15 Years of Work Stolen by the Government

If journalists in the U.S. think they have it bad they ought to be lucky they weren’t born in Croatia.

U.S. some believe the media is influenced by the government but one should consider how journalists in other countries are treated. It is a story of its own, how the Croatian government invaded one man’s home and seized 15 years of investigative journalism.

"They told my four-year-old daughter and my wife not to move and took everything from 15 years of investigative work - documents, cassettes and CDs," says Peratovic, who spent the night in prison before being released earlier this month.

The story reports that the men who entered Peratovic’s home were armed with guns. It had to have been like a hold up but instead of stealing money, jewelry and big screen TVs they took years of work that more than likely he will never get back.

As journalists we are protected by the first and fourth amendments which include freedom of speech, freedom of the press and the right to privacy. The most investigative journalists should fear in the U.S. are lawsuits. Then again everyone is being sued these days so maybe we should all watch out. But at least we can go home at night without the fear of the government banging down our doors for uncovering misdeeds.

Return of The Muckraking Age?

Flip on the local evening news and it's likely the same stories will be covered on every channel. As the saying goes "If it bleeds, it leads." But what happens when a business scams senior citizens or when insurance companies don't want to pay up? Most of the time people stay quiet, look the other way and feel helpless.

Rarely seen on the evening news or in newspapers are stories uncovering misdeeds. So, what can people do? Who can they turn to for help? Thanks to an up and coming nonprofit group called Pro Publica justice may very well be on its way.

As struggling newspapers across the country cut back on investigative reporting, a new kind of journalism venture is hoping to fill the gap.

Pro Publica plans on having 24 journalists. Its founders are Herbert M. and Marion O. Sandler who are Democrats and critics of President Bush.

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