In their watchdog role, journalists are to "comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable." Please post a visual and link to an investigative piece that has influenced your life. Then, in 200-250 words, explain why it has influenced your life OR explain the data and the methods which the journalist built the news on.

An investigative piece of journalism that influenced me was a successful story written by a Cambodian citizen by the name of Sam Bunnath who was able to uncover some serious corruption in the education system of Cambodia's Battambang province.  The local education officials had been requiring those who wanted to be teachers to pay around $300-450 for a permanent government education position.  Many times, these people would sell all of their belongings to pay this fee, and then wouldn't even be offered a teaching position.  Bunnath interviewed dozens of sources and gained access to documents that proved the corruption, then wrote a full, unedited story investigating the bribery.  Normally, the  local paper would have been reluctant to print such a story, but through a program sponsored by the US, they had recently been encouraged to find the courage to print these stories.  The story got attention from the local people as well as the Prime Minister who ordered a full-fledged investigation and punishment of the government officials.

This story particularly affected me because I have done extensive research on the government of Cambodia and the economic turmoil they have faced after several devastating civil wars.  I've also concluded that many of the economic hardships the people face (as well as the devastating poverty) has been caused by a lack of opportunity for quality education.  The fact that a small piece of investigative journalism could have such a huge impact on something so important gave me renewed hope in the power of the word.

  Sam Bunnath