The panelists talk about the past, present, and future of investigative journalism.
The starting point is the Watergate investigation. Sunday, June 17, marks the 40th anniversary of the break-in at the Watergate Hotel, which started an investigation that eventually led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon. He is the only American president to resign from office.
The panelists question whether it's possible to do much investigative journalism today. Investigations require a great deal of time and resources, and there is no guarantee they will yield anything newsworthy. Many news organizations continue to cut back on the size of their staffs and cannot afford to dedicate reporters to something that might not pan out.
Some organizations, such as ProPublica, remain dedicated to investigative journalism. ProPublica has collaborated with newspapers and NPR to gain more exposure for its stories.
But many good, solid, investigative reports continue to be ignored by mainstream media outlets that are more likely to run sensationalized stories popularized by the likes of Andrew Breitbart.
