By conveying the gravity of the case and what it means, it's historical consequences in context, people understand the significance of what is reported about. Sometimes investigative journalists can be misled, and think something is more powerful than it is. But mostly they are not.
An investigative journalist is successful when a lot of people are affected and understand it is a matter of public interest that has a place in history. People can be affected negatively or positively, depending on what the event is. Somebody discovers for example a new kind of medicine, which is fine until we discover that the pharmaceutical company is cheating the public by charging too much for it and the government and all their allies are supporting them in that wonderful quest for more money.
“People find out about the truth by discovering themselves, through journals, through academics, through novelists, painters, anybody who tells the truth about the life they see around them will help other people see what that truth is. There are a lot of different truths. But the truth that investigative journalists are concerned with is the factual one affecting the public interest. Anything that affects people that impacts upon the larger society is a matter of public interest.” And most people will agree this is important in MacFaydyen’s experience.
For MacFaydyen facts are real, whether he was present or not. “Even if you are not there, you could have been there, anybody could have been there. If somebody is suffering, then you're suffering. If people are subjected to bad things, they might as well be happening to you. There is a saying of Eugene Victor Debs who said that “if there is a person in prison, I'm in prison, if somebody is hungry, I'm hungry” and I believe that. Because without that identity, we don't act in anybody’s interest except our own and that can be quite narrow. One on six people on the earth is mal nourished. I think that is a matter of public interest. Without investigative journalists people wouldn't hear this in London, New York, or Amsterdam. In fact, they might not even believe in this truth. How can you? The purpose is to change things for the better. You cannot change things by lying. We can only affect change by telling the truth as best as we can. Truth is the best agency of consciousness anyway”.
Relating to facts: truth affects consciousness
Where a judge has to evaluate evidence, an investigative journalist also has to assemble and convey evidence. Next to this, the gravity of the question has to be addressed. The gravity is either implied or emerges through the context.
