The Guardian rounds up the best comments, questions and answers from our recent live chat on tomorrow's journalist – what tools and skills will they need to survive and thrive?
Reading the Riots is a fascinating investigation into the UK summer riots, led by the Guardian and the London School of Economics. I stumbled upon it via Twitter and after looking at various pieces on the website, it left me with a great sense of pride.
It is the culmination of four months work, carrying out in-depth interviews with more than 270 people who were directly involved in the rioting, probing them about their motivations, their attitudes towards the government and policing, as well as their connection with social media sites. The data that was collected, totalling 1.3 million words, was then analysed by experts from LSE, to look at trends that were emerging from the rioters' accounts.
With the Leveson inquiry still ongoing, with more outrageous stories about the nature of the press being shared, it is refreshing to see work like Reading the Riots. Journalism, in its role as the fourth estate, is used to answer the questions that we, the public, just cannot. It can be used to explain, to give reason and to question those in power, which this investigation does. But it also fufills this role in a compelling, engaging and accurate manner.
Part two of the series will be conducted next year, where interviews with police, judges and community leaders will take place, to gather their thoughts on their experiences and the aftermath that have had to deal with. It is here that there is significant potential. It is a direct opportunity for scrutinisation of the establishment and will make for an excellent read.
