The death of investigative journalism

Writing in the Los Angeles Times, journalist Ken Silverstein asks why the noble and important tradition of investigative “muckraking” journalism has all but disappeared in the elite media in the 21st Century, and his answer probably won’t surprise anyone who has been paying even casual attention to the disastrous state of the corporate-owned mainstream media:

The decline of undercover reporting — and of investigative reporting in general — also reflects, in part, the increasing conservatism and cautiousness of the media, especially the smug, high-end Washington press corps. As reporters have grown more socially prominent during the last several decades, they’ve become part of the very power structure that they’re supposed to be tracking and scrutinizing.

This is the main gist of the Op-Ed, although be sure to read his entire piece to glean his other important insights on the matter.

And he is uniquely qualified to complain about the sad state of affairs journalism has fallen into given he is (along with Seymour Hersh) truly a master of the craft of honest, power-challenging research and reporting. Silverstein’s most recent work of undercover, investigative journalism appears in Harper’s Magazine, where he examines the way shady DC Public Relations firms go about getting political favors granted to the despotic regimes that are their clients. He approaches APCO, a PR agency that has worked on “image, policy, foreign investment and reputation issues for a host of governments,” including dictatorial regimes like Nigeria and Azerbaijan. The firm’s “key professionals,” was proudly advertised as including former members of Congress and former administration officials. Silverstein introduced himself as working for the fictitious “Maldon Group” with a remit to “improve relations between the newly-elected government of Turkmenistan [a country with an atrocious human rights record] and the US government.” He told APCO that he required the services of a firm that could quickly enact a “strategic communications” plan to help achieve this goal.

He later meets up with representatives from the high-powered DC lobbying firm Cassidy & Associates. His article details with nauseating clarity how shameless PR and lobbying firms in the US translate their clients’ fees into more favorable diplomatic relations and news coverage for Third World dictatorships. His reporting is deeply disturbing and should be required reading for anyone seriously contemplating a diplomatic career with the State Department. At the end of the day, it’s money that talks, not high-minded principles of “respect for human rights” or “commitment to democratic principles.”