Catherine Herridge

a) What is a journalist?

According to the Oxford Language dictionary, it is a person who writes for newspapers, magazines, news websites, or prepares news to be broadcast.

b) Are there different types of journalists?

Yes! In the MasterClass (listed directly below,) states, there are 9 types: broadcast, business, entertainment, investigative, opinion, photojournalism, political, sports, and watchdog journalists. My intent is to delve into what "Investigative" journalism is.

For those not familiar, MasterClass at Work promises to "provide powerful, flexible training solutions featuring the lived experiences and insights from the world’s top experts."

Their definition of an investigative journalist's duty: "Investigative reporters’ goal is to shine a light on a particular topic or injustice. The biggest investigative stories stir public debate, inform politics, and shape history..."

c) What are the characteristics of Investigative Journalism?

Advocacy Assembly, another group explaining their mission as: "a free e-learning platform featuring dozens of courses for human rights activists, campaigners and journalists," provides the answer to my question in these

Five Key Ingredients in their article by David E. Kaplan:

1. Systematic in depth original reporting - You are taking your time and going through something in a systematic way to really understanding what is going on in the world. The work is original as well as in depth.

2. Forming a hypothesis - Good investigative reporters tend to think like an honest public prosecutor or a good police detective. They form a hypothesis about what is going on. They use the scientific method. You form a theory and you find the facts to support it. This is one of the hardest parts in investigative journalism.

3. Analyse public documents and data - The third element of investigative journalism involves using lots of public records and public data. Investigative reporters often talk a lot about following trails. Trails of people, money of institutions and accountability. They do this through paper trails and collect as much as they can on the public record. They got documents and data leaked to them and then they analyse that to follow the trails.

4. Making public things that are secret or hidden - Investigative reporters are often dealing with secret information. With things that people in power don’t want to come out-- it shows they’ve abused their position or power in society. Part of our job is finding those things and showing people what’s happening.

5. Focus on social justice and accountability - There has always been this calling in the investigative journalism profession to social accountability. Their mission is to hold companies, institutions and individuals accountable. Investigative reporting has been called the journalism of outrage and for a good reason. Investigative reporters believe in righting wrongs.

(To listen to a very interesting and obtain a broader understanding, click on a you tube video of David Kaplan in the article below:)

d) Who is Catherine Herridge?

According to the blog, Tidings Info :(https://tidingsinfo.com/#google_vignette)

*Born in 1964 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

*Bachelor's degree from Harvard

*Master's degree from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism

*Married over 20 years to Air Force Lieutenant J.D. Hayes

*Couple have 2 sons

*Worked in mainstream media for over 2 decades

e) Where Have I Seen/Heard of Catherine Herridge?

ABC, FOX, and CBS in that chronological order over a span of 20+ years working as an investigative reporter. For an in-depth look at her ultra-professional and impressive portfolio and awards:

f) How far is this brave journalist willing to go to stand up for the "freedom of the press?"

For the sake of the length of my story, I implore you to read these illuminating articles:

g) Has Catherine Herridge ever authored a book?

Yes! Her book, entitled, "The Next Wave," came out in 2011.

Excerpt from the author:

"I live in a military family, so my perspective is different from most correspondents'. I am not sitting on the sidelines reporting the story. I am feeling the impact. In 2009, my husband, an Air Force major and West Point graduate, was deployed to Kandahar, Afghanistan, the birthplace of the Taliban. For nine months, I was a single parent with two children under five. Phone calls late at night made me nervous. When I investigate the future of al Qaeda, it's personal. I need to know what my family and our nation are in for. What I see, through my reporting, is a growing body of evidence that al Qaeda's American recruits are already here."

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Even before the lawsuit and the firing from CBS, and honestly a hundred times more so because of them, I have admired Catherine Herridge. I wish that all reporters/journalists would grow up to be just like her!!!

She is the definition of what investigative journalism is. I stand behind her in her quest for First Amendment rights and freedom of the press. Stand tall, Catherine!