Investigative journalism, according to traditional theory, has the
task of exposing the abuses of public offi cials. Therefore, media
has been seen as an institution central to liberal democracy. In this
article, I examine examples of the role of media in United Kingdom,
in United States of America and in Brazil showing how extensive
media coverage in these countries drew attention to police violence.
The challenge for all of us is to work out what should be retained
from this tradition, and what should be revised or rejected – and
to think about the concrete implications of what results from our
reappraisal.
