journalists. This situation is also applicable to other countries especially developing democracies like Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand that do not have FOI Act. In these countries, how reporters get the information is not important but the societal-relevant results of their exposés. Protess, Cook, Doppelt, Ettema, Gordon, Leff, and Miller (1991) said that it is a sturdier way to differentiate investigative journalism from other kinds of journalism. Scholars like Ettema and Glasser (1988) resolved to the idea of investigative journalism is the journalism of outrage because the results of investigative journalism often led to public betterment and has a close tie with agenda building. Because the craft was born in the United States, it has been largely American phenomenon, practiced and researched mostly in that country. Armao (2000), who described investigative journalism as the literature of exposure, said that it was “spawned by a culture born in dissent and nurtured by laws that protect critics of government and ensure access to public proceedings and documents. Journalists around the world emulate techniques and news values they learned in this country.” (p. 36). However, scholars and practitioners around the world have various perceptions on investigative journalism, influenced by various stimuli like their values, factors and experience in practicing investigative journalism in their media environment. According to Hallin and Mancini (2004), these stimuli cannot be separated from journalism practices as it influences every step from information gathering to writing. Therefore, journalists emulate the American understanding but alter the practice to suit their media environment. Because limited research investigating the conceptualization of investigative journalism by media practitioners in Malaysia, it is crucial for this study to discover their conceptualizations of investigative journalism if the craft is to be practiced efficiently. Their conceptualization is vital because they are the ones who implement their understanding in their reporting. Therefore, this study aims to investigate how Malaysian media practitioners conceptualized investigative journalism. This study uses face-to-face in-depth interviews. It is an indispensable way to probe phenomena such as journalistic attitudes and perceptions. One cannot understand human actions without understanding the meaning that participants attribute to those actions – their thoughts, feelings, beliefs, values, and assumptive words.
The researcher, therefore, needs to understand the deeper perspectives captured through face-to-face interaction (Berger, 2010; Marshall & Rossman, 2010). In this study, sixteen Malaysian media practitioners from different backgrounds, roles and experience in investigative journalism, were asked open ended questions to enables them to better express their perceptions of investigative journalism. Purposive sampling is being used in selecting the informants by establishing a few characteristics to ensure the accuracy of the information gathered. Compulsory characteristics include the respondent must be either current or former editors/journalists from mainstream or alternative newspaper either in printed or online version. They must have experience in practicing investigative journalism. The researcher also used the snowball technique to find other potential investigative reporters through their colleague. The interviews were transcribed and analysed using qualitative analysis software, Nvivo. Nodes were established using thematic analysis. Malaysian media practitioners conceptualized investigative journalism through four main themes which are characteristics, information gathering attributes, its purpose and topics covered. The themes were illustrated in Figure 1. All of them agreed that investigative report must be an in-depth report on an ...
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