Expert says investigative journalism can be produced by high schools

By Candace Moore
J-Ideas

Professor Brant Houston serves as Knight chair in investigative & enterprise reporting at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, where he also teaches investigative journalism. 

Q.  Why do you think investigative journalism is important?

A.  It ensures a free and democratic society because it serves as a watchdog of government and business activities. It is the court of last resort when government and business fails to protect the citizens.

Q.  What skills should investigative journalists have?

A.  The skills include the ability to understand and follow document trails, cultivate sources, conduct incisive interviews and write and present stories concisely.

Q. How does critical thinking shape the investigative process?

A.  It plays a key role because an investigative journalist has to understand how systems work, how they fail, and how to analyze why they fail.

Q.  Why aren’t there more investigative stories by high school journalists? Should we be concerned?

A.  We should always be concerned about the state of investigative journalism in high schools. Students work under intense scrutiny, and pressure from school boards and staffs that are often reluctant to accept legitimate questions or criticism.

Q.  Is it important to encourage investigative journalism in high school?

A.  Yes. It is important to teach high school students the reasons for investigative journalism and the skills that are needed.

Q. How do you teach student journalists investigative reporting?

A.  Student journalists should have the patience to examine and understand public documents such as meeting minutes, budgets and testing.
If there is no journalism program, they can study textbooks such as the Investigative Reporter's Handbook or the Investigative Reporters and Editors web site at www.ire.org where there are many training materials.

Q. Where does a student investigative reporter find stories?

A.  If students need to find stories that inspire they can go to Extra! Extra! www.ire.org If they need to find and write stories, then they should look at how money is spent in their school system, how qualified teachers have to be, the condition of textbooks (and their relevance) and classroom equipment, the use of substitute teachers, how test scores compare with the rest of the state, dropout rates, and the salaries of administrators.

Q.  What can educators and professional journalists do?

A.  Journalists and educators should show students the importance of investigative stories that have made a difference (see "What Good is Journalism" from the Missouri Press), and give them examples of how they can pursue credible investigations in a high school environment. They should bring in local investigative journalists to talk about what they do and how they do it.