Investigating Investigative Journalism

 I have had more than ten blogs since 2004 and I can say I have experienced glory and sorrows from all of it. I have earned almost a thousand dollars (no exaggeration!) and continue to earn from this passion of mine called writing. I have met people and became friends with them and I have made enemies too because of my writing. I have maintained my 8 to 5 job or should I say my  730-330 teaching job in one of the international schools here in Metro Manila since 2005.

I can include more in my truthful I have's list regarding my life without end but that is not my point or the message I want to convey. The message is this:

"I have loved writing since I was eight years old but never seriously considered becoming a professional writer (a great one I hope!) because I was discouraged by the people who should've done the opposite." 

I was in grade four when I first wrote the piece that landed on the my mother's wall of fame (if there ever was), thanks to her motherly prodding called stage mothering! You see, my mom do not have the "math brain" we people in the academe lovingly call but rather, she has the "communicator's brain". She got her College Diploma AB English after giving birth to her eldest child and only daughter. Then after some "wild years" with my father (who wouldn't have if both of them agreed to join the bandwagon called "eloping" during their time), she got  into College of Law and finished only two years of the course and never continued. Of course my mom and dad's family was growing so she had to help out dad in providing food on the table, of course on a plate.

After the peaceful and quiet rest, my mom again went back to school and entered into graduate school and majored in English for Specific Purposes. 

What am I trying to say here is this: my mom passed on to me her communicator's brain and that includes her passion for writing.

Here I am.

Blogging. Living my young married life with children. Yes I have four children and don't you dare ask me why I call my married life young. My mom would tell me I should be in the history books but I want to correct her. I should be in the Guinness Book of World Records. But no, I won't tell you why.

So again the point?

I love to write and I found  three articles  about  Investigative Journalism, surprisingly from a famous ShowBiz personality: Butch Francisco.   Don't get me wrong here, I do not in anyway look down on him or his work as a ShowBiz Talk Show host. I know he schooled himself on his craft and he knows what he is doing. I  am surprised at the choice of topic he had worked on.

He wrote the following articles: Investigative Journalism, Investigative Journalism: Tips on how to get the story and Investigative Journalism: Tips on how to get a scoop.      

I thought this topic is only for the perceived scholar of  letters but my  "simpletonic" brain  just  gave me the wrong impression of  the art of writing.

Going back, I got myself into writing blogs because I needed to unleash (wow unleash!) the crazy ideas and attention seeking needs because I thought nobody cares and that only thru cyberspace I have the chance  to publish them.

But somewhere, sometime in the year 2007 I scored a gig in one of the weekly newspapers in my ( kind'a) town and I wrote about chess, Philippine Chess specifically. You see my blog which earned me more than eight hundred dollars but less than a thousand told me that I can write something about chess. And these so-called geeks of the board have visited, read and clicked on my blog and the last time I checked, I have had more than 10,000 visitors for the past five years. Good enough for someone who never went to a writing school or for someone whose main source of writing pride is the 1st Place award he got in an essay writing contest he was forced to joining high school.

Anyways, what is Investigtive Journalism? What is Journalism?

For someone like me who married a Communication Arts major,  I think I have a fraction of the correct answer: it is just one of the many branches of communication which I believe is true and correct.

Maybe the Official Website of PCIJ, Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism will tell us what investigative journalism really is and add to what Butch have written about. And yes, PICJ's by line in their website tells us much about what they really are standing for. 

"we tell it like what it is. no matter who. no matter what." 

Then blog it is.