Transnational & crosscultural Investigative Journalism

From individual practice to collaborative methodology

A central concern of the PhD was the transition from traditionally individualistic models of investigative journalism towards an inclusive, collaborative and cross-cultural model capable of responding to the complexity of transnational investigations. TIJM was conceived as a methodology that could facilitate this transition, providing a common framework for journalists who may come to an investigation with different professional, cultural and journalistic traditions.

The empirical research drew on interviews with more than 40 investigative journalists and researchers across three continents, bringing together professional experiences from different journalistic traditions and cultural contexts. This diversity was fundamental to the methodology; the inclusion of different views, voices and professional experiences was therefore part of the methodological construction itself: a framework for working together could not be developed solely from one journalistic tradition or professional perspective.

Developing a methodology intended for journalists working internationally required the framework itself to be informed by multiple professional perspectives. TIJM was therefore developed as a collective construct, seeking common methodological ground while recognising that journalists participating in transnational investigations do not necessarily approach journalism, evidence, sources, ethics, risk or storytelling from identical positions. 

Cultural and professional diversity affects not only who participates in an investigation but also how a story is understood and constructed: how the investigation is framed, which questions are considered important, which voices and sources are included, how evidence is interpreted and contextualised, and the tone and narrative through which findings are ultimately communicated to audiences.

The research therefore treats diversity as an element of investigative methodology. Different perspectives can substantially strengthen an investigation, expanding its capacity to identify connections, understand local contexts and challenge assumptions. At the same time, collaboration across journalistic cultures requires mechanisms for negotiating different professional practices, editorial expectations and interpretations.

Building a methodology for investigations across borders

The research identified the principal elements involved in producing journalistic investigations and brought them together within the proposed TIJM framework: the development and framing of the story, formation of investigative teams, collaboration and coordination, research and evidence, cross-cultural communication, editorial decision-making, legal considerations, ethics and the construction of the final journalistic narrative. The difficulties of transnational and crosscultural investigation don't begin or end with information gathering. Journalists may be operating within different legal jurisdictions, organisational cultures, professional conventions and understandings of journalism itself. Decisions about evidence, publication, attribution, risk, fairness and public interest can therefore require negotiation across both geographical and professional boundaries.

TIJM provides a framework through which those differences can be made visible and managed rather than assuming that a single professional culture or established newsroom practice should automatically dominate the collaboration. Its purpose is to establish common ground from which journalists can investigate together while retaining the value of the different perspectives, experiences and knowledge they bring to the collaboration. This is particularly important because transnational investigations can involve highly uneven relationships between participating journalists and organisations. Large international news organisations may work alongside smaller outlets or individual journalists with deep local knowledge. The methodology therefore places importance on creating conditions in which different forms of expertise and knowledge can contribute meaningfully to the investigation.

Journalism, accountability and interconnected societies

Beyond its practical methodology, the thesis considers why transnational investigative journalism matters. Many of the institutions, transactions and forms of wrongdoing that journalism seeks to scrutinise no longer fit neatly within national boundaries. Investigating them effectively requires journalism capable of following evidence, relationships and systems across those boundaries.

Transnational investigative journalism can consequently provide a more accurate and in-depth form of storytelling, reflecting the actual interconnectivity of contemporary societies rather than artificially containing complex stories within national frames. It can also better reflect the diversity of the societies in which journalism operates by bringing different perspectives and forms of knowledge into the investigative and story-building process.

The research also connects this capacity with journalism's broader accountability function. By enabling journalists to investigate networks of power operating across jurisdictions, transnational collaboration can contribute to greater transparency, accountability and good governance. In this sense, the significance of TIJ extends beyond the production of individual investigations. Its capacity to expose critical transnational wrongdoing can contribute to good global governance while increasing transparency with audiences.

A practice-based contribution to investigative journalism

My PhD is both scholarly and practice-oriented. Its contribution is not simply an analysis of transnational investigative journalism, but a proposed method for doing it. The research deliberately connects scholarly inquiry with journalistic practice. Its principal artefact, the Transnational Investigative Journalism Methodology (TIJM), was developed from the accumulated experience and perspectives of investigative journalists and researchers, with the aim of providing a practical approach to investigations that cross national, cultural and professional boundaries. In doing so, it translates practitioners’ knowledge and experience into a methodology that can inform journalistic practice, education and further research.

The research also connects closely with my broader work as a journalist and editorial leader. At the centre of both is an interest in how rigorous journalism is produced in practice: how journalists navigate complexity, assess and contextualise evidence, make editorial decisions, and understand the ways different perspectives can shape framing and storytelling. It also considers how journalists from different professional and cultural traditions can establish enough common ground to work together without losing the value of those differences. That's why they require a shared methodology that can bring different forms of knowledge, experience and professional practice into a coherent investigative process. The TIJM was developed to provide that common ground: a framework for rigorous, inclusive and genuinely collaborative investigative journalism across borders.

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