Investigative Reports
Posted on Monday, 31 of March , 2008 at 11:41 pm
NCG Investigative Reports Available
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”, Martin Luther King said. “Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity”.
Investigative journalism, such as that undertaken by the award winning online news publication, The North Country Gazette, has been defined as reporting, through one’s own initiative and work product, matters of importance.
Investigative journalism, sometimes known as adversarial journalism, is a type of reporting in which reporters undertake an intense review of a subject or injustice, sometimes health related, sometimes involving crime or political and public corruption or some other scandal. It is a check on wrongdoing, a vital part of democracy. It sometimes inflames the masses when it exposes wrongdoing and injustices and often time helps to effect positive changes.
Traditional American media, for various reasons, often fail to undertake investigative reporting for fear of angering advertisers or those public officials that should be targeted in an exposé. Members of the media who dare to undertake investigative journalism risk losing essential news sources critical to competing with other media and worse, risk losing advertisers who don’t want their ad to appear alongside a news article critical of government or a business for fear it will appear as though they have sponsored the exposé. They don’t want to be part of any controversy lest it might anger potential customers.
As newspapers throughout the U.S. struggle with declining circulation and ad revenues, in an effort to cut costs and maintain profits, investigative journalism has taken a hard hit which results in allowing government, private enterprise and particularly the justice system to become less and less transparent, less subject to public scrutiny and oversight.
Author Hugo de Burgh defines an investigative journalist as “a man or woman whose profession it is to discover the truth and to identify lapses from it in whatever media may be available. The act of doing this generally is called investigative journalism and is distinct from apparently similar work done by police, lawyers, auditors and regulatory bodies in that it is not limited as to target, not legally founded and closely connected to publicity”.
Regardless of what the label is-advocacy reporting, public service journalism or just plain “muckraking”, the in-depth reporting style such as that exercised by The North Country Gazette is much more time consuming than traditional journalism and it usually shines the light on a topic that some people or group would rather be kept secret. The fact finding of investigative journalism challenges authority, it exposes abuses of power at all levels, not just in government and brings the issues to average citizens, the taxpayers.
Do you have evidence of judicial corruption, police or prosecutorial misconduct that other media refuses to report or investigate? Do you feel that you or a family member has been unjustly convicted? Do you have a case involving First Amendment rights? Would you like your story published?
The mainstream media is increasingly refusing to print stories that reveal wrongdoing of public officials and the media is helping officials cover up the truth, failing to report important stories because they might step on someone’s toes who will stop their advertising support and pull the plug on access to needed information.
All too many times the mainstream media is bought off and afraid to report the truth because of the controversy it may cause and the loss of advertisers. Those who are involved in controversial stories may never see their story and the truth printed in the mainstream media because the truth challenges those in power. If the police chief or sheriff get mad at a reporter and their newspaper because they reported the malfeasance in his or her department, he or she may cut you off from all future news releases, not giving you the information that you need to compete, that your competitors receive because they don’t report events and incidents public officials want to keep suppressed.
There are consequences for members of the news media who dare to undertake investigative reports such as false arrests, attempts by public officials and other to discredit the reporter and publication, loss of personal and professional reputation, financial consequences and retaliation against the reporter’s family members and associates.
Investigative and independent journalism requires fact-finding, scrutiny of details and often times a review of public records. The in-depth reports require extensive time, resources and expenses.
The North Country Gazette specializes in independent, investigative journalism, bringing you such stories as the Michael Niesen case, an alleged cover up of a police killing of an 18-year-old in Florida; the Elsebeth Baumgartner free speech case in Ohio, an attorney disbarred and imprisoned for eight years for having the audacity for criticizing a judge; the Mark Adams case in Florida, another attorney disbarred for tangling with a politically connected law firm and a judge who allegedly lied under oath.
NCG has written nearly 600 articles regarding the Terri Schiavo case, a woman disabled in the prime of her life in a possible domestic violence situation who died as the result of judicial homicide, a decision made by a hugely conflicted husband in name only.
Most recently, NCG has written numerous articles on the suspicious drowning death of Joey Turner near St. Pete Beach, Fla., and the death of Jimmy Spicer of Palm Harbor, Fla., both victims of the sons of prominent, influential and politically connected fathers who were never criminally charged.
And then there’s the case of Aaron Rimar, the son of another wealthy Florida businessman in the Sixth Judicial Circuit where Bernie McCabe is the state attorney. Rimar, under the influence of four controlled substances for which he did not have a legal prescription, lost control of his vehicle and mowed down a young couple as they walked on a sidewalk, killing Heather Whalley and seriously injuring her husband. Once again, which seems to have become the norm in Pinellas County, no criminal charges were lodged.
June Maxam, editor/publisher of The North Country Gazette and the coordinator of the NYS Oaths Project, conducted a statewide survey of judges in New York in 2003 and 2004 and learned that over 90% of the individuals claiming judicial office had never taken and filed their oaths of office and bonds as required by law.
The North Country Gazette, the NYS Oaths Project and Maxam were successful in forcing the state Legislature, Office of Court Administration and Association of Towns to admit that judges and justices across the state were in gross non-compliance of the law, prompting the Legislature to address the issue with new legislation to try and stave off a rash of litigation of challenges to decisions made by black robed imposters.
Maxam and NCG have published in-depth articles such as the California Oaths Project and child support services as well as the results of the NYS Oaths Project and its impact on the judicial system.
June Maxam has been a journalist, freelance writer and columnist for over 40 years, becoming a professional, published writer while still in high school. She founded The North Country Gazette in 1981 which operated as a weekly newspaper until 1994 and continues online today. She has an impressive list of magazine credits, is a former 12-year employee of a daily newspaper and has been a columnist for several other weekly newspapers. She is also the former co-publisher and editor of another online publication, The Empire Journal,
Maxam is the recipient of a media award from the New York State Bar Association for her in-depth coverage of town and village courts. She is the author of the book, “Complete Guide to Snowmobiling” and an ebook, “Tangled Web: The Terri Schiavo Case” which is available at her website, www.northcountrygazette.org Maxam is also the author of “Oath of Office Explained”, also available at her website.
Maxam holds Associate of Arts and Bachelor of Arts degrees in public affairs with a concentration in criminal justice and constitutional law from SUNY, Empire State College.
If you would like an experienced investigative journalist with legal knowledge to investigate and report your case or issue for a modest fee to help defray expenses, contact The North Country Gazette at news@northcountrygazette.org Only serious inquires are invited.
Fees and expenses will be determined on a per story basis depending on the subject matter and complexity of the case. Once published, the story will be circulated on the Internet through multiple search engines.
Category: Breaking News
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