Recently, I watched the 2022 movie ‘She Said’, which is based on the 2019 book by New York Times investigative reporters Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey.
Their investigation exposed disgraced Hollywood film producer, and now convicted sex offender, Harvey Weinstein’s history of abuse and sexual misconduct against women.
It’s an inspiring story. The journalists’ bravery and commitment, their highs when they got a new lead, and lows when the victim didn’t want to be named or quoted; their emotions, their empathy with the victims, their fight for women all over the world – which served as a catalyst for the growing #MeToo movement – led to workplace and legal reforms.
The sexual abuse allegations researched and reported by Kantor and Twohey triggered a wave of national reckoning against sexual harassment and assault in the United States, known as the Weinstein effect. It was journalism at its best.
Since then, the media has exposed several other high-profile personalities, such as the former CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch and his partner, who were arrested and charged with running a prostitution and international sex trafficking business.
There was also Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier, sex offender, and paedophile (who eventually took his own life while in prison), and his co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell, former British socialite and convicted sex offender, who in June 2022 was sentenced in a federal court in New York City to 20 years’ imprisonment.
Most recently, veteran Australian broadcaster and former Wallabies coach, Alan Jones, was charged with sexually abusing seven men and a 17-year-old boy. Jones is one of Australia’s most influential media figures and had previously denied allegations of abuse, first published by The Sydney Morning Herald in 2023.
Media exposés are not limited to the Western world. In Malaysia, a media owner uncovered the now internationally famous 1MDB scandal. It was a first for us.
Mainstream media is known for playing a crucial role in investigating and reporting on wrongdoings. They are the check and balance that keeps many on their toes, including the government. No one wants to see their name in the news for the wrong reasons.
However, given the general decline in language skills, and the younger generation preferring careers in social media rather than mainstream media, will this lead to the demise of investigative journalism? That would certainly be a tragedy.
Increasingly, millennials and Gen Z prefer non-traditional news platforms and are more attracted to niche types of news like celebrities, gossip, fashion, and sports. World news and global issues no longer seem to be on their daily reading list.
Mainstream media is not helping themselves either. With rising costs, reduced advertising revenue, and leaner newsrooms, branded content is now a mainstay of mainstream media. While branded content may help mainstream media increase revenue, it may also cause the public to lose confidence in the impartiality of the media.
And while corporate clients like to have their say in published copy, they may also lose respect for the media since they can now pay to have anything they wish published.
I can’t help but wonder, is the mainstream media painting themselves into a corner?
The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the writer’s and do not necessarily represent that of Twentytwo13
