ABSTRACT
Theories of journalism devised in the pre-digital era when authorities such as governments, businesses and organisations supplied and validated news and information are becoming less useful as descriptors of the process of investigative journalism. New paradigms are needed to better understand the dynamics of a rapidly changing digital age in which communication networks carry information instantaneously, globally, for little or no cost. Theories of journalism that capture the importance and relevance of connection with, or disconnection from, this global network provide the potential to establish a better understanding of the revolutionary changes now occurring in investigative journalism. Network theory, for example, illuminates the quality of connection and disconnection, helping media scholars and reporters to better understand what is happening. Global journalism is a natural consequence of global digital connection. Castells has observed that the mastery of technology in each period of history largely determines which societies prosper.
