Investigative Journalism Is a Public Good. The Jamaican Government Must Treat It Like One.

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As a journalist acutely aware of the abysmal state of the industry, as soon as I saw the headline of Peter Espeut’s Feb. 6, 2026 column “Needed: Investigative Journalism”, I was invested. Espeut paints a dismal yet accurate picture of the industry: one that is in dire need of the funding, time and commitment necessary to produce quality journalism that holds those in power to account. He also criticizes media houses for their allegiances to political parties and merely churning out press releases, both symptoms of an industry in crisis. But while the problem was accurately portrayed by him, any solutions were lacking.

Before I proceed, I will define my terms. An investigative journalist differs from a “regular” journalist, who may report daily on any number of occurrences, from a fire to a judicial outcome to crime. They tell people what is happening, provide valuable and verified information, and paint a picture of the local, regional and international community.

An investigative journalist is a rare breed, someone who is willing to spend many hours reading documents, conducting surveillance and interviewing dozens, if not hundreds of people. Investigative journalism provides context, and consists of tedious factchecking, reading budget documents and searching archives. It is hard work, and work that is expensive for any outlet given the time it takes to complete an investigation. To spell it out further, the high expenses can be attributed to the journalist’s wages. If an investigation takes years, which many do, it is difficult to convince a media house to commit to the expenditure if there is no guarantee of a particular outcome.

Yet, investigative journalists ultimately “play a watchdog role in society by calling out such illicit activities and bringing them, not only to the attention of the public, but often to the attention of law enforcement and regulatory authorities,” according to a 2022 European Union academic paper.

Investigative journalism, and journalism as a body of work, are both essential pillars of a healthy democracy. They are a “critical part of the checks and balances that make democracy work,” Nobel Prize winner Joseph Stiglitz has said. Imagine if there were no journalists, no new, reliable information provided to you every day. How could you make decisions? How could you trust authorities? How would you know what is happening in your neighborhood, your country, and the world?

Given the rise of authoritarianism and the prevalence of involvement of big tech in the dissemination of information, this scenario is unfortunately becoming more of a reality.

Therefore, it is necessary to address the source of degradation in the industry.

It is common knowledge that the media landscape has been decimated since the advent of big tech and companies like Google and Facebook. Advertising dollars have disappeared, leading journalists and companies to get creative. Some business models for some legacy media houses, such as subscriptions, are working. (In Jamaica, most of the main legacy media houses are in crisis- Radio Jamaica Limited recently received court approval for a corporate restructuring that will take two radio stations off the air temporarily).

Some journalists are finding success with platforms such as Substack. However, as AI is causing another monumental shift in the ground on which journalism stands, the industry is suffering.

Academia and the private and non-profit sectors have proposed solutions, and while most come with downsides, most are worth trying.

These include government involvement in the provision of news, either through tax subsidies or direct investment; legislating big tech to pay for the journalism they disseminate on their platforms; the establishment of commissions to determine best practices to save the industry; public education campaigns surrounding media literacy and the importance of journalism in a democracy; appealing to large news outlets to work together to develop propositions to advertisers that will become viable again, and relaxing antitrust rules for news organizations so they can negotiate with big tech for appropriate fees for the use of their content. (Some of these suggestions are taken from this UNESCO paper).

In the Jamaican context, some of these suggestions are worth considering. However, this requires the will to support journalism, which requires an increase in media literacy, as well as the acknowledgment of journalism as a public good. Unfortunately, rabid and blind partisanship remains a barrier to this. Partisanship also remains a barrier to the investment of public funds in the provision of journalism, as Jamaicans would likely be suspicious of any news created with public funds. However, as Jamaica matures as a democracy, which it indeed is, this will likely become a viable option, especially as the country’s finances continue their trajectory on a path to more predictability and stability.

A Jamaican solution could involve the creation of a non-profit entity that receives funding from the government or other non-state actors. In order to circumvent inevitable accusations of bias and cronyism, it could be administered by the Press Association of Jamaica or independent, veteran journalists. Its sole mandate would be to support investigative journalism and ultimately root out the corruption that continues to plague the country. Such an entity would likely also attract financial and institutional support of other countries or international partners with similar goals. In order to encourage transparency and eliminate accusations of partisanship, this entity would be subjected to rigorous checks and balances and journalists would be invited to submit applications for projects they would like to pursue. Its annual financial statements would remain in the public realm for scrutiny. Ideally, this non-profit would be responsible for the creation of multiple investigations on an annual basis that focus on accountability and corruption.

In conclusion, I have hoped to fill in the gaps left by Mr. Espeut’s column. I hope to have provided some solutions, that while not immediate, may address the state of the industry on a longer-term basis. The future of Jamaica depends on it.

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Kate Chappell has, in the past, contributed stories to 18° North.