Is Investigative Journalism Dead?

All the words and images pouring in from Haiti remind us how social media have revolutionized the standards for communicating in times of crisis. In spite of the gut wrenching imagery, it’s a positive thing that anyone with a camera, phone, or computer can publish their thoughts and feelings globally.

Crowd-sourced news and freelance / celebrity writers have reduced the need for traditional investigative journalism. We no longer rely on “the professionals” to challenge existing orthodoxies; rather, we leave the critical thinking to the people we know and trust and respect.

As other have said, disasters of the scale that struck Haiti this week usually see a huge outpouring of cash and interest in the immediate aftermath, which almost disappears within the first year. And who will do the follow up reporting? Professional journalists, or the crowd?