*

Teaching Investigative
Journalism in the
Arab States
Dr. Yasmine Dabbous

The ideas and opinions expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of UNESCO.
The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout this publication do not imply the expression
of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNESCO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or
of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

This Policy brief is based on lessons learnt and recommendations of the UNESCO Investigative Journalism Workshop
at the Lebanese American University, November 30 - December 2, 2012.

Teaching Investigative Journalism

in the Arab States
Dr. Yasmine Dabbous*
1. Why teaching Investigative Journalism?
Investigative journalism helps uncover corruption using secret and open sources and
documents. It digs deep to find the wrong.1 Unlike conventional news reporters, investigative
journalists go beyond the standard interview and material provided by others.2 They work
independently, sometimes at great personal risk, to expose facts thus highlighting the how
rather than the why as their conventional counterparts do.3
The first form of investigative journalism rose during the progressive era of Theodore Roosevelts
presidency in the United States. Renowned muckrakers such as Upton Sinclair and Ida Tarbell
investigated public hygiene, corporate corruption and other significant issues.4 Their writings
created an outcry that helped generate laws to fight the wrongs of US pre-war society.
This first era of investigative journalism and the social and institutional changes that it
created shed a light on the importance of investigative journalism. Indeed, this special breed
of reporting helps foster democracy by acting as a watchdog to government and by providing
citizens with information needed for the democratic exercise.
With the rise of the Arab Spring and the demand for journalists who can uncover the corruption
of ousted leaders, the field is particularly important in the Arab world today. The media market
is open for young talents specializing in investigative reporting. These reporters will play a
vital role in the anticipated transformation of the Middle East into a more democratic and
progressive region.
On a more global note, investigative journalism may be a viable answer for the difficulties
print publications experience with the rise of new media. Unable to compete with the speed of
the Internet and 24-hour news stations, newspapers and magazines are losing money. Many
are closing down their print versions and going online-only. In such a difficult environment,
investigative journalism may provide publications with an edge that other media cannot match
mainly because investigative reporting is very time-consuming.
1

Bad Business: Politicians and Investigative Journalists.

www.muckraker.org/bad-business-politicians-and-investigative-journalism

Mark Lee Hunter. Story-Based Inquiry: A Manual for Investigative Journalists. (UNESCO, 2009).

Ibid.

Bad Business: Politicians and Investigative Journalists.

Yasmine Dabbous is an assistant professor of journalism and media studies at LAUs Department of Communication
Arts and the head of the Institute for Media Training and Research. Her research falls mainly at the intersection
between Media and Cultural Studies. She has been published in several journals such as the International Journal of
Communication and the International Journal of Cultural Studies. Dabbous received a BA in Journalism at LAU, an MS
in Communication Studies at Boston University in Boston and a PhD at Louisiana State University.
She has over eight years of experience working in journalism and public relations.

This, however, is not to undermine the challenges facing investigative journalism in Lebanon
and the Arab World today. As renowned investigative reporter Yosri Fouda puts it, to be an
investigative journalist is to look for trouble.5 In a region ripe with corruption among power
holders, and known for the unforgiving measures taken against those who question these
powers, to be an investigative journalist is to put oneself at great risk. This is particularly true
for Lebanon, where the corruption plaguing all levels of government has been documented in
most reports about the country.
The challenges are even more daunting because Lebanese media laws (1962 Print Law, 1994
Audiovisual Law) do not protect the countrys journalists. Quite the contrary, actually. The
Penal Code makes defamation a crime and truth is most often not a defense for investigative
reporters. The president, the army, heads of friendly states and their representatives as well
as governmental officials are practically off-limits based on the law. Also significant is the
fact that media laws do not provide journalists with free information access to governmental
documents. They do not deny it but do not guarantee it either.6
Finally, the media culture in Lebanon is not an especially nurturing environment for
investigative journalism. Highly partisan, most media support the agendas of local political
parties and personalities.7 Many are financially supported by regional and local powers.8
Journalists often have a friendly relation with politicians who give them exclusive scoops,
reported as information provided by sources at this or that center of power. In fact, many of
the recent investigative reports undertaken in Lebanon have largely been attempts to bring
down politicians favoring the opposing agenda of the medium in question. In such a biased
environment, independent investigations are not necessarily encouraged.

2. How to teach Investigative Journalism?

Recommendations in this section are based on the workshop organized by UNESCO and the
Lebanese American University (see section II). They include:
Defining and explaining investigative journalism. Many students and even journalists do
not recognize the difference between conventional and investigative reporting
Teaching students how to set a hypothesis, develop it and verify it
Focusing on reporting skills, the uncovering of documents and the cross-checking of
sources
Enhancing students computer-assisted reporting skills. Todays students use the Internet
on daily basis but few know how to research information online in an efficient way
Including a section on writing investigative stories
Providing students with examples of investigative reports to help them grasp all of the
above concepts
Inviting journalists who have worked on successful investigative reports. Such models
offer students inspiration and an opportunity to network.

Yosri Fouda. Preface: Investing in Investigative Journalism, in Story-Based Inquiry: A Manual for Investigative
Journalists. (UNESCO, 2009).

Dima Dabbous-Sensenig. ACRILI 2007 Country Report: Media in Lebanon. Arab Center for the Development of the Rule
of Law and Integrity (2007), www.arabruleoflaw.org/Files/Outline/EN_MediaReport_Lebanon.pdf.

Nabil Dajani. Disoriented Media in a Fragmented Society: The Lebanese Experience (Beirut: American University of
Beirut, 1992); Mamoun Fandy. (Un)Civil War of Words: Media and Politics in the Arab World (Westport, CT: Praeger
Security International, 2007); Yasmine Dabbous. Media With a Mission: Why Fairness and Balance Are Not Priorities in
Lebanons Journalistic Codes. International Journal of Communication, no. 4 (2010), http://ijoc.org/ojs/index.php/ijoc/
article/view/487/444

Ibid.

 Including a detailed study of the countrys laws and of the ethical questions investigative
reporters face
Balancing the class between lecturing and exercises
Providing students with an opportunity to work on independent investigative reports.
These do not have to be greatly ambitious (e.g. uncovering the corruption of high power)
and put students at great risk. Students can start with an investigation of social issues
such as the state of public schools or organizations for the elderlies
Providing useful resources for further development

3. Role of Policy Makers

As explained in section I-1, investigative journalists face major hurdles in Lebanon. The first
and main recommendation for policy makers to alleviate these problems is to amend media
laws in Lebanon in a bid to protect journalists from physical assaults and law suits. Also
important is passing the Access to Information Act.
Encouraging and supporting Lebanese universities to include investigative journalism in their
curricula is essential if the field is to develop in the country. To date, none of the Lebanese
universities offer such a course.9 The Lebanese American University is working on including
one in its revised Communication Arts B.A. The course will be offered as of Fall 2013.
Providing training and workshops in investigative journalism is important in the meantime.
Such training, however, must target students as well as practicing journalists as the concept
is very rarely practiced in a professional manner at many of the countrys media.
Providing training and workshops in journalism in general is also important in a bid to fight
partisanship and foster a more independent media system.

4. Recommended readings and useful resources

The following sources are good references for students and journalists who want to become
investigative reporters:
Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalists (www.arij.net)
The Investigative Reporting Workshop (www.investigativereportingworkshop.org)
The Investigative Fund (http://www.theinvestigativefund.org)
Investigative Reporters and Editors (www.ire.org)
International Journalists Network (http://ijnet.org)
Investigative journalist Mark Hunters official page (www.markleehunter.free.fr)
Story Based Inquiry: A Manual for Investigative Journalists (Mark Hunter, 2009)
The Hidden Scenario (Luuk Sengers and Mark Hunter, 2012)
The Global Investigative Journalism Casebook (Luuk Sengers, ed., 2012)
The Data Journalism Handbook (Jonathan Gray, Lucy Chambers and Liliana Bounegru, 2012)
UNESCO publication (http://www.unesco.org/new/en/communication-and-information/
resources/publications-and-communication-materials/publications/full-list/storybased-inquiry-a-manual-for-investigative-journalists)
Global Investigative Journalism Casebook (UNESCO publication):
http://www.unesco.org/new/en/communication-and-information/resources/
publications-and-communication-materials/publications/full-list/the-globalinvestigative-journalism-casebook)
9

This fact was confirmed during the meeting with representatives of Lebanese universities at the Fifth ARIJ Conference
in Cairo, Egypt, last November.

II. The UNESCO investigative journalism workshop at LAU

This section will discuss the investigative journalism workshop organized by UNESCO in
collaboration with the Lebanese American University late November.

1. Brief overview
The investigative journalism workshop, took place from November 30 until December 2, 2012
at LAUs Beirut campus.
The workshop came as part of UNESCOs commitment to foster better journalism, more civic
engagement and a more democratic environment in Lebanon.
For the LAU Communication Arts department, the workshop was a welcome opportunity to fill
a gap in the program namely that no investigative journalism classes are currently offered
at LAU, although the field is acquiring great importance around the world. The workshop was
also a chance to pretest an upcoming course in investigative journalism (to be offered as of
Fall 2013).
Seven students from LAU and ten from various Lebanese universities attended the workshop
daily from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. (see appendix A for a complete list of participants). Students
were selected by their respective departments based on merit and recommendation from
instructors.

2. Agenda
The workshop focused on various areas of investigative journalism, from research and
computer-assisted reporting (CAR) to writing techniques, law and ethics. A full overview of
the program agenda is available in appendix B.
The workshop was divided equally between theory, reading of investigative reports and
practical exercises. Students, for example, learned about developing hypotheses to be
investigated, read examples of investigative reports based on such hypotheses and were then
asked to build their own.
Trainers at the workshop included:
1. Ms. Marlene Khalife, veteran investigative journalist at Assafir and two-time winner of a
prestigious award for investigative journalists (main trainer)
2. Yasmine Dabbous, assistant professor of journalism at LAU and head of the Institute for
Media Training and Research
3. Tarek Harb, Al Hayat journalist and CAR trainer for Arab Reporters for Investigative
Journalism (ARIJ)
4. Paul Morcos, lawyer and founder of an NGO dedicated to the promotion of freedom of
speech

3. Evaluation and lessons learned

The workshop ran very smoothly based on the agenda. Students were extremely happy with
the sessions. Several of them voiced their desire to become investigative journalists. Many
did not know what investigative journalism is before they took the workshop and were now
sharply interested in the topic.
All participants called upon organizers to have a follow-up workshop during which students
can actually engage in investigative journalism.
No negative comments were voiced out by the workshop participants but several students
asked that more time be devoted to the law lecture which may suggest a need for a workshop
on this topic.
The workshop created an opportunity for networking between journalism students of various
universities. It also fostered a good working relationship between the UNESCO Beirut office
and LAU which will hopefully lead to further collaborative projects. Finally, the workshop
suggested that adding an investigative journalism course in the reviewed LAU Com Arts
program is an excellent idea and will provide added value to the journalism program at the
university in question.

III. Appendix A: Workshop participants

A. LAU students
1. Amal Baba
2. Hiba Salami
3. Hiba Zibawi
4. May Rizk
5. Ferdaus Naili
6. Majdoleen Al Chmouri
7. Christine Saifi

B. Non-LAU students
1. Silva Karavartanian (AUB)
2. Stephanie Faddoul (USEK)
3. La Azzi(USEK)
4. KafaaMsaed (Balamand)
5. Judy Metry (Balamand)
6. Hussein Kassab (AUST)
7. LayalAbouReslan (AUST)
8. ZeinaMerhi (AUST)
9. Josaphine Skandar (USJ)
10. Rachelle Ashkar (Antonine University)

IV. Appendix B: Investigative Journalism Workshop

(November 30, December 1- 2, 2012)

Agenda
Friday, November 30, 2012
9:00 - 8:30

Registration of participants

9:00

Workshop opening
- Lebanese American University speech
- UNESCO Beirut Office speech

9:30
10:15
13:00 - 10:30
14:00 - 13:00
16:00 - 14:00

- Ice breaking exercise

- Confirmation of the agenda
Break
- Building investigative reportage
- Investigative reportage writing techniques
Lunch break
- Choosing a story
- Training: the angle used to write the story
Practical exercises :
Exercise: the World Bank report entitled is the quality of education in
Lebanon receding?
Practicing how to write the introduction , the core and the body

Saturday, December 1, 2012

9:00

- Conducting Interviews in investigative reportage

- Presenting (audio) examples of Interviews

10:15
12:30 - 10:30

Break
- Presenting (audio) examples of Interviews
Hand out:
- The Interview is not
- Using the Internet to find sources of Information

12:30 13:15

Lunch break

14:00 - 13: 15

Legal protection and precautions raised by the investigative reportage in

Lebanon

15:00 - 14:00

Second exercise: transform the text of journalists regarding the

facilitation and the obstacles of the state into an Interview and questions
to the Lebanese minister of information

16:00 - 15:00

Preparation for writing and for investigative reportage

Sunday, December 2, 2012

9:00

10:15
12:30 -10:30

12:30 - 13:30

- Media ethics in investigative journalism

- Distributing several examples about compromising media ethics
Break
- Distributing several examples about compromising media ethics
- Exercises about drafting investigative reportage
Lunch break

15:00 -13:30

- Exercises about drafting investigative reportage

- Exercises about writing the introduction and the body

15:30 - 15:00

- Evaluation and distribution of participation certificate

UNESCO Beirut, 2013

LB/2013/SS/PI/58
UNESCO Regional Bureau for Education in the Arab States - Beirut
Sports City Avenue, Bir Hassan, P. O. Box 11- 5244, Beirut - Lebanon
Tel: +961.1.850013 /4 /5 Fax: 961.1.824854
E-mail: beirut@unesco.org Website: www.unesco.org/beirut