[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.0.91″ custom_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px” next_background_color=”#000000″][et_pb_row custom_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px” _builder_version=”3.0.47″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_image admin_label=”Top Image” _builder_version=”3.0.106″ show_in_lightbox=”off” url_new_window=”off” use_overlay=”off” always_center_on_mobile=”on” force_fullwidth=”off” show_bottom_space=”on” src=”http:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/InvestigativeFeaturedImage.jpg”]<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row custom_padding=”2px|0px|8px|0px” _builder_version=”3.0.47″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Top Image caption” _builder_version=”3.0.106″ text_font=”|600|||||||” text_font_size=”12px” background_layout=”light”]<\/p>\n
When news organizations reduce their investigative staffs, it means less oversight for government institutions.<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.0.92″ custom_padding=”2px|0px|37.9062px|0px” prev_background_color=”#000000″][et_pb_row custom_padding=”0px|0px|18.9531px|0px” custom_margin=”10px|||” _builder_version=”3.0.92″][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_image admin_label=”Image 1″ show_in_lightbox=”on” show_bottom_space=”off” _builder_version=”3.0.106″ custom_margin=”||2px|” custom_padding=”|||” animation_style=”slide” box_shadow_style=”preset2″ box_shadow_horizontal=”4px” box_shadow_vertical=”4px” url_new_window=”off” use_overlay=”off” always_center_on_mobile=”on” force_fullwidth=”off” src=”http:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/InvestigativeWeb2.jpg”]<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=”Caption 1″ _builder_version=”3.0.106″ text_font=”|600|||||||” text_font_size=”12px” text_line_height=”1.4em” custom_margin=”8px|||2px” custom_padding=”|||” background_layout=”light”]<\/p>\n
Veteran reporter Jack Kuenzie left WIS-TV in Columbia, one of the last investigative television reporters in the region.<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image admin_label=”Image 2″ show_in_lightbox=”on” show_bottom_space=”off” _builder_version=”3.0.106″ custom_margin=”||2px|” custom_padding=”|||” animation_style=”slide” box_shadow_style=”preset2″ box_shadow_horizontal=”4px” box_shadow_vertical=”4px” url_new_window=”off” use_overlay=”off” always_center_on_mobile=”on” force_fullwidth=”off” src=”http:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/InvestigativeGraphic_CMFinal.jpg”]<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”2_3″][et_pb_text admin_label=”News Story” _builder_version=”3.0.106″ custom_margin=”0px||0px|” background_layout=”light”]<\/p>\n
High caliber investigative reporting is something that has become a rarity in today\u2019s digital age of media.<\/p>\n
While obstacles such as time and budget constraints have hindered the progress of quality investigative reporting, one newspaper in South Carolina has helped raise the bar.<\/p>\n
The Post and Courier in Charleston is one of the news organizations that has remained committed to investigative reporting. It recent months, it has reported extensively on Columbia prosecutor Dan Johnson, who was recently embroiled in a spending scandal, the aftermath of a prison riot at the Leesville Correctional Institution, \u00a0and other hot button issues.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Post and Courier still has a robust stable of experienced reporters,\u201d said John Monk, a political reporter for The State newspaper in Columbia.<\/p>\n
Doug Pardue, who helped author a series on domestic violence that won a Pulitzer prize for the Post and Courier in 2015, spoke about his experience at the paper.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I left we had a four-member full time investigative team,\u201d said Pardue. \u201c(The Post and Courier) is one of the only newspapers that puts emphasis on its staff and promoting quality reporting.\u201d<\/p>\n
When asked about why the Post and Courier has been able to uphold this standard of reporting, Pardue referred to the newspaper\u2019s local ownership.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe post is a private, family owned corporation with a vested interest in the city and environment of Charleston,\u201d said Pardue.<\/p>\n
Bill Rodgers, the executive director for the South Carolina Press Association, agreed that ownership is a factor in The Post and Courier\u2019s reporting success.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey haven\u2019t had the mandated cuts from above that other companies have had. Being family owned allows them to do more,\u201d said Rodgers.<\/p>\n
\u201cInvestigative reporting takes time; it\u2019s not something you can crank out in an afternoon,\u201d Rodgers said. \u201cIt\u2019s tough for some of these other papers that have had to make these staff cuts.\u201d<\/p>\n
While newspapers like the Post and Courier are doing their part to deliver quality investigative work, the caliber of investigative reporting in South Carolina is still low.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you compare the level of investigative reporting now compared to 30 years ago in South Carolina it suffers in comparison,\u201d Monk said.<\/p>\n
Recently, news organizations like WIS-TV in Columbia have made significant cuts to its investigative reporting staff. This is another example of what has become a trend away from this type of reporting.<\/p>\n
\u201cWIS got rid of the only serious investigative reporter they had left in Jack Kuenzie,\u201d said John Crangle, a retired civic watchdog.<\/p>\n
When asked about his departure from WIS, Kuenzie chalked it up to creative differences.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat it amounts to is that the station was not doing the type of reporting I wanted to do. \u00a0I felt like I needed to be going in a different direction than the station was capable of,\u201d said Kuenzie.<\/p>\n
Kuenzie believes the current economic structure of the media has led to a downturn in investigative reporting.<\/p>\n
\u201cNews outlets have been hampered by the economics of the marketplace,\u201d said Kuenzie. \u201cThere is no place for them to do that type of (investigative) reporting. It costs a lot of money and does not produce instant results.”<\/p>\n
Investigative reporting is time consuming and expensive, a full investigation can take weeks at a time and often requires multiple reporters. In the digital age of today, many news organizations have struggled to keep up and lack the funding to maintain this level of reporting.<\/p>\n
Monk, a reporter with years of experience at multiple newspapers, believes the media conglomerates that control newspapers have had a negative effect on investigative reporting.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe taking over of newspapers by out-of-state organizations has teared certain operations to the bone,\u201d said Monk.<\/p>\n
These parent companies, such as The McClatchy Co. which owns The State newspaper, have difficult decisions to make. Maintaining a profit while dealing with the natural consequences of being a media outlet in today\u2019s digital landscape is an issue each organization faces.<\/p>\n
Doug Pardue echoed this sentiment about corporations controlling news outlets.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the issues is the profit-taking on the part of these Wall Street firms,\u201d said Pardue. \u201cThe major chains which own the newspapers in South Carolina are slashing their staff and operations to the bone.”<\/p>\n
Another problem facing organizations is the shift towards online news, which means less advertising revenue. This in turn forces organizations to cut expenses, and fields such as investigative reporting are seeing the consequences.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s cost-cutting and an over-emphasis on profit and shareholder equity,\u201d said Crangle. \u201cIt affects television, radio, and the news.\u201d<\/p>\n
Crangle highlighted another concern for news organizations that venture into investigative reporting.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is a great deal of fear of libel and defamation lawsuits,\u201d Crangle said. \u201cThe media has to be careful they don\u2019t publish anything erroneous which could lead to a potential lawsuit.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bill Rodgers highlighted the importance of the investigative work the Post and Courier has done.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s so important that if it (investigative reporting) goes away, the public and democracy is at a loss,\u201d said Rodgers.<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
High caliber investigative reporting is something that has become a rarity in today\u2019s current digital age of media. While obstacles such as time and budget constraints have have hindered the progress of quality investigative reporting. One newspaper in South Carolina has helped raise the bar.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":56,"featured_media":9918,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":""},"categories":[67,39],"tags":[96,112,143],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9917"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/56"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9917"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9917\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9970,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9917\/revisions\/9970"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9918"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9917"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9917"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9917"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}