Summary: There is a dimension of journalism that is gripped by notions of good and evil, and most influenced by the ideals and practices of religious traditions. Its most visible practitioners may be characterised at the prophets, or high priests, of journalism. Their rituals and practices, and the way they appeal to their audiences, can be analysed to demonstrate continuity with religious traditions, and their effective displacement of, or complementarity with, these traditions. Some investigative journalists believe they have a personal vocation to use mass media to contribute towards the elimination of social ills. Others are preoccupied with a form of compelling narrative that happens to expose and dissipate evil in the community. They will suggest that their job is simply to ‘tell a good story’. Caroline Jones morphed from investigative journalist into religious story teller, while Chris Masters stops short of acknowledging the dimension of his journalism that might be seen as crusade. This paper is about investigative journalism as religious crusade. It will allude to Jesuit theologian Karl Rahner’s notion of the Anonymous Christian. The paper will analyse texts and practices of investigative journalism using key Christian theological concepts. These will include ideas of good and evil, and representation, in doctrines and rituals such as salvation and the sacraments. While the focus will be on Christian thought, the paper will point to parallel concepts in other faiths.
