Investigative journalism

Investigative journalism is a branch of journalism that usually concentrates on a very specific topic (almost always scandalous), and typically requires a lot of work to yield results. The classic example is the uncovering of the Watergate Scandal by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, resulting in reports being published in the Washington Post.

In The Reporter's Handbook: An Investigator's Guide to Documents and Techniques, Steve Weinberg defined it as:

"Reporting, through one's own initiative and work product, matters of importance to readers, viewers or listeners. In many cases, the subjects of the reporting wish the matters under scrutiny to remain undisclosed."