By Skylar Fuser
Investigative journalism may be the future of news
writing, as Dylan Goforth from The Frontier says. Stories that continue to make
waves in mass media are those that go behind the scenes and explore deeper than
the surface.
Being
a young and influential writer, the way Goforth came into writing is
surprising. “I just kind of fell into it,” Goforth said. While Goforth showed
interest in news writing as a child, it wasn’t until a teacher encouraged him
to be a writer that Goforth began to get serious about reporting.
Getting to this point in
his career, Goforth said, has included many instances of “Trial by fire.” Becoming
a great reporter requires courage, dedication, and curiosity. Goforth currently
works for The Frontier, which has a non-profit model of business. This allows
him and his fellow writers the freedom to write without hard deadlines. This
also allows more time for investigation and deeper exploration into why stories
happen.
When The Frontier was
just beginning to take off, there were some discouraging moments. Stories would
be explored, written, and revised for days, and then receive very little
attention. This new form of news outlet in Tulsa, Oklahoma was just taking off,
and very few people had it on their radar. At this point, Goforth had to remind
himself to stay motivated. “You can’t judge what is an important story by how
many people read it,” Goforth said.
Many news writers get
caught up with pleasing readers. They write stories based on what they think
people will want to read, and forget about what is important: the story. “If
you write something that’s good, that’s important, people will read it,”
Goforth said.
Goforth gave important
advice to those wanting to go into journalism. “Never assume that someone won’t
tell you what you want to know,” Goforth said. Being a reporter can be
terrifying. Incriminating questions must be asked to find important answers.
While this can stop some reporters in their tracks, Goforth has learned that
before giving up, be brave.
When
writing hard-hitting stories, Goforth asks himself, “What’s the story behind
the story?” This question has opened doors for investigative writers including
Goforth, who has been featured on multiple news segments for stories exposing
corruption.
Investigative
journalism is becoming more important to people as internal corruption within
government systems is being exposed more frequently. To writers like Goforth
who believe in giving people the truth, this is very exciting. “If they don’t
write about it, then nobody knows about the corruption,” Goforth said.
Goforth’s
drive for writing is inspirational, as he continues to push the limits of
investigation to bring people the truth. “Nobody is going to find out unless I
do it,” Goforth said. This mind set is what makes news real and meaningful. Writers
that have found their passion in reporting on topics that bring clarity to
society and bring healing to communities are what will strengthen the field of
journalism and its future.