1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910136677803321

Autore

Hamilton James T.

Titolo

Democracy's Detectives : The Economics of Investigative Journalism / / James T. Hamilton

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Cambridge, MA : , : Harvard University Press, , [2017]

©2016

ISBN

9780674973596

0674973593

9780674973572

0674973577

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (381 pages) : illustrations, tables

Disciplina

071/.3

Soggetti

Investigative reporting - Economic aspects - United States

Press - United States - Influence

Press - Economic aspects - United States

Journalism - United States - Data processing

Government and the press - United States

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Includes index.

Nota di contenuto

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Tables -- Introduction -- 1. Economic Theories of Investigative Reporting -- 2. Detectives, Muckrakers, and Watchdogs -- 3. What's the Story? -- 4. What's the Impact? -- 5. How Is It Produced? -- 6. How Is It Supported? -- 7. A Single Investigative Reporter -- 8. Accountability and Algorithms -- Notes -- Acknowledgments -- Index

Sommario/riassunto

In democratic societies, investigative journalism holds government and private institutions accountable to the public. From firings and resignations to changes in budgets and laws, the impact of this reporting can be significant-but so too are the costs. As newspapers confront shrinking subscriptions and advertising revenue, who is footing the bill for journalists to carry out their essential work? Democracy's Detectives puts investigative journalism under a magnifying glass to clarify the challenges and opportunities facing



news organizations today. Drawing on a painstakingly assembled data set of thousands of investigations by U.S. journalists, James T. Hamilton deploys economic theories of markets and incentives to reach conclusions about the types of investigative stories that get prioritized and funded. Hamilton chronicles a remarkable record of investigative journalism's real-world impact, showing how a single dollar invested in a story can generate hundreds of dollars in social benefits. An in-depth case study of Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Pat Stith of The News and Observer in Raleigh, NC, who pursued over 150 investigations that led to the passage of dozens of state laws, illustrates the wide-ranging impact one intrepid journalist can have. Important stories are going untold as news outlets increasingly shy away from the expense of watchdog reporting, Hamilton warns, but technology may hold an answer. Computational journalism-making novel use of digital records and data-mining algorithms-promises to lower the costs of discovering stories and increase demand among readers.