Every day, our reporters and researchers pound the pavement, dig through troves of documents, analyze massive databases and ask tough questions in order to unearth important truths in the public interest.
The Investigators turns the spotlight on them, asking them to share what drives them, what challenges them and why they choose the difficult work of investigative reporting.
Wendy-Ann Clarke has been an IJB reporter for three years. Her latest series, Fertility Inc., delves into the Wild West of the fertility industry.
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Q: Investigative journalism is a challenging choice for a reporter. It’s typically slow, adversarial, legally sensitive and, in some cases, risky. What drew you to this kind of work and what keeps you doing it?
It’s funny, I’m quite an agreeable person by nature, so a career in investigative reporting probably seems a bit incongruent on the surface. I think my decision to pursue it ultimately comes down to my values as a person.
I’ve had people close to me call me out on my blind spots. These are people who know me well and are bold enough to lovingly (and sometimes not so lovingly) tell me where I’m missing the mark. I try to be that friend to the people close to me as well. Most people are too afraid to have those conversations. But avoiding them isn’t really caring for people. Those moments can be painful, for both sides, but ultimately they’re edifying.
That’s what investigative reporting is to society. You build a relationship with a system, an institution or an issue. You study it deeply, and that gives you the credibility to point out the gaps, expose the dark places, and shine the proverbial light where it’s needed. Yes, it’s slow. It can be adversarial. It can be legally intimidating and, at times, incredibly stressful. It often takes far longer than you think it should. But in the end, even when it feels confrontational, I genuinely believe I’m being a good friend to society. That’s what keeps me going.
Q: Is there a particular story or source that has stuck with you long after you published?
There have been many. But the person who has perhaps stayed with me most was a nurse I interviewed for a story exposing what many described as a toxic work culture inside one of Canada’s leading healthcare institutions. I had connected with a handful of nurses who were willing to speak, but only off the record. But several told me, you need to talk to this woman. “She’s fearless.”
I met her in a coffee shop. She was short and slim, with smooth, deep golden-brown skin and short, tightly coiled salt-and-pepper hair. She was nearing retirement age and had the kind of classic, conservative style not dictated by fashion.
She had spent her entire career speaking out against injustices she observed in the workplace, often standing up for colleagues who didn’t have the courage to speak for themselves. She was jovial, passionate, and laser-sharp. She had documented just about everything and brought the receipts. At the same time, she was respectful, fair, loved her job and had clearly earned tremendous respect within the institution. She wasn’t afraid to get fired.
You often see those historical images of individuals standing alone against mass conformity. Think August Landmesser refusing to give the Nazi salute in 1936. This nurse had that kind of moxie. I kept asking her why she was doing this. She spoke about her faith and deep commitment to telling the truth, and you could tell she meant it with every fibre of her being.
I left that interview thinking, if I’m not that kind of person today, I want to be tomorrow. I still feel that way.
Q: The IJB’s model is unique in journalism, bringing together reporters, academics, students, data specialists and media organizations to collaborate on public interest issues. How has that approach impacted your journalism?
The collaborative approach has been transformative to my journalism. It has made me believe it’s possible to pursue incredibly ambitious projects. The sky really is the limit because you’re never alone. You’re always in a room full of people with a shared mission whom you can collaborate with, ask questions, bounce ideas off, and learn from.
We literally have medical specialists, engineering minds, veteran reporters, and brilliant young interns, all ready to help in any way they can. The whole truly is greater than the sum of its parts. I think that’s true about everything. The world needs quality journalism grounded in integrity now more than ever. Anyone who believes in truth and accountability above personal ambition has to see the value in the kind of collaborative model the IJB has built. I genuinely believe it’s the way of the future.
Q: It’s the night before a big investigation is about to be published that will publicly cast an individual or organization in a negative light. What kinds of things are going through your mind?
I take absolutely no pleasure in being part of the worst days of people’s lives. I think about them. I think about the leaders of institutions who have to carry the consequences for their organizations. I think about the children of people accused of wrongdoing and what they might experience at school. My stomach is often queasy. I pore over every word of the draft to make sure we’ve gotten it right.
Ultimately, though, I think most about the current and potential future victims, and what the reporting might mean for them. I think about the greater good, and I find confidence in that. But truly, I take no pleasure in those moments.
When a story is finally published and it seems to have landed well, that’s when I exhale a little.
Investigative reporting in Canada is shrinking. Most news outlets no longer have dedicated investigative positions so there are fewer reporters given the time and resources to do in-depth stories that take weeks or months to complete. What is the case for doing this kind of journalism?
Man, I think any news outlet that isn’t investing in this kind of reporting is really shooting itself in the foot. Our society has become so anxious. We’ve developed this microwave appetite for news, and many outlets feel pressure to keep up with that for legitimate reasons. Investigative reporting feels like the thing they can afford to lose. But in the long term, I think they’re writing their own obituary and ultimately contributing to the degeneration of society.
Investigative reporting is one of the only forms of journalism that can’t simply be replaced by AI. It’s original. It uncovers information that wasn’t previously known. It also brings a level of accountability that shows we respect the public and value their right to transparency. People deserve to know what’s really happening, and we should be willing to invest the time and resources to find those answers. You’re not going to publish a new investigative story every day. But when you do, you’re giving the public access to information that is genuinely new and has the power to change their lives.
When you think about it that way, the better question is, what’s the case for not investing in that?
The Investigative Journalism Bureau is a non-profit, impact-driven newsroom telling deeply-reported stories in the public interest.
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