Investigative reporting is critical to a healthy democracy and advances the public’s right to know by holding the powerful accountable, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist said Friday at the first-ever Oklahoma Local News Summit in Tulsa.

Washington Post investigations editor David S. Fallis delivered the keynote lunch address Friday during the First Amendment Congress at the daylong summit. The collaborative nonprofit event was co-hosted by Freedom of Information Oklahoma, the Oklahoma Media Center and the Oklahoma Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.

Fallis previously worked at The Tulsa Tribune and Tulsa World. He joined The Washington Post in 2014. He co-edited a 2015 report on fatal police shootings that won the Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting. He was introduced by fellow Pulitzer-winner Ziva Branstetter, CEO of the Tulsa Flyer. 

Five projects he edited or reported have been named Pulitzer finalists. One used a confidential database. It showed how drug companies distributed 76 billion opioid pain pills as opioid deaths rose. Last year, his team reported on the Trump administration’s effort to overhaul the federal government.

Fallis said investigations are a way to press officials to be transparent and accountable. The work carries risks, but failing to pursue it poses a greater threat to the free press and the public’s “right to know.”

Reporters may face subpoenas or raids because of their work, Fallis said.

“Deep, authoritative journalism is a way to serve the public’s interest and build trust,” Fallis said.

“Our readers, viewers, listeners — whatever the journalistic medium — need us to do nothing less.”

Fallis listed six ways investigative reporters serve the public.

First, investigations can uncover the unknown instead of relying on known data, Fallis said. Fact-based reporting matters most when issues affect people directly, uncovering facts the public didn’t know. Some were hidden by deception or confusion. They may initially reveal the belief of wrongdoing or harm.

Second, reporters act as watchdogs. Investigative reporting can provide accountability for the legislative, executive and judicial branches of government. Fallis said that role matters most when checks and balances on the three branches grow weak or disappear.

Third, investigations exercise First Amendment rights, upholding and reinforcing ground truths established in the Constitution. This kind of journalism helps keep freedom-of-speech muscles strong and vital, Fallis said.

Fourth, reporters promote open government and accountability by asking informed, skeptical questions. Public officials must explain how and why they use the power voters have given them, Fallis said. For private entities, investigative reporting reminds them that their actions in a democracy can come under constitutionally protected scrutiny.

Fifth, reporters use open records laws. Many journalists file public records requests to get documents officials haven’t released and develop a framework to an investigative story. Fallis urged reporters to use these documents and push back when officials say no.

Reporters can request records on spending, contracts, financial disclosure forms, payroll, overtime, expenses and government credit cards. These public records can show whether officials are preserving public records as required by law, he said.

Sixth, investigative journalism builds public trust. Fallis said. Stories with a clear impact and understanding can set fact-based journalism apart from influencer videos, blogs, social media and AI.

An investigation can start with an urgent question that matters to the public. Often, one reporter will spot a lead and pursue it, leading to more issues, Fallis said.

Local investigations are critical. Small, local outlets have produced some of the decade’s strongest Pulitzer-winning journalism, Fallis said. Many local issues affect the public and deserve close review.

As local news outlets dwindle, more issues go unexamined. However, the need for local reporting can mean opportunities for important news, Fallis said.

He urged reporters to ask more than why or how something happened: Is it true? Is it a pattern? Who decided? Follow the money.

Fallis also encouraged reporters to find confidential sources and build ties with them.

“Knock on doors,” he said. “Make phone calls. Have coffees. Develop sources. Encourage and welcome tips.

“Serving the public in this moment is critical.”