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What skills do you need to be a successful investigative reporter?
Mosk: Great investigative reporters have a natural ability to build trust with sources and dogged patience to ferret out documents and wade through complex topics. But, in my book, the most important quality is the fortitude to overcome obstacles and barriers that invariably crop up to impede that story from being told. When the producer on the CBS News investigation into the military’s failure to provide honorable discharges to LGBTQ+ service members dismissed under Don’t Ask Don’t Tell made inquiries to both the victims AND the Pentagon, they were resistant to talking about it. Only through dogged pursuit of sources and documents did the stories come together and force the military to change its policy.
What advice do you have for a journalist who might be interested in pursuing investigative reporting?
Mosk: Do it! Investigative reporting is hard, sometimes agonizingly so. But there can be great satisfaction in seeing a story expose wrongdoing, help bring a just outcome and improve lives. One word of advice: Meet people in person. Emails are never the way in. And, even though the news landscape has changed, the best opportunities for a young, aspiring journalist are still grounded in small market news operations, where there is room to learn and do every type of story.
Can you give an example of an obstacle that emerged while pursuing an investigative story and how you overcame it?
Mosk: One of the biggest challenges I faced moving from newspapers to network television came with reporting from sources who wanted to remain anonymous, often because they faced serious risks or pushback to talking publicly. Protecting sources is a mainstay of investigative journalism, but television often needs key players to speak on camera. When our team was examining alleged shortcomings in the way social media and online dating companies had responded to the recent rash of romance scams, we leaned on reporting from industry insiders. But, they were concerned about the consequences of speaking publicly on network television.
We overcame that roadblock by using the insights of anonymous insiders to help us ask the right questions to outside consultants and law enforcement experts who could speak without fear of reprisal.
We are hearing reports that investigative reporters are increasingly being threatened with lawsuits even before stories have been published or broadcast as a new tactic to stifle news reports. Have you or CBS been subject to pre-defamation legal threats?
Mosk: I have watched the rise of corporate and crisis PR over the years and seen all manner of tactics used to try and stymie or intimidate reporters. The pointedly worded legal letter is not new. That said, there are times that engagement – even if it’s hostile – can at least initiate an open dialogue. It can be far more challenging when the subject of an investigative report refuses to communicate at all. The legal environment for investigative reporters has always been thorny. Fortunately, I have had the benefit of working with incredibly talented first amendment lawyers who help us navigate these waters.
What do you find most satisfying about being an investigative reporter?
Mosk: I believe that everyone who does this work hopes that each story will bring positive change. But, the part of the work I cherish the most comes from the friendships made along the way – with colleagues, and also with sources. So much of this work relies on earning the trust of the people we seek out, or who seek us out. I am in their homes, meeting their families, and may be engaging with them on issues that are deeply personal or highly emotional. Those interactions may start with a single story, but when all goes right, they are bonds that can be sustained over years, or even a lifetime.
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