By Lauren McSherry
Moderator: Brant Houston, Knight Chair for Investigative and Enterprise Reporting at the University of Illinois
Mark Katches, investigative editor, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (winner, AP Award for Innovations in Investigative Reporting)
Brian Lehrer, WNYC Radio: Public radio as a home for investigative reporting; “crowd-sourcing” and other techniques
Daoud Kuttab, Chairman of ARIJ (Arab reporters for Investigative Journalism) and Founder of AmmanNet: Finding space for investigative journalism in the Arab world
Weiqiang Ye, Assistant Managing Editor, Caijing: Muckraking in China amid Communist Party restrictions
Editors and journalists said they have turned to the Internet and crowd-sourcing as new platforms for investigative reporting during a panel discussion Friday afternoon.
Mark Katches, investigative editor for the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, cited a variety of techniques for sharing investigative stories on the Web and gathering tips for potential stories from the public.
The paper’s Public Investigator team blogs relentlessly and, on average, publishes one story a week in the paper, he said. The team also collects tips on its blog, which it then pursues.
Katches gave an example of crowd sourcing whereby the paper requested the city’s database of complaints, mapped them, and found a great disparity regarding where potholes were getting repaired. The paper found that white neighborhoods were getting their potholes filled quicker. In addition to an article on the issue, the investigative team also launched an interactive map where readers can upload their pothole complaints.
Katches pointed out that his watchdog team - one of the biggest in the nation - represents just five percent of the newsroom staff, which is comprised of 200 people. His team works on a mix of “quick hits” and months-long investigations - a combination that has paid off with a number of national journalism awards in recent years.
“It’s only five percent of what we do,” he said. “If you can’t find five percent of your staff in your newsroom, there’s probably something wrong.”
Brian Lehrer, of WNYC Radio, said he has also employed crowd-sourcing to develop news stories.
“Crowd sourcing, in a way, is best done at a small level,” he said, referring to the additional work in vetting tips from the public that is created when reporters solicit information from their listeners.
The radio station has launched a map of “uncommon economic indicators” on its Web site, tracking signs of the recession in New York City.
“We’re creating environments and access points for listeners to feel comfortable contributing on a regular basis,” he said, referring to the number of interactive stories on the Web site.
Weiqiang Ye, Assistant Managing Editor of the magazine Caijing, focused on strategies for evading government censorship in China. One of the techniques is to report quickly and publish before the government gets wind of an investigation, he said.
“Work on multiple fronts,” he said. “When one door is closed, try others. Don’t lose hope, and don’t waste too much time trying to get in.”
Daoud Kuttab, Chairman of Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism and Founder of AmmanNet, discussed how journalists in Jordan have used radio stations to air investigative stories.
The trouble in many Arab countries is that the media within those countries is heavily controlled, he said.
However, it is possible for journalists to break an investigative story about their country by having it published or aired in a neighboring country.
Kuttab has used that idea, for example, to launch a women’s reporting project in the Jordanian valley. He found radio station in Jericho on the West Bank which downloaded the program and then broadcast it back into Jordan.
