Suchergebnisse

This Master's thesis is a study aimed at gaining insight into why Russian journalists specialize in investigative journalism. Since the 1990s, international and Russian media monitoring systems have shown that Russia is one of the more dangerous countries in which to practice journalism, especially when it comes to investigative journalists unearthing information that corporate, political or military forces would rather be kept away from public attention. Given the circumstances, why do Russian investigative journalists continue to practice such a risky profession? While investigative journalism is often considered a bi-product of a democratic spirit to maintain a healthy citizenry by bringing public attention to any wrongdoings by societies' elites to in turn compel the latter to behave responsibly, a study on investigative journalism as practised in Russia holds particular interest given the tumultuous conditions the Russian Federation continues to develop in, not to mention current president Vladimir Putin's conservative attitude towards the media's press freedom. This study is based on interviews with seven Russian investigative journalists - collected in the autumn 2012 and summer 2013 in Moscow, Petrozavodsk and Helsinki. While the main goal of this study is to assess why these journalists have specialized in investigative journalism, the research also explores the assets the profession has to offer, as well as the challenges the journalists face when practising this riskier type of journalism. In addition to identifying the reasons why the participants of this study are drawn to practising investigative journalism, this research suggests that there is a continuation between the motivation exhibited by today's investigative journalists and the 'sense of duty' expressed by Soviet journalists in prior studies. Additionally, this study shows that investigative journalism is considered to be an exemplar of professionalism among these Russian journalists. Finally, this research proposes that the audience, as readers and viewers of investigative reporting, plays a potentially crucial role in the perpetuation of investigative journalism now and in the future.