Investigative journalism
Investigative journalism is a branch of
journalism that usually concentrates on a very specific topic (almost always scandalous), and typically requires a lot of work to yield results. The classic example is the uncovering of the
Watergate Scandal by
Bob Woodward and
Carl Bernstein, resulting in reports being published in the
Washington Post.
In The Reporter's Handbook: An Investigator's Guide to Documents and Techniques, Steve Weinberg defined it as:
- "Reporting, through one's own initiative and work product, matters of importance to readers, viewers or listeners. In many cases, the subjects of the reporting wish the matters under scrutiny to remain undisclosed."