Thursday, November 21, 2013

Investgative Reporting: Then and Now


There was a time when public media took the time to bore deeply into an issue, leaving its readers and listeners well informed in whatever topic was being explored. Should there have been any chicanery involved, it too saw the light of day. That time has, sadly, passed.

Before proceeding further, however, I want to make a distinction between what I would term 'investigative reporting' and 'cursory reporting'. The former resulted in such things as Pulitzer Prizes; the latter, with its focus on 'personalities' often resulted in wider circulation or a greater audience along with a concomitant financial benefit to the owners of said media. Guess which of these two has grown and prospered?

Thus we see no more of such writing as Daniel Ellsberg did his treatment of The Pentagon Papers or the work of Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward and their in-depth approach to the whole Watergate fiasco. Facts were researched, sources confirmed* and a logical approach prevailed.

Currently, however, cursory reporting is now front and centre, and we are the poorer for it. The role of the Canadian Senate, its history and mandate, is spurned in order to vilify the Mac Harbs and Mike Duffys of the world. (There are other senators involved, but you get my point.) And in Toronto, it is Rob Ford, not the role of the Toronto City Council, that receives all the attention.

Now admittedly Mayor Ford is a gigantic train wreck and desperately needs help, something only a few of his fellow councillors have stressed. And if there were nothing else in Ontario of importance, then the media might be excused for its tunnel vision regarding all things Ford.

That is far from being the case.

The state of finances in Ontario border on the frightening, largely due to the ghastly policies of the provincial Liberal party. This aspect should be receiving far greater attention than it has from the media, particularly when incompetence coupled with political greed (the gas plant move to save two Liberal ridings) has cost roughly one billion taxpayer dollars. I wonder what Ellsberg, Bernstein or Woodward would make of this horrific boondoggle?

 Our media today, however, is Rob Ford ALL THE TIME.

And Mayor Ford has not cost Toronto taxpayers one red cent.

Bah. Humbug.

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*Admittedly, 'Deep Throat" was a rather murky source. But as Bernstein and Woodward once put it, "Needs must".




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