Democracy’s Detectives
eBook - PDF

Democracy’s Detectives

The Economics of Investigative Journalism

  1. English
  2. PDF
  3. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - PDF

Democracy’s Detectives

The Economics of Investigative Journalism

About this book

Winner of the Goldsmith Book Prize, Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government
Winner of the Tankard Book Award, Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication
Winner of the Frank Luther Mott–Kappa Tau Alpha Journalism & Mass Communication Research Award


In democratic societies, investigative journalism holds government and private institutions accountable to the public. From firings and resignations to changes in budgets and laws, the impact of this reporting can be significant—but so too are the costs. As newspapers confront shrinking subscriptions and advertising revenue, who is footing the bill for journalists to carry out their essential work? Democracy's Detectives puts investigative journalism under a magnifying glass to clarify the challenges and opportunities facing news organizations today.

"Hamilton's book presents a thoughtful and detailed case for the indispensability of investigative journalism—and just at the time when we needed it. Now more than ever, reporters can play an essential role as society's watchdogs, working to expose corruption, greed, and injustice of the years to come. For this reason, Democracy's Detectives should be taken as both a call to arms and a bracing reminder, for readers and journalists alike, of the importance of the profession."
—Anya Schiffrin, The Nation

"A highly original look at exactly what the subtitle promises…Has this topic ever been more important than this year?"
—Tyler Cowen, Marginal Revolution

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Yes, you can access Democracy’s Detectives by James T. Hamilton in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Social Sciences & Media & Communications Industry. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Title
  3. Copyright
  4. Dedication
  5. Contents
  6. List of Tables
  7. Introduction
  8. Chapter 1. Economic Theories of Investigative Reporting
  9. Chapter 2. Detectives, Muckrakers, and Watchdogs
  10. Chapter 3. What’s the Story?
  11. Chapter 4. What’s the Impact?
  12. Chapter 5. How Is It Produced?
  13. Chapter 6. How Is It Supported?
  14. Chapter 7. A Single Investigative Reporter
  15. Chapter 8. Accountability and Algorithms
  16. Notes
  17. Acknowledgments
  18. Index