Investigative Journalism, Tabloidization and Ethics

The article presents conditions under which a specific form of investigative journalism in Croatia was established after the year 1990. Under the influence of general tabloidization of the media worldwide, on the one hand, & tabloidization of newspapers in Croatia, on the other, a so-called pseudoinvestigative journalism has developed. The origins of such investigative journalism can be traced back to the first Croatian tabloid Slobodni Tjednik. Further development of investigative journalism in those Croatian media with the biggest circulation & greatest influence, although contributing to the discovery of various social anomalies & scandals, has never broken free from the legacy of quickly publishing unverified information & unsubstantiated speculations or of the disproportionate use of unnamed sources. What has suffered most in this kind of investigative journalism is the ethics of journalism, which has for years been a poorly considered element of the professional standards of journalism. The author states that investigative journalism known to developed democratic countries has not yet been established in Croatia. 32 References. Adapted from the source document.