With that being said, investigative journalism sounds pretty appealing. There's so much passion, excitement, and even a little bit of danger involved. You have to be passionate about the story you're chasing and excited to share it with the rest of the world. I think there is a lot of room for error when you're involved with investigative journalism, which is where the little bit of danger comes in. Like Dr. Redman said, "expect whistle-blowers to be/go crazy". That could end up pretty hairy in my opinion. Plus if you're exposing something that other want to let lie, that too could end up a little pear-shaped. And don't even get me started on what could happen if you're investigating the mob!
The examples used in the lecture were interesting, but I wanted to know more about investigative journalism. What else had been exposed because of someone's blood, sweat and tears? By now you should realise that I am draw to mental health advocacy, so I could not go past talking Julius Chambers and Nellie Bly, two amazing investigative journalists.
Julius Chambers in 1872, an investigative journalist with intentionally committed to the Bloomingdale Asylum. With the help of his friends and New York Tribune editor (whom he worked for), Chambers wanted to investigate reports of patients of the asylum being neglected and abused. After ten days within the asylum, Chambers was released with the help of his friends and editor, and wrote articles and accounts relating to his time in the asylum. Due to Chambers' work, there was a massive reorganisation of the administration and staff of the asylum, and twelve patients who were not mentally ill were released. Chambers work changed the "lunacy laws" and saw him publish a book, "A Mad World and Its People". Chambers continued to help the mentally ill and protect their rights.
Julius Chambers, 1872, photo taken two months before he was purposely committed to the Bloomingdale Asylum.
Similar to Chambers, Nellie Bly, went above and beyond the norm of investigative journalism. She too went on an undercover assignment which involved getting herself committed to the Women's Lunatic Asylum on Blackwell's Island to investigate reports of brutality and neglect of the patients. Bly wrote a book, "Ten Days In A Mad-House", which caused a sensation among the public due to it's graphic depiction of the conditions patients were forced to endure in the asylum. Her book prompted a grand jury to launch an investigating into the asylum and others, which resulted in an $850,000 increase in the budget of the Department of Public Charities and Corrections. Below is an excerpt from Bly's book -
What, expecting torture, would product insanity quicker than this treatment? Here is a class of women sent to be cured. I would like the expert phyiscians who are condemning me for my action, which had proven their ability, to take a perfectly sane and healthy women, shut her up and make her sit from 6 a.m. until 8 p.m on straight-back benches, do not allow for her to talk or move during these hours, give her no reading and let her know nothing of the world and its doings, give her bad food and harsh treatment, and see how long it will take to make her insane. Two months would make her a mental and physical wreck.
A picture from Nellie Bly's book, "Ten Days In A Mad-House".
I think it would be an awful loss to the world if investigative journalism was no longer around. Who would give the powerless a voice? Who would go to extreme lengths, putting their own lives at risk, just to help someone who they barely knew? We need investigative journalists. It's just that simple.
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