Why Investigative Journalism Can Make a Difference Results of the N-Vestigate Discussion-Panel in Odessa
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Why Investigative Journalism Can Make a Difference Results of the n-vestigate discussion-panel in Odessa by Kristine Aghalaryan Investigative journalism has developed and evolved in various ways from one country to another. In one country, it has become a basis for changes, in another – a precondition for dismissals and formation of a new system, and in the third – even a serious discovery has remained without any response. Nevertheless, in the last decade, investigative journalism has crossed the borders thanks to the new methods and tools. During the discussion-panel concerning the state of the investigative journalism in Europe, Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, Azerbaijan and Ukraine, held in Odessa in October 2017, executive director of the German NGO n- ost Hanno Gundert said that the impact of investigations largely depends on the public readiness. In other words, the society is somehow responsible – whether it is ready to react, to enter into a legal struggle, to incite officials to act. In that case, investigative journalism may have an effect and change something. "Society does not realize the value of the positive side that investigative stories can have," added the speaker. Hanno Gundert is convinced that there is a hero and some risk in the investigative journalism. This was evidenced by the activity of murdered journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia in Malta, who pointed out serious deficits in public administration. In the end, she had to pay that effort with her life. James T. Hamilton, Hearst Professor of Journalism at Stanford University, writes in his book ‘Democracy’s Detectives: The Economics of Investigative Journalism’: "For each dollar invested in an investigative story, there can be over $ 100 in benefits to society”. The Panama papers show evidence that investigative journalism can also have a major economic impact. According to ISIJ, governments are investigating more than 6,500 taxpayers and companies, and have recouped at least $110 million so far in unpaid taxes or asset seizures. Civic or economic impact in each country Edik Baghdasaryan, president of the Armenian NGO Investigative Journalists, Editor-in-Chief of Hetq newspaper, is convinced that sometimes the impact or the outcome of the investigation depends not only on the journalist or the public, but also on the opposition, the judiciary and the general situation in the country. For example, the offshore story about the ex-prime minister Tigran Sargsyan, a high-ranking primate and a businessman had a certain impact since there was a strong opposition in Armenia at that time that took up the subject and began using it on all occasions. The businessman was given 16 years of imprisonment, since the Armenian media constantly monitored and wrote about that story, and there was a constant pressure of society. Nevertheless, the editor mentions that the prime minister was dismissed, but he was appointed US ambassador and removed from the country to allay the concerns. Neither he nor the primate were summoned to court and asked questions. The Panama Papers story also gave some results. The hero of the story resigned from the post of the head of the Compulsory Enforcement Service, but a year later he became an MP. Edik Baghdasaryan says that the results of the investigations often do not appear at once. Sometimes it takes one or two years for the investigation to yield results. Lika Zakasvili, editor of Liberali online in Georgia, says that television companies are more accessible to the general public in Georgia, but they do not always want to publish successful investigations since they are controlled by the government. This is why the stories of the Studio Monitori, the only center of investigative videos in Georgia, are often not successful. Still, the Studio Monitori's investigation into the involvement of kindergartens in the pre-election process got a lot of attention. The government responded and law enforcement officers began to investigate cases. Awakening the dead Moldova also has successful stories of investigative journalism. Rise Moldova editor Ion Preasca recalls Dead Souls – ‘Moldova's Zombie Voters’ investigative story, prepared before last year's elections, where the reporters discovered the "mystery" of Moldova, having a population of three million and the same amount of registered voters. Journalists visited the graves and found names among the dead people who were on the voter lists. More than a thousand names were checked out, of which one third was dead. The dead souls include the father of the man tasked with validating the election results, Constitutional Court President Alexandru Tanase. Other notable undead voters include film director Emil Loteanu and actor Mihai Volontir. Moldovan news outlets have reprinted the story. The public responded, a walk was organized from the cemetery. There was a great influence both from the civil society and the opposition sides. Soon, the authorities began to clear the tracks and delete the names of those people. Ukrainian Novoe Vremya newspaper journalist Ivan Verstyuk confirms that investigative journalism in Ukraine is quite developed and influential. The civil society is positive and optimistic about investigative stories, people are conscious and good readers. The president of Ukraine often appears in the focus of investigations and investigative journalists. However, journalists are not subjected to serious pressures for their investigations. In Ukraine, there is a greater response to the investigations concerning the war and Russia, rather than those relating to corruption or other issues. Corruption-related investigations often make a lot of noise, but they are less productive. Investigations with political contexts are also successful. The state of investigative journalism in Azerbaijan is very challenging. All kinds of investigative publications are ignored, and more or less daring journalists are subjected to harassment. Investigative journalist Khadija Ismayilova was arrested after publishing her articles on the Aliyev family property and corruption deals and has not been able leave the country since. The last Azerbajjani Landromat published by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) also did not have any results. A Maydan TV who prefers not to be named tells that the government did not pay attention to the Landromat, but there were active discussions on social networks and organized protests and opposition rallies, while the government called it all an "Armenian order". Also, the government media started to investigate OCCRP and its activities. What can be done The debate in Odessa also raised questions about how to make investigative work more influential – whether the journalists should send a report to the prosecutor's office, leaving their main function behind or whether it should be left to other members of the public. Also, the question arose of whether activists or lawyers should be involved so that they report a crime. Edik Baghdasaryan is convinced that journalists should be engaged in journalism, while the rest is up to the NGOs and opposition. Lika Zakashvili agrees that journalists must do their job, but she also stresses that journalists should think how their articles will affect the audience, so they should know their audience, recognize the effective ways of making an impact. "People often view a journalist as a judge who has to make a decision. We were sued for that, and we had to explain for half an hour that we were engaged in journalism, we were not prosecutors, and didn’t conduct a legal investigation. No need to look at a journalist as a prosecutor or a judge" adds Ion Preaskan. According to Ivan Verstyuk, investigative journalists should cooperate with NGOs, as frequently, for example, NGO polls are more effective than the journalist questions that they cannot answer. TI-Hungary representative Adam Foldes says that the potential of NGOs should be used to influence and activate the society. And indeed, this is not the journalists’ issue. However, investigative journalists should rely on NGOs to advance the topic. NGOs, in their turn, should use the right time to engage the civil society. Nevertheless, Odessa discussion ended with a conclusion acceptable for everyone: “Investigative journalism can make a difference”. Kristine Aghalaryan has worked for the NGO Investigative Journalists and the online newspaper Hetq since 2008. She writes on environmental, social and economic issues. ______________________________________________________________________ This investigation has been carried out with the support of n-vestigate, an investigative network by n-ost and four partners from Eastern Europe that implements cooperative, which more deeply anchors investigative journalism within each country's respective society. .