Alarm bells for investigative journalism

Editor's note

The takeover of Fairfax Media by Channel Nine last week provoked an outcry from many journalists and a vintage spray from former PM Paul Keating, who claimed Nine has the “ethics of an alley cat” and “pus will inevitably leak into Fairfax”. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, by contrast, thought the merger would strengthen both companies.

So, now we’ve had a little time to reflect, which is it? Should we believe either the past or current PM? Or the journalists who decried the deal? At a time when trust in the media in Australia is at an all-time low (just 31% according to Edelman) should we anticipate the loss of an experienced cop on the beat that could further imperil our increasingly shaky democracy?

Andrea Carson is an Associate Professor at La Trobe University who used to work at Fairfax and has done extensive research into the state of investigative journalism. She writes today that the news media isn’t just any business and it needs to do more than entertain us and sell us things. “Through its journalism, it provides important public interest functions.”

But according to Carson, the signs aren’t good. While Fairfax has previously used is commercial revenue to subsidise costly investigations, Nine has generally been less inclined to do so.

Misha Ketchell

Editor

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The Sydney Morning Herald’s Kate McClymont is one of Australia’s leading investigative journalists. Under the Fairfax-Nine merger, how well will work like hers be supported? AAP/Dean Lewins

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