Investigative Reporting: A Commitment to Society

While the future of journalism will undoubtedly look different than it does today, it will continue be an integral part of our society as long as there are those committed to reporting news in a fair and balanced manner. There are many valuable roles for aspiring journalists to pursue if they are passionate about news and serving the public, and each role has its own appealing attributes and challenges.  For me, the choice has been a fairly easy one. Despite the trend of public cynicism and a general mistrust for the media, my primary goal is to become an investigatory journalist. Investigative journalism has a very special draw  for curious individuals, and is appealing because it directly serves the public as an independent monitor of power as described by Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel in The Elements of Journalism. 

It is safe to say that  journalists, in general, don't pursue this profession for the money, considering that the average annual salary for journalists is fairly modest by national standards. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the middle 50% of reporters earned somewhere between $25,760 and $52,160 in 2008. However, according to payscale.com, some employees of the New York Times currently make as much as $174,524. 

In any case, for all successful journalists, there has to be something beyond a simple paycheck to sustain their morale and keep them on the job. For investigatory journalists, it seems that the reward comes from knowing you are directly aiding citizens  by sharing the information which enables them to maintain a society which is free and self governing. Without the dedication of investigatory journalists, there would be very few ways for the public to hold those in authority accountable for their decisions, and so would be less able to influence change in the community when necessary. Transparency is ideal where powerful parties and governments are concerned, but unfortunately, that is rarely a priority of those in power. Journalists not only keep the public aware of current events, but they give a voice to the voiceless in a way which cannot be ignored or easily silenced.

Investigative journalism is a role which can be practiced even by reporters who are fresh to the news writing profession. It is not uncommon for younger reporters to be assigned to the police and fire department beat, which certainly provides opportunities to fulfill the "watchdog" role on a regular basis. In recent months, Spokane journalists have been doing this in their coverage of officer-related shootings and the allegations of  police cover-ups surrounding incidents of excessive force. They have shown persistence in their pursuit of  truth,  while employing fair reporting methods and haven't let bias slant their stories in either direction.

Recently, I had the opportunity to do a job shadow  with Meghann Cuniff, a local news reporter for the Spokesman Review, and got a feel for what a typical day's work looks like for a journalist on the police/fire department beat. During that afternoon, I saw first hand just how much new technology and social networking is used by journalists for information gathering as well as communication. While I was there, Cuniff was working on a story about a younger man who had been shot by a police officer in Colville after a call came in about someone prowling around parked cars. She had already gotten some basic information from police reports, but she chose to utilize Facebook as a means of finding people connected with the man who had been shot. After a few minutes of browsing yielded some useful connections, she shot off a brief Facebook message to the man's father, hoping that he might respond quickest via the internet. She did, however, manage to contact him by phone shortly afterward, and ended up with many useable quotes and interesting insights which ended up in the paper the next day.  Before drafting the full story for the newspaper, she took about 15 minutes to write up a brief of that story and posted it online. Cuniff said  that it generally takes her about that long to post these briefs to the Spokesman Review online with a simple program called Django, and then spends about an hour adjusting the final story for the paper before the 9:00 p.m. deadline. In addition to the use of Facebook and the Spokesman Review website in the reporting process, Twitter is used to provide minute-to-minute updates to news  followers. The development of methods like these is drastically different than anything we have seen in the past, but serves a very important purpose. In this technologically driven world, people are no longer willing to wait for the morning paper to find out what is happening around them, and are best served by a more continuous news stream.  During the recent trial of Officer Karl Thompson, Cuniff spent a good deal of time at the county court house, posting a stream of Twitter updates as she watched a live feed of the trial which was taking place in Yakima, Washington. It seems inevitable that in the near future, the internet will become the primary vehicle of news for the public, and as more people are using smart phones, it is quite likely that soon most people will be getting news updates on their phones throughout the day, rather than from a traditional newspaper, or even televised news sources. 

Later in the day, Meghann Cuniff allowed me to come to the courthouse with her where she looked through public records for possible stories, and to follow up on ongoing investigations about which she had already written. It was interesting to me that even the details in police reports and search warrants are considered public records. I was surprised at how simple it actually is to obtain these record. All she did was ask for whatever records she wanted, and within a minute or two they were right in front of her; huge stacks of raw information ready to be sifted and perhaps converted into a compelling news story. While I know that these records are open to the general public, it was clear that the relationships Cuniff has developed by becoming a regular part of the courthouse scenery make her job much easier. I am sure that there are circumstances where one could at least be delayed  in getting information without those pre-established relationships in place.

Overall, the hours I spent on this job shadow assignment  convinced me that I have indeed found the profession that suits my goals and passions. There is, however, the issue of job availability to be considered, and I am aware  of the challenges which will doubtless face me in the job market. According to the projections on workforceexplorer.com,  tIn Washington state there was a negative growth rate of -4.2% from 2009 to 2011, and the expected change from 2008 to 2018 is supposed to be  -23.3% . In addition, the hourly average pay is stated to be $23.22 as of 2011. These statistics are not particularly encouraging, but for me, the motivation to pursue this profession is has everything to do with doing what I love, and less to do with the number on the paycheck. In order to get into the field, it will be imperative to stay ahead of the game by keeping up with technological advances and becoming proficient in using the tools at my disposal. In addition, I intend to build a portfolio through working on the school newspaper. Joe Palmquist, Managing Sports Editor at the Spokesman Review shared some information which I found to be encouraging. He mentioned that as newspapers are forced to cut corners financially, when their reporters retire, the paper cannot necessarily afford to replace them with equally experienced -and therefore more expensive- journalists. This opens the door for young reporters who are eager to start work. With enough curiosity, drive and a strong focus on building the necessary skills, I am confident that I will be able to enter the field and  serve as an investigatory journalist.

Hart Prairie

The aspen grove is still

But for the fading beat of a summer

Monsoon, washing clean 

The bright towering trees

Gold medallions hang

On spindly branches and shiver

Under the slightest breeze

The smallest bead of rain

A damp carpet of vibrant green

Beneath my feet

Patterns of light and shadow

Pass over the earth as deeply it breathes

Ashen trunks stand and sway

Speckled with a hundred

Knotted eyes, their gaze

Falls on passing deer

On the pale skin of one 

Lonely tree is a wrinkled

Scar never to heal

Crude heart encircling

The deep cut legend

M.H.B

A.J.S

1987

Six letters and a date

All the President's Men

Bob Woodward and Howard Bernstein were ordinary newspaper men who  happened to land one of the biggest news stories of the time. From the outset, it was their attention to details and their commitment to keep digging that eventually revealed the ugly truth of what was being done behind the closed doors of our own government, and the results were effective enough that Nixon had to step down from the presidency, after being re-elected. 

Their story is an extremely relevant example of why the free press is such a vital part of our society. The freedom to criticize our government and to hold them accountable for their  actions is one of our most valuable freedoms, and it is something we  must always defend in order to function as a working democracy. 

The spirit of the people must frequently be roused, in order to curb the ambitions of the [royal] court; and the dread of rousing the spirit must be employed to prevent that ambition. Nothing is so effectual to this purpose as the liberty of the press; by which all the learning, wit, and genius of the nation, may be employed on the side of freedom, and everyone animated to its defense."

-David Hume (1742)

In addition to being very entertaining, the movie, All the President's Men,  did a wonderful job of showing the journalistic process that went into Bernstein and Woodward's stories about the Watergate scandal.  It was amazing to me that they ever got anywhere with their inquiries, considering how incredibly tightlipped everyone remotely connected to the government proved to be.  These two reporters showed a lot of determination and had to use creative methods of getting their information, which at times, seemed to flirt with the line of journalistic integrity. Nevertheless, they showed a good deal of patience and did make a meticulous effort to confirm every bit of information they used in their stories, which was not easy in these particular circumstances.  

I was curious, however, about whether a deep background source similar to  "Deep Throat" would normally be considered a useable source, or whether this was deemed a story important enough to justify a somewhat un-orthodox method.  While the source was connected with the parties involved in the scandal, and had a good deal of information, he wasn't actually sharing information as much as simply confirming it, and often non-verbally. Is this accepted practice?  

In any case, it seems obvious that the methods Woodward and Bernstein chose to employ were influenced by the unusual nature  of the story and the prominence of the people involved in the scandal.  In the end, they accomplished what all journalists aspire to do, and in so doing, they gave the public the ability to hold their nation's leaders accountable for their actions. 

Free Speech and The Stolen Valor Act

The decision in the case of United States v. Alvarez will 

undoubtedly be one which will have a great impact on the freedoms protected under the First Amendment.  This decision will set a precedent which would give the government the ability to punish those who lie about military honors. Xavier Alvarez, who was a board member to the Three Valleys Municipal Water District in Claremont, Calif., claimed to have been a Marine and to have received the Medal of Honor. None of this was true.  Following a complaint from a citizen, the FBI got involved and Alvarez subsequently became the first to be indicted for violating the Stolen Valor Act. While Alvarez did plead guilty, he later decided to appeal to the 9th Circuit.

Up until now, our government has never attempted to police American citizens to this extent.  While this particular act only applies to lies regarding military honors, the precedent it will set if it decides in favor of the Stolen Valor Act will open the door for the punishment of other lies which do not cause direct harm. We already have a system which protects citizens from damaging speech such as fraud, defamation and libel. This introduces a completely different category of speech limitation. Alvarez's lies did not cause any direct harm, and he did not gain any tangible thing as a result of his dishonesty. The only thing gained was perhaps a better image in the eyes of his peers, which was ultimately lost when his lies were inevitably exposed. 

It seems intuitive that lies are ultimately a negative form of expression, but to attempt to monitor and punish citizens for telling lies is not only horribly impractical, but it also requires the government to step into the role of defining good and bad expression. Oppressive  governments who attempt to become the ultimate morality authority over its citizens have historically failed to maintain this level of control. In addition, putting excessive limitations the freedom of expression has serious consequences that affect the entire nation, and so should be avoided for the good of society.

"(The Founding Fathers) knew that order cannot be secured merely through fear of punishment for its infraction; that it is hazardous to discourage thought, hope and imagination; that fear breeds repression; that repression breeds hate; that hate menaces stable government; that the path of safety lies in the opportunity to discuss freely supposed grievances and proposed remedies; and that the fitting remedy for evil counsels is good ones."

- Justice Louis D. Brandeis, Dissenting on Olmstead V. U.S 

It does not seem necessary for the government to punish liars  when there is no tangible harm or gain resulting from the lie. Is it now the job of the government to make sure none of us is thought of more highly than we deserve, and to punish those who dare to embellish for sake of bettering their self image? If so, the government certainly has its work cut out for it, as they really should be sifting through every resume submitted to every employer in the nation. There is a goldmine of lies to be found there, to be sure. Of course, this would land a pretty large portion of the population in trouble with the government. 

In most cases, there are ways which society effectively deals with liars without the interference of the government. Employers have the right to fire employees when they have lied on their resumes. Then there is the press, the watchdog of our society, whose purpose is often to expose lies and to balance power with criticism. When the press does its job correctly, there is no way people like Alvarez can deceive the public forever. In many cases, liars get what is coming to them without the government stepping in like an overbearing parent.

In the end, the value of the freedoms being jeopardized should outweigh the indignation of the military and the desire to penalize those offensive persons who rely on lies to make themselves look better than they actually are. These liars are simply not important enough to spend the time, money and effort necessary to process them for such a minor issue. It is better for the country as a whole to avoid setting precedents which will put further limitations on the freedom of expression, even when that expression comes in the form of lame, selfishly motivated lies.

Thoughts on the Purpose and Direction of Modern News...

News, at its best, is that essential vehicle which brings people out of isolation and transforms the chaotic masses of humanity into an informed and functioning society.

In recent years, the rapid development of new forms of technology has given rise to speculation about the future of journalism. Traditional newspapers are rapidly losing readers each year, and according to studies by the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism, newspaper ad revenues have fallen almost 48% since 2006. With the ever increasing flow of information from every corner of the earth it is easy to become overwhelmed, and for many, the value of news seems to be lost in the great quagmire of irrelevance to be found on the internet. 


This shift in the trend of information sharing has given some parties reason to look upon journalism as a dying field. I could not agree less. While the definition and form of news has changed and will continue to change as time passes, its essential purpose remains the same. Each of us, as human beings, has a desire to assert control over our circumstances; and that sense of control comes largely from the ability to communicate and to understand happenings in the world beyond what we experience on a day to day basis. Authors of The Elements of Journalism, Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel, call this need the Awareness Instinct. Because of this basic instinct, there will always be a place for news in any society where people are free to share information unhindered. 

This past spring, I had the opportunity to hear Pia Hallenberg, a reporter for the Spokesman Review, give some insight on the challenges and opportunities facing journalists today. She has had a wide variety of experiences working with media; from newspaper reporting to radio broadcasting, to her own South Perry Blog, Hallenberg has come to possess a wealth of information and advice on surviving as a modern reporter. While Hallenberg admitted that jobs in the journalism field are harder to obtain and perhaps even harder to keep than in the past, she did not seem to share the opinion that the field was dying. She did mention, however, that journalists now need to be willing to constantly adjust to the changes of the times, and to keep ahead of the game by becoming as tech savvy as possible. The development of media convergence, she pointed out, makes it more necessary to be comfortable working with all forms of media. She particularly emphasized the advantages of knowing how to use programs such as InDesign and encouraged the practice of starting a personal blog. 

In addition to the challenges that come along with technological innovation, the task of keeping the attention of the general public is also becoming more difficult. Our culture in the U.S. is one very much focused on constant, easily accessible stimulation and entertainment. Every waking moment, the average American has some form of amusement at their fingertips; accessible at a moment's notice. While these conveniences have  definite benefits, we have become so conditioned to entertainment that it takes more to hold our attention.


Through the years, the style of journalism has moved away from flowery eloquence and has become more concise and calculating in order to grab the attention of a larger audience, and to provide something of interest for everyone. Media experts have found it beneficial to recognize that everyone has varying levels of interest on various subjects, and that each person is a part of the involved, interested or uninterested public on any given topic. This theory, known formally as the Theory of the Interlocking Public was originally developed by Dave Burgin to help journalists more effectively lay out newspaper pages. 

The tempo of our universe is quickening. Nevertheless, as long as there are those willing to pick up their feet and adapt to the needs of our time; while preserving the pursuit of integrity, truth and curiosity -which are vital to the survival of the free press- journalism will remain as relevant and active in our culture as ever. 

Missing Home

Although I love living in the Inland Northwest, and would hate to give up the amazing mountains, dense forests and innumerable lakes and rivers; there are days when I miss Arizona and my hometown immensely. Today is one of those days. It is August, and monsoon season in Flagstaff. I can't help but regret missing out on the sudden dramatic downpours which leave as quickly as they come, followed by the indescribable smell of the the aspen, pine, and ferns washed clean by the summer rain. Every year, I used to take drives out to Hart Prairie and Fern Mountain just north of Flagstaff with my dad. In years where there is an unusual amount of rain, the forest comes alive with rich greens that are so rare for the arid regions of the southwest.  The dense undergrowth amidst the trees at the base of Fern Mountain provide comfortable accommodations for elk, and if you are lucky, you might be able to spot a few. Today my dad took our yearly drive without me, but sent me dozens of photos of my favorite places. This year has been one of the mildest and wettest Flagstaff has seen in a long time, and the results are amazing! Here are a few of the photos my dad, Greg Smith, decided to share with me from a distance. 

A thought on theatre and backstage happenings

I think one of my favorite things about doing a play is how the cast and crew interact on the night of a show. No matter how well you have gotten to know people up until that point, you are guaranteed to find out something new backstage on a show night. You just might even be lucky enough to discover someone's hidden talent. One example that comes to mind was on the last night of Kill Me, Deadly. Among other things, the female cast members got an entertaining lesson on how to do the "sexy walk" in heels from self-proclaimed expert Phillip Wibisono (a.k.a Louie, a lovable thug from the 1940s), who just happened to have his own pair of bubblegum colored heels with him that night....

What you can expect to find on The Mortal Coil

Basically, this is the place I intend to stash shreds of any little thing I find interesting. From thoughts on literature, art and films, to photos and descriptions of the people and things that amuse me (and maybe you too) on a day to day basis. It is very likely that the purpose of this blog will evolve over time and take a completely new direction, but as my ideas are fairly foggy just now, this is all right with me. My hope is to waste a little of your time in an enjoyable way, and to gain a little writing experience in the process. Cheers!