News industry consultant and former editor Tim Porter states that those papers cutting 10 - 15% of their staff, as some US papers have done in the past months, will "see a decline in the amount and quality of investigative reporting -- if they make no other decisions." (see previous postings here and here)

Outing adds that if newspapers choose to cut away at their investigative staff as part of their budget restructuring they will find that the investigative role will be embraced by other media players, such as public radio, bloggers, and non-profit organisations. 

His conclusion is that investigative journalism is in danger, "but only if editors and publishers make the wrong decisions now."

Bill Marimow, Pulitzer prize winning investigative journalist and editor of news for National Public Radio, asserts that investigative journalism has been declining for the past two years. When acting as a Pulitzer prize judge he observed that as trends of decreasing newspaper circulation progressed the range of newspapers from which prize entries emanated became steadily narrower. Marrimow characterises this as a "very worrisome trend." 

He sees newspaper owners' inceasing preoccupation with profit margins as a major problem:"When editors become focused on accounting rather than journalism, you have a problem."

Outing makes a number of suggestions concerning how papers may effectively cost cut without comprimising investigative journalism. To begin with, by relying more on citizen journalism for local news, papers can give their staff more time to dedicate to important in-depth stories. Additionally, savings can be made on travel costs by choosing to rely on news from other agencies covering certain foreign events, rather than sending a correspondent.

Brant Houston, executive director of Investigative Reporters and Editors, feels the era of large newspaper investigative teams is over. New forms of investigative journalism are being adopted. Houston advocates collaboration as a possible way forward, because it offers the opportunity to pool resources and keep a tight budget while producing quality journalism. For example a local newspaper and website could team up with a local public radio station.

Another important force that may in some way counter-balance the decline in investigative journalism, according to Outing, is independent online journalism. Outing says the following of bloggers: "people who want to do ... in-depth journalism will find a way to do it and publish it ... The low cost of publishing on the Internet makes it likely that journalists and bloggers who take an investigative bent will publish such work independently, if they have to."  

Finally, Outing gives a pessimistic answer to his initial question, saying: "My personal expectation is that most newspapers will not step up to the plate and devote themselves to making investigative journalism the core of their brand as budgets tighten and staffs get cut." 

He does acknowledge, however, that not all media watchers agree with him. For example, Bill Dedman, also a Pulitzer winning investigative journalist, says that what newspapers need to concentrate on is "digging deep" on stories in their local communities, because "That's what readers will buy, and that's what can save newspapers and their Web sites from all the competition from Internet sources." 

Source: Editor and Publisher