THE STATE OF INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM DURING COVID-19: A STUDY ON PRINT MEDIA OF BANGLADESH

Mir  Hasib; Md. Shariful  Islam

doi:10.53808/KUS.SI.2023.ICSSI52-ss

Authors

Mir Hasib Mass Communication and Journalism Discipline, Khulna University, Khulna-9208, Bangladesh
Md. Shariful Islam Mass Communication and Journalism Discipline, Khulna University, Khulna-9208, Bangladesh

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.53808/KUS.SI.2023.ICSSI52-ss

Keywords:

Investigative journalism, COVID-19, Print media, News coverage, Bangladesh

Abstract

This study seeks to find out how investigative reporting was portrayed in Bangladeshi print media during the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic. This study applied the content analysis method to examine the investigative reports (N=58), followed by a quantitative and thematic approach to assess the state of investigative journalism practice in Bangladesh. The findings of this study revealed that the theme of crime and health-related issues has received the highest attention in investigative reports. Some investigation reports focused primarily on COVID-19 related issues, with medical equipment and hospital safety settings being the most often reported subjects. The study also found some notable discourse stating that government officials have mostly been cited as the primary source in investigative journalism. In addition, a substantial number of unnamed sources were also found in these reports. However, future studies can assess the quality of the investigative reports through textual analysis carried out over a longer period.

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