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'New norms' for investigative journalism in times of pandemic

'New norms' for investigative journalism in times of pandemic
'New norms' for investigative journalism in times of pandemic

The past year since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic has seen many new norms formulated to address both expected and unexpected impacts of the global health crisis.

Amid a backdrop of restricted access to information, the media as an industry has also changed in order to survive, although journalism practitioners still hold on to basic guiding principles and ethics of the craft.

As newsrooms shrink in size, there is a growing demand for journalists to step up and battle against what has been dubbed as an “infodemic” of equal concern, targeting vulnerable minds beyond those deemed to be in high-risk categories.

More than timely reporting of facts and figures, investigative journalism has played a key role to uncover issues that may otherwise be ignored.

University of Nottingham Malaysia media professor Zaharom Nain said the battle in newsrooms goes beyond the issue of political ownership and limited resources to an underlying culture of support for processes involved in investigative journalism.

“News agencies or organisations face economic challenges, where news, as a commodity, needs to sell, and sell fast.

“In this kind of environment, slowly building up a story - as required by investigative journalism - becomes unpopular for editors and owners eyeing profit levels and struggling for the legal tender,” he told Malaysiakini.

Zaharom noted that many newsrooms, already struggling with the impact of the pandemic, also lack the incentive to invest in investigative journalism, despite a need to do so as part of its duty to uncover information for public interest.

“We can’t speak truth to power if we are refused access to information. Governments know that. Irresponsible, undemocratic governments will hide and censor rather than be transparent and reveal.

“Therein lies the challenge for all journalists worth their salt. To uncover the hidden and expose why,” he added.

Media consultancy and training company Data-N founder Kuek Ser Kuang Keng points to the role of data as an investigative journalism tool, particularly benefiting smaller newsrooms looking to make a big impact.

“Data of government procurement, financial transactions, corporate structure, among others, have enabled journalists to uncover wrongdoings including corruption, money laundering and tax evasion within the rich and powerful,” said the award-winning data journalist.

He cited how data-driven investigations have brought together journalists and newsrooms across the globe, the most prominent being, among others, the Panama Papers.

Malaysiakini was among newsrooms involved in the 2016 Panama Papers cross-border project that involved analysing 11.5 billion leaked documents totalling 2.6 terabytes of data, outcomes of which Keng noted had led to criminal arrests, prosecutions, policies and law revisions in dozens of countries.

In times of pandemic, he said data has been a great journalistic tool to overcome limited resources or movement restrictions.

“Journalists in various countries have used health data to investigate the government’s capacity to handle the pandemic by looking at the number of beds, medical personnel and ventilators.

“Covid-19 patient data also allowed journalists in the US and UK to show that minority communities are most affected by the pandemic,” Kuek told Malaysiakini.

In terms of countering disinformation, he said data from social media has empowered journalists to discover perpetrators and their distribution network of Covid-19 half-truths or even outright lies.

“Insights from such investigations allowed social media platforms to take action against the perpetrators.

“Such reporting would not be possible without examining the data,” Kuek explained.

This, he said, was an aspect that traditional investigative reporting, which usually relies on access to insiders or sources, couldn’t accomplish.

With limited data, CodeBlue co-founder Boo Su-Lyn said the health portal turned to more traditional forms of investigative journalism through engaging frontliners who trusted the news portal with their stories, which in turn prompted government response.

“Oftentimes, after we report on those issues, the government responds - such as giving extra allocations to Sarawak hospitals, changing the Covid-19 management system at a Selangor hospital, delivering protective gear to Sabah frontliners, or paying outstanding allowances or salaries of government doctors.

“Given our limited resources, we're also lucky to work with scientists who collate Covid-19 data daily and contribute to CodeBlue analyses on the epidemic, such as on Covid-19 deaths in Malaysia,” she told Malaysiakini.

Boo is no stranger to the challenges of operating a small newsroom, leading a team of only two writers and one sub-editor to focus on specific issues within the broader areas of health, medicine and science.

Already hampered by limited access to official data, Boo noted the government had posed an additional challenge when it suspended Parliament and declared a state of emergency.

“Last year, CodeBlue worked with some MPs to ask for Covid-19-related data in Parliament.

“Now we’re stuck with the sparse data given by a government that does not seem to behave according to science and evidence.

“The Health Ministry, for example, stopped publishing the case numbers for Covid-19 deaths since April 9, which makes it impossible to know their date of admission and the length of time between admission and when the death was officially reported,” she added.

CodeBlue co-founder Boo Su-Lyn
CodeBlue co-founder Boo Su-Lyn

Boo, who was previously investigated under the Official Secrets Act 1972 for a CodeBlue report on the 2016 Sultanah Aminah Hospital fire, echoed long-standing calls by press freedom advocates for the repeal of repressive laws impacting both print and digital media.

New Straits Times journalist Mohamed Basyir Mohamed Ibrahim, who was among reporters credited for exposing the 'halal meat cartel' scandal last year, however, described the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 - long seen as a looming threat for publishers - as a form of “protection” rather than a restriction.

“There must be acts to monitor and regulate press agencies in order to differentiate us from social media postings,” he said, contrary to a larger industry-led movement towards self-regulation of the press.

Admitting that undertaking investigative journalism assignments serve as a diversion from day-to-day news coverage, Basyir said there was also a sense of social responsibility to push for needed change.

Aside from acquiring information, he said the process of verification with relevant authorities could pose a bigger challenge, as some agencies could be “selective” in their response.

“For example, if we receive information of leakage within a government agency, when the news is published, those in charge should be transparent and professional with reporters,” he said, adding that editors also play an important role not only to discuss the reports, but also mitigate any risks after publication.

'Impact on journalists'

Beyond the impact on readers, oftentimes journalists will also be affected by what they learnt in the process of undertaking an investigative report.

For Fairuz Jumain, a former investigative journalist with Malay daily Sinar Harian, an undercover mission that exposed the chilling truth behind an unsanitary illegal ice production factory had permanently put him off ordering iced drinks in shops.

“In the three-part 14-page report, I saw with my own eyes how the illegal factories produced ice.

“There was a factory that used wastewater and there were many roaming dogs. These dogs drank the water used to make ice,” he recalled.

“Since then, as much as possible I try to avoid buying iced drinks unless I see for myself the brand and label on its packaging,” he added.

Not all completed projects will be published, as Fairuz said his team had acceded to the authorities' request to hold off publication of a report on rampant gambling activities in a particular town.

“Not long after that, the police conducted a massive raid in the area,” he added.

A large part of traditional investigative journalism relies on the cultivation of sources through building connections and trust, a process that could be hampered by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Where in the past the process could involve a lot of travelling, at times across borders, the pandemic has forced newsrooms to adopt new methods towards achieving the same or better results.

In neighbouring Indonesia, news magazine Tempo in its 50 years of publication has produced a long list of investigative reports, often exposing shortcomings of its administration from the era of President Suharto to the current tenure of President Joko Widodo.

In recent years, Tempo editor-in-chief Wahyu Dhyatmika said its teams’ collaboration has expanded beyond borders to uncover issues with global connections, such as through participation in projects which he led, including the Panama Papers.

“We may not be able to travel to other countries, but we can request assistance from media friends overseas to source for information,” said Wahyu, a member of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists.

Among issues of mutual interest between Malaysia and Indonesia include labour trafficking and the environmental impact of palm oil production, resulting in several Tempo-Malaysiakini collaborations that combine both traditional and data-driven methods.

These reports include “The Secret Deal to Destroy Paradise” in 2018 and “The Fire Corporation” in 2019, exposing close connections between tycoons, political elites and authorities in both countries, as well as its impact on the environment.

“The key to a successful collaboration is trust. Media organisations have to be smart in finding their partners,” he told Malaysiakini.

“The process is easier now because there are more tools for online meetings.

“But we still have to pick and choose what issues would be feasible to work on throughout the pandemic,” he said, citing, among others, answering questions raised on Covid-19 test kit procurement by the Indonesian government through comparisons with regional trends including in Malaysia.

As for the way forward, Zaharom urged journalists committed to pushing for change to move away from those whom he claimed were only out to earn a living, towards seeking new collaborations with other professionals in various fields.

“Unfortunately, many of our journalists see cari makan (making a living) as their 'calling'. And many Malaysian journalists - like those in other vocations - by and large, will continue to only cari makan, some cynically, some ignorantly, some pragmatically.

“So, perhaps the way forward is not to look at 'media organisations' as the harbingers of change,” he said.