Reckoning with investigative journalism and Indigenous news in Australia

This chapter reflects on the role that investigative journalism has historically performed in Australia’s mediated Indigenous-settler relations. While some investigative stories have played a significant, albeit exceptional, role in calling attention to historical injustices endured by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, others have played a central role in promoting and setting public agendas for policies that have worked to entrench and extend the violence of settler colonialism. In recent years, however, disruptions and developments in the Australian mediasphere have supported the rise of new players and projects under the leadership of prominent Indigenous journalists. Reflecting on both the history of investigative stories focused on Indigenous Australia and the impact of more recent trends, this chapter reflects on the contribution investigative journalism has made in both deepening and challenging the injustices faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.