Poll shows public support for investigative journalism

Against a backdrop of ongoing debate over press regulation and in the wake of hacking scandals, the vast majority of the British public still show strong support and remain optimistic about investigative journalism, says a new report.

The poll, carried out by YouGov on behalf of the London Press Club, revealed that just 12% of respondents believe investigative journalism is having a negative impact on the UK’s democracy, while over half think it has a positive impact.

The study saw some notable differences in how the general public and the media view the topic, with 75% of those in the media stating that the funding situation was poor or very poor, compared to only 31% of the public.

However, both agreed that UK investigative journalism is in need of support from beyond the sector in order to “maintain both influence and quality”, and 29% of the public and 50% of the media saw changes to the law as the priority – with calls for more BBC resources to go towards it.

When it came to the future of investigative journalism, those working in the media were significantly more pessimistic, with 62% describing the outlook in negative terms, compared to 29% of the public.

Worryingly, a quarter of those in the 18-24 age group said they didn’t even know what investigative journalism was.