Democracy's Detectives : The Economics of Investigative Journalism / James T. Hamilton.
2017
PN4888.I56 H36 2016
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Details
Title
Democracy's Detectives : The Economics of Investigative Journalism / James T. Hamilton.
Author
Hamilton, James T., author.
ISBN
9780674973572
Published
Cambridge, MA : Harvard University Press, [2017]
Copyright
©2016
Language
English
Language Note
In English.
Description
1 online resource (354 p.) : 2 line illustrations, 38 tables
Other Standard Identifiers
10.4159/9780674973572 doi
Call Number
PN4888.I56 H36 2016
Dewey Decimal Classification
071/.3
Summary
In democratic societies, investigative journalism holds government and private institutions accountable to the public. From firings and resignations to changes in budgets and laws, the impact of this reporting can be significant-but so too are the costs. As newspapers confront shrinking subscriptions and advertising revenue, who is footing the bill for journalists to carry out their essential work? Democracy's Detectives puts investigative journalism under a magnifying glass to clarify the challenges and opportunities facing news organizations today. Drawing on a painstakingly assembled data set of thousands of investigations by U.S. journalists, James T. Hamilton deploys economic theories of markets and incentives to reach conclusions about the types of investigative stories that get prioritized and funded. Hamilton chronicles a remarkable record of investigative journalism's real-world impact, showing how a single dollar invested in a story can generate hundreds of dollars in social benefits. An in-depth case study of Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Pat Stith of The News and Observer in Raleigh, NC, who pursued over 150 investigations that led to the passage of dozens of state laws, illustrates the wide-ranging impact one intrepid journalist can have. Important stories are going untold as news outlets increasingly shy away from the expense of watchdog reporting, Hamilton warns, but technology may hold an answer. Computational journalism-making novel use of digital records and data-mining algorithms-promises to lower the costs of discovering stories and increase demand among readers.
Access Note
Access limited to authorized users.
System Details Note
Mode of access: Internet via World Wide Web.
Digital File Characteristics
text file PDF
Source of Description
Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 29. Mai 2023)
Available in Other Form
print 9780674545502
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Table of Contents
Frontmatter
Contents
Tables
Introduction
1. Economic Theories of Investigative Reporting
2. Detectives, Muckrakers, and Watchdogs
3. What's the Story?
4. What's the Impact?
5. How Is It Produced?
6. How Is It Supported?
7. A Single Investigative Reporter
8. Accountability and Algorithms
Notes
Acknowledgments
Index
Contents
Tables
Introduction
1. Economic Theories of Investigative Reporting
2. Detectives, Muckrakers, and Watchdogs
3. What's the Story?
4. What's the Impact?
5. How Is It Produced?
6. How Is It Supported?
7. A Single Investigative Reporter
8. Accountability and Algorithms
Notes
Acknowledgments
Index