This book is the culmination of more than a decade of research and writing on the nature of investigative journalism as a form of social and moral inquiry. Focusing on the work of a number of award-winning investigative reporters, James S. Ettema and Theodore L. Glasser punctuate their analysis of news and journalism with interviews with these writers and excerpts from their stories. "Custodians of Conscience" provides a powerful assessment and critique of the tensions and contradictions that characterize modern American journalism. It is a book that honors the rigor and importance of investigative journalism by showing how facts implicate values and by explaining why the future of news requires a deeper appreciation for the connection between human knowledge and human interest.

Some media investigations sway public opinion and serve as the impetus for government reforms, while others, seemingly of equal importance, just die. This volume--the first systematic study of investigative reporting in the post-Watergate era--explores how and why this happens. Based on a decade-long program of research, highlighted by case studies of the life courses of six well-known media investigations and interviews with a national sample of over 800 investigative journalists, this book presents a new theory about the agenda-setting role of media in American society. Chapters examine the historical roots, contemporary nature, and societal impact of investigative journalism. Contrary to the conventional wisdom that depicts muckrakers and policymakers as antagonists, the authors show how investigative journalists often collaborate with officials to set the agenda for reform. The Journalism of Outrage breaks new ground in looking at this controversial form of journalism.