Investigative journalism

Well, was it a boom or a bang?

October 2, 2014 — Leave a comment

[The photos in this post are from various articles written by Foreman]

On Oct. 1, our “Journalism in Hostile Environments” course was taught by former Journalist Bill Foreman. Foreman kept us quite entertained for the hour and a half he spent talking about his experiences traveling in the field as a journalist for the Associated Press, and the many interesting opportunities he got along the way.

He discussed his unlikely journey into the “rat race” of journalism. He first joined the Associated Press at their Kansas City bureau. Not long after that he was promoted to the international desk in New York City where he said he was always informed on every matter of international relations, as a result of eight hours of editing per day. After two years there he was posted out in the field. His first stop: Taiwan, where his knowledge of Mandarin and the deep structure of the area would be put into use.

He went into detail about how wire services, like the Associated Press, are the backbone of the global media network. They are essentially a news sharing cooperative in which the media and various broadcast outlets are the members. Wire service companies like AP, Reuters, AFP and Xinhua offer daily blanket coverage. Whereas outlets like The New York Times only cover breaking news, and rely on people monitoring the wire services.

As a journalist, there is always pressure to break news. However Foreman explained that these pressures are far more intense for AP reporters, because they are always on deadline. During the day they are competing with other wire services like AFP or Reuters, however by the end of the day, they find themselves competing with outlets like the NY Times. They have already broke a story, but now their job is to refine it to the stylistic standards that occur in the latter outlet.

Foreman has seen covered his fair share of natural disasters. From the civil war in the Solomon Islands, to the tsunami in Indonesia, to the EU summit in Helsinki, venturing all the way to North Korea to investigate rumors of nuclear tests in the secluded country. For all of the dangerous excursions he has had, it was interesting to hear his perspective on safety protocols for journalists. Foreman said that it wasn’t until the early 2000’s that news companies started implementing safety procedures for their journalists. He attributed this extra training as a probable result of insurance companies raising their premiums. But no matter the reason, he said the training he received is applicable to all areas of his work.

He specifically described the three-day training he received while with the Associated Press. He and a group of other journalists were trained under former royal marines in England. In one instance he described how they took the group on kidnapping simulation. Equipped with guns, the former marines dragged Foreman and the group out of the car and covered their heads and shots were being fired. They took their personal effects such as watches, phones and wallets. The simulation was videotaped so they could assess their performance afterward.

While Foreman was lucky enough to receive such training, freelance journalists and photojournalists are not always so fortunate. Which calls into question the safety of journalists, especially those venturing into hostile environments.

Finally, Foreman described the access he and other journalists had during natural disasters in a place like China, where there are heavy journalistic restrictions. Foreman noted that in times of disaster, the first few days are often ones of confusion and chaos amongst the government, and so journalists have more access. Over time, as the government gains control over the situation, and the disaster becomes “old news,” there are more restrictions in reporting.

Journalism is a rat race, in which every outlet is trying to break the story first. In one compelling recollection, Foreman described a phone conversation with his boss. It was the middle of the night and he heard what he thought was a bomb go off. As he spoke with his boss the one questions she had was “Was it a boom or a bang?” After thinking about it, Foreman said it was more like a boom, to which his boss told him to go to bed. It was not a bomb, not a bang — just another night out in the field.

Coverage

September 25, 2014 — Leave a comment

In August of 2013 portions of Eastern Russia and China were hit by tremendous amounts of flooding. It was the most flooding Russia had seen in over a century. The flooding occurred in the Amur River region of the country and left thousands without homes.

Media coverage of this devastating flood was anything but a single story. Different newspapers and stations focused on different issues to cover. While each article or TV-spot may lack context when seen alone, looking at the coverage collectively gives viewers a more holistic view.

Some coverage focused on the damage caused by the flooding to homes as well as the land. Reporters also took the issue further, trying to explain how the Russian government was going respond to the imminent crisis . Russia had been plagued with flash flooding a year prior and so the government was intent on not making the same mistakes. Russian President Vladimir Putin even responded, “The damage is extensive, but the most significant achievement is there have been no casualties … we cannot relax, there is still a lot of work to be done,” in a televised address.

Coverage also asked the “Why” question. Why were these floods occurring and how can they be prevented? With global warming often being attributed as the root cause.

Some of the details in the coverage of such an event may seem unnecessary or mundane compared to the real issues, however someone has to report them. An ABC news article shifted the focus of their coverage from the affects of the flooding on people and residents, to the affects it has on wildlife. Specifically, how two bears had to be airlifted out of a flood zone. Pertinent? Perhaps not to everyone. However it is a different angle to the story and provides people with this interesting and useful information that adds to the context of the story nonetheless.

Apart from journalists hashing out facts about the physical effects to homes and cities in their coverage, stations took it a step further and got their journalists on the ground to see just how much this flooding affected the residents. In the following video RT’s Paul Scott entered some of the affected homes and talked to some of the victims, to expose viewers to a more emotionally driven type of coverage — perfect for TV.

Coverage on this natural disaster doesn’t tell just one story. While the basic context is repeated in each segment, each station, newspaper or journalist chooses a different part of the story to focus on. This includes the damage, the effects on the land and cities, the victims, government response and aid relief, health concerns and steps to mediate crises like these in the future.

People argue that it’s detrimental to have so many news outlets and sources for this type of information, however I would disagree. Without all of these different channels, people would never get the whole story.

Mother Russia?

September 23, 2014 — Leave a comment

The work of Photojournalist Pascal Dumont, of the Moscow Times, in his photo series titled “Ukraine Refugees Find Safe Haven Outside Moscow,”  depicts a Russia that many are not used to seeing.

Russia has been a nation of peaked interest as of late. With the spotlight focused directly on the cold country as a direct result of controversial happenings such as the Sochi Winter Olympics, the imprisonment (and release) of feminist activists Pussy Riot, President Obama meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and finally Russia’s recent venture into Ukraine. While this century has seen a mainstream focus on the Middle East — Russia — a nation that had remained relatively silent since the days of the Cold War is now back in the news.

There are many preconceptions of Russia and they are all very harsh. Westerners view Russia as oppressive, strict, homophobic, aggressive, violent and unkind just to name a few of the common stereotypes.

When we think of Russia we think of corruption in the government, we think of Vladimir Putin and his regime that has been likened to that of a dictatorship. We think of a country always reaching out for more power, even if it is at the expense of their neighbors or other players in the international playing field.

In terms of journalism and news, the only stories surrounding Russia these days are negative, so it is interesting to see how Dumont portrays Russia through his photo series.

The topic alone, displaying Russia as a safe haven for the Ukrainian Refugees is drastically different from the violent and oppressive descriptions we usually are exposed to. Now, one could say this is due to the fact that this photo series is by a Russian journalist, however, looking through the Moscow Times their other photo galleries do not depict Russia in such a positive light.

Here is Dumont’s work:

Dumont’s photos show a warm and bright Russia opening its arms to these refugees. There’s a family smiling in most pictures, looking at ease. While the shelter they are at is small and simple, the details show how it has become a home; Russia has become their home. There are children’s toys everywhere as well as flowers, and of course, a subtle ode to Russia in the form of the young girl’s notebook. Russia is not cold, not dark, not the enemy. Dumont has photographed Russia as the savior for these refugees, for this family.
Follow his twitter for more amazing photos and updates from Moscow!

Riot for Change

September 19, 2014 — Leave a comment

Journalism today is on the decline due to the thousands of citizen journalistic outlets found on the internet. Investigative journalism, an even more niche career choice, is in even deeper trouble. Now, take investigative journalism to a country with a history (and present) filled with censorship laws, social inequality and fettered access to many investigative resources. Take Russia.

In today’s age of soft news that seeks to entertain its audience, real investigative journalists are finding a multitude of challenges in their working environments. This does not only apply to the nature of their work around the world, but also to the politics that exist within their offices, known simply as editor politics. Editor’s are favoring short and succinct news stories as opposed to lengthy investigative pieces because the sad truth is, not all people want to read large exposes. With newspapers and news stations struggling to turn a profit in today’s social media era, they are forced to conform and abandon traditional news standards and practices to new-age techniques to keep the people interested.

 

Another challenge that investigative journalists in Russia face comes from Russia’s harsh and tight-lipped political environment. This environment makes it extremely difficult for journalists to gather all of the necessary information. Finally, there is a difficulty of investigating high level officials in Russia. While corruption runs rampant in all tiers of the Russian government, there is no watchdog there to inform citizens and keep officials in line because of the difficulty of accessing high level officials and information pertaining to them.

 

 

Access to politicians, especially one of Putin’s standing, is nearly impossible. Access to and for political parties is much of the same situation. During Putin’s presidential election, the votes were skewed in his favor because not all parties and not all of the candidates had access to the media to campaign. If we know anything from American politics, the media is vital in winning an election and reaching voters.

What do people do in an oppressed society where the government controls everything? Where certain political parties don’t even have a chance to come to power? How do Russians voice an opinion while also making an impact, making a statement? Well, they riot.

Today I had the privilege of attending a talk with two members of Pussy Riot, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina. While they aren’t investigative journalists, they are starting to lead a movement for a better Russia. They do not agree with President Vladimir Putin’s decisions, yet it’s not like they have access to him to voice their opinion. It’s not like they can ever get him impeached on their own. So, just as an investigative journalist would expose some truth for the world, these two are expressing their opinions and fighting for a better Russia through their art, musical art that is.

 

 

The women of Pussy Riot, just like investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya with her book Putin’s Russia, are the faces of the opposition to Putin and his administrative regime. They don’t write long books or articles, but they write songs voicing their opinions and frustrations with the state of their homeland. And they face the same backlash that investigative journalists face when they expose something the government wants to keep sealed. In the next video the girls of Pussy Riot are beaten and arrested by the government police for simply voicing their opinions and protesting during the Sochi Olympics.

 

 

During their talk they discussed a range of issues like the prison environment in Russia, particularly for women, who are often arrested for fighting back in domestic violence cases. Yet, what is troubling is that Russia doesn’t have any laws on domestic violence, so these women are being arrested unlawfully. They touched upon the anti-gay mentality that is at large in Russia, and how the government employs internet trolls to comment on anti-government propaganda or media that they may not be able to censor. Finally they addressed their responsibility as political and celebrity figures in this movement toward anti-corruption in Russia, and as they so simply put: it is their responsibility in the spotlight to help people.