Kibworth & Smeeton WI
Tales of Investigative Journalism
Last month Philip Yorke enthralled us with tales of the investigative journalist, looking at national media practices exposing fraud, corruption and other headline-making stories.
The title, ‘Dog Eat Dog’ is an expression in journalism to describe journalists’ relationships with each other. A rare breed, he said, they love exploring a story and have a desire to get it right (not always successful!)
Philip amused us with sensational headlines from the past, whose stories didn’t bear scrutiny. Some readers will remember them. The Sun’s ‘Freddie Starr Ate My Hamster’ was pure invention, involving PR guru Max Clifford, to relaunch Starr’s career. Starr said it was the best publicity ever!
Another newspaper’s headline ‘Hitler Was a Woman’ sold thousands of extra copies.
However, these and other outrageous examples like ‘WWII Bomber Found on Moon’ tainted the reputation of journalists, especially those working on serious investigations.
For a good story journalists need to have ‘the nose’, instinct being one of their greatest assets, plus tenacity and the ability to see through corporate and political’ ‘spin’. Not losing objectivity in their hunger for a great story is also imperative.
Journalists often used gizmos like a James Bond-esque fountain pen housing a recorder, fake smoke alarms and watches with hidden recorders and cameras. Occasionally they used private detectives. Dominant subjects for inside stories include sport, negligence, corruption and terrorism. Corruption stories Philip highlighted were the huge football ‘bungs’scandal of the 1990s and another alleging that a prominent trade union was passing funds to the IRA.
Philip ended with a cautionary comment – the media take advantage of the fact that many people just accept what they read!
Fashion Show Tickets for April – come join us!
Please note we are holding a fundraising Fashion Show on Tuesday 14 April at Kibworth Community Hub,7pm for 7.30pm. Tickets, costing £10, includes a glass of Prosecco or a soft drink, are available at Kibworth Community Hub (mornings only) and The Well, or call Teresa – 07854 659 679 or Pat -0116 279 2832. The show features favourite High Street brands and accessories which can be tried on and bought at huge discounts. There will be a bar and raffle, plus delicious cakes to buy. We hope you can join us!
