October 7, 2009

Before September 10, 2009, no one had ever heard of James O'Keefe and Hannah Giles. But on that day, www.biggovernment.com, a news site run by Andrew Breitbart, launched with a very big story: "Exposing ACORN: Introducing James O'Keefe."

There was little surprise when O'Keefe and Giles' sting operation busted ACORN offices in several U.S. cities, broadcasting to the public what many had long suspected: a blatant, endemic culture of corruption within the organization. As the story broke and ran with videos from ACORN offices across the country, the observant wondered where the mainstream media's investigative journalists were.

ACORN, a tainted political machine that had become increasingly suspect during the 2008 presidential race, was an easy target for an inspiring reporter to achieve national attention. But investigative journalistic prowess was woefully wanting. It took a couple of gutsy young kids with imagination, bad costumes (how many people will be O'Keefe and Giles at this year's Halloween parties?), fifteen hundred bucks, and a hidden camera to get the story. With the power of the viral do-it-yourself internet media, O'Keefe and Giles showed the world that ACORN was happy to assist people in getting federal funds to buy homes, set up child prostitution rings, establish illicit businesses, and take part in human trafficking.

This is not the first time O'Keefe has been successful in exposing corruption. In 2006, he teamed up with pro-life activist Lila Rose, now a senior at UCLA. They double-teamed their first undercover story at the UCLA Health Center where she posed as a pregnant student, and he as her boyfriend. She was shocked to be told that the student health center had no services for a pregnant student.

Next, O'Keefe and Lila Rose took their act to clinics in Los Angeles; she posed as a minor pregnant by an adult boyfriend, and they witnessed first-hand the clinicians' willingness to ignore sexual abuse.

Lila Rose continues her investigative work through her organization, LiveAction.org, and her efforts have been praised and criticized as she has taken her camera and reporting talents into Planned Parenthood clinics across the country, exposing a common negligence toward statutory rape, and a pattern of targeting donations to the terminations of African-American babies. "When I walk into Planned Parenthoods across the country, I am flattered to see my picture on the wall. It is because at Planned Parenthood, I am -- quote -- a 'known anti-choice extremist.' This is one of the better compliments I have received." Her work has exploded into three chapters in California. She is developing projects such as "The Mona Lisa", which exposes statutory rape cases of minors seeking abortion.

For pure shock value, "The Planned Parenthood Racism Project" even beats the ACORN tapes. Rose and O'Keefe have been recording their conversations with Planned Parenthood clinics as they ask if they could donate money specifically for the abortions of African-American babies in order to "lower the number of blacks in America." In one day, they phoned seven clinics and not one Planned Parenthood employee declined the money or expressed outrage or concern.

"Donor": The abortion—I can give money specifically for a black baby, that would be the purpose?

Planned Parenthood Rep: Absolutely. If you wanted to designate that your gift be used to help an African-American woman in need, then we would certainly make sure that the gift was earmarked for that purpose.

"Donor": Great, because I really faced trouble with affirmative action, and I don't want my kids to be disadvantaged against black kids. I just had a baby; I want to put it in his name.

PP Rep: Yes, absolutely.

"Donor": And we don't, you know we just think, the less black kids out there the better.

PP Rep: Understandable, understandable.

"Donor": Right. I want to protect my son, so he can get into college.

PP Rep: Alright. Excuse my hesitation, this is the first time I've had a donor call and make this kind of request, so I'm excited, and want to make sure I don't leave anything out.

What has become of good old-fashioned gumshoe reporting? Shouldn't professional reporters be breaking these stories? Why is this type of reporting taking its place? When I posed this question to Lila Rose, she explained that visual media—literally showing the story to the public—is truly powerful. Lila Rose is a self-described "child of new media" who grew up with YouTube as a means to present compelling evidence that reaches the masses.

There is another point that must be made about the failure of the mainstream media to practice investigative journalism: it leaves the public fact-poor and vulnerable. Gotcha journalism is stepping up to fill this reality gap with real-time exposés. With the rise of new social media outlets, partially in reaction against traditional news media, "man on the street" iReporting will only increase. Its survival will depend on how well it delivers substantive reporting along with its caught-red-handed punch lines.

This is, after all, about news and what is newsworthy; it isn't Candid Camera. Case in point: Twitter reported the news of the recent Iran elections because mainstream media outlets were being shut down and censored as chaos broke-out in the country. People want the truth, and if truth isn't available in the mainstream press, people will go digging.

There is something discomforting about iReporting. Who of us would want our dealings put up on YouTube? But, as Lila Rose said, you don't get very far by writing about these abuses. Bringing the news consumer into the counseling room via recordings makes the reality hard to ignore. True enough; watching and hearing ACORN employees explain, in detail, how to lie about setting up brothels and documenting underage girls being brought into the country illegally to do illegal acts as "dependents," is quite powerful. So powerful that, albeit slow-on-the-draw, mainstream media has finally started to report the story.