Watching the watchdogs

Good journalism has boundaries but it knows no borders. It is not without guidelines and a guiding spirit, but it is not beholden to any person or power. We live in an age of disruption, in which the old paradigm of mass media dominated by TV and newspapers is being transformed by the promise and pitfalls of the interactive Web. The new way of doing things both informs and infuriates the guardians of traditional media, as the new way of doing things poses serious challenges. Ultimately, the new and old will be absorbed and incorporated by the best and most adept as the media reinvents itself.

Following in the footsteps of the first media whistleblower Luo Changping, Xinhua journalist Wang Wenzhi started his reports against Song Lin, a senior official of a State-owned enterprise one year ago. Last week, the authorities announced that Song was under investigation by anti-corruption agencies.

Luo, former deputy editor of Caijing, is a prophet of the new media system that is emerging at a time of diminishing TV viewership and newspaper profitability. He embraces the potential of social networks, such as Weibo and WeChat, to bypass traditional media bureaucracy and get the word out. But the professional quality of his work reflects the values of traditional media even as he goes outside the system.

Luo left the traditional media, but he didn't hang up his hat as journalist when he walked out of the door of Caijing. Instead, he continues to investigate, based on verifiable sources, on issues for which he has a passion.

Writing in Nieman Reports, a Harvard University publication dedicated to elevating the quality of journalism, Luo says Weibo and WeChat "have brought a degree of freedom of speech and freedom of association, emphatically replacing the stringently regulated traditional media and becoming the main battleground of social discourse".

What comes through in this is his passion, and passion is the operative term, because journalism is hard work. When done poorly, it reflects poorly on the person who produces it. When done well, it may benefit society as a whole, although it is also likely to make someone, somewhere upset, even bent on vengeance.

Given the cacophony of today's 24/7 news streams and countless blogs and personal media, a whistleblower needs the reach of the traditional media without its constraints. Social networks are notoriously fickle, but they do have the ability to break wide, reproducing a message or meme for the whole world to see.