IPI Blog: The Dangers of Reporting on Corruption
Q & A with Prize-Winning Philadelphia Daily News Investigative Reporter
By Alison Bethel McKenzie, Deputy Director
When you think of reporters chasing corruption angles in stories and the potential ramifications for that pursuit, your mind doesn’t often fall on Western media. But the fact is that reporters all over the world put themselves in jeopardy when they expose corruption through their reporting. It is true that for reporters in some countries, even looking into stories of corruption can lead to jail time or even death.
Last year, two brave reporters – Wendy Ruderman and Barbara Laker -- in the U.S. city of Philadelphia, won the highest honor a reporter in the United States can win for their exposure of a corrupt police officer and the immigrant residents who suffered under his neighborhood reign. Ruderman and Laker, reporters for the Philadelphia Daily News, won the Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting in their series “Tainted Justice.” You can read the entire series here.
I used the “Tainted Justice” investigative series as a case study recently at an investigative journalism workshop in Montenegro sponsored by IPI’s affiliate, the South East Europe Media Organization (SEEMO), andVijesti Daily in Podgorica, Montenegro.
During the workshop, participants discussed what investigative journalism is and what it is not. According to the very useful book, “Digging Deeper: A Guide for Investigative Journalists in the Balkans,” by Sheila S. Coronel, investigative journalism is not daily reporting, leak journalism, single source reporting, misuse of information or paparazzi journalism. Investigative journalism is watch-dog journalism, exposing how laws and regulations are violated and holding the powerful accountable.
Even though most long-practicing journalists know these points, reminders never hurt.
In a recent email conversation with Laker, I asked about some of the challenges she and Ruderman faced in putting together their investigative piece. Here are excerpts from our conversation:
ABM: What was the biggest challenge in getting information for this story?
Laker: “We faced lots of challenges. First, we were denied access to seeing search warrants. Our company lawyer was extremely busy, so we researched case law and found we were entitled to see them. We made sure it was the right law by checking with the lawyer. We gained access.
“Another challenge was finding people whose homes had been raided by this squad. We literally went to hundreds of homes. Some people had moved; some homes were since boarded. We were looking for people, not knowing names or specific addresses, so the search was extremely difficult. We also needed help from police sources to guide us – to help identify officers in the video of the store raid and describe how raids should be conducted.”
ABM: What was the thing that actually led you to the story?
Laker: “Ventura Martinez, a convicted drug dealer – turned police informant - came to us, fearing for his life. He told us about his soured relationship with Officer Jeffrey Cujdik. The informant knew too much. The cop wanted him dead.”
ABM: At any point were you ever scared or were you or the newspaper ever threatened?
Laker: Both Barbara and Wendy were threatened with lawsuits. Cujdik’s attorney told us he would sue us personally and sue the paper, win and close the paper. The Fraternal Order of Police held a press conference to debunk our stories. Barbara was slapped twice in the face by a female drug informant who threatened to cause her even more physical harm. Wendy’s home address was posted on a now-shut-down website run by some police officers who wrote that they hoped we got beat up or raped and no one would come when we called police.
“A few off-duty officers sat in SUVs outside our office when we left the building and headed to the garage – an intimidation tactic. We never once considered abandoning the story. It only made us work harder.”
ABM: Understanding that not all journalists around the world have access to government records and other important documents, what do you think are the three most important things/traits for investigative journalists or reporters in general?
Laker: Reporters need to have guts, people smarts and good instincts. You have to love shoe-leather reporting. You have to gain trust of people so they share information with you or slip you paperwork. Even if you can’t get documents, often other people can get them for you.