By Yibai, Jointing.Media, in Shanghai , 2026-02-14

In early 2026, an undercover investigation into psychiatric hospitals exposing healthcare fraud rocked the internet. Han Futao’s name resurfaced alongside terms etched into the nation’s collective memory – “gutter oil”, “melamine”, “black brick kilns”.

Meanwhile, across the ocean, Julie K. Brown continued her pursuit of the latest documents in the Epstein case. Seven years prior, her investigative series The Twisted Justice had exposed to the world how the elite exploited privilege and wealth to systematically abuse minors; seven years on, she persisted in her inquiries, her pen still in motion.

Though separated by the Pacific, they are engaged in the same endeavour: exposing corruption and giving voice to the voiceless.

Yet a set of figures is deeply unsettling: China’s active investigative journalists have dwindled from approximately 340 in 2011 to 175 in 2017 – a 58% decline over six years. Observers suggest fewer than fifty such journalists remain active nationwide today.

When solitary courage becomes a scarce commodity, what does society stand to lose?

I. Two Investigations That Shaped Society

Let us first examine their work.

Han Futao: Guardian of China’s Social Safety Net

In July 2024, Han Futao published ‘Tank Truck Transport Chaos Investigation: Coal-to-Oil Tankers Directly Loaded with Edible Soybean Oil After Unloading’. This was no ordinary exposé—he spent over a month traversing multiple provinces, shadowing oil tankers across an 8,000-kilometre journey to gather extensive first-hand visual evidence.

The report exposed not merely ‘unclean tankers,’ but a systemic black box: coal-to-oil and other chemical products contain components harmful to human health, yet tankers are loaded with edible oil without cleaning—an ‘open secret’ within the industry. The underlying logic stems from cut-throat competition and cost-cutting in logistics, where ‘if it can be avoided, it won’t be cleaned.’ Factory inspections of tankers are perfunctory, and regulation is virtually non-existent.

Following publication, the State Council Food Safety Office established a joint investigation team for a thorough inquiry, and the nation introduced the mandatory national standard ‘Hygiene Requirements for Bulk Transport of Edible Vegetable Oils.’ What were once ambiguous industry unwritten rules became clear legal red lines.

By the end of 2025, Han Futao struck again. He conducted undercover investigations at multiple private psychiatric hospitals in Xiangyang and Yichang, Hubei, visiting nearly 20 hospitals posing as a family member and infiltrating the facilities by applying for nursing assistant positions. He exposed how these institutions fraudulently recruited healthy individuals or elderly people to pose as psychiatric patients, fabricating treatment records to siphon off medical insurance funds. Patients were subjected to abuse and unlawful restrictions on their freedom.

The revelations sent shockwaves across the nation. The National Health Commission and Medical Insurance Bureau jointly launched a nationwide crackdown on psychiatric hospitals.

Julie Brown: The Last Line of Defence for the Neglected

In 2017, when Julie Brown began systematically investigating the Epstein case, it had been forgotten for years. In 2008, billionaire Jeffrey Epstein escaped federal felony charges through a secret plea bargain, serving only 13 months of ‘custodial work release’ for sexually abusing dozens of underage girls.

Brown refused to accept this ‘fait accompli’. She spent months combing through thousands of pages of court documents, often encrypted or buried in legal jargon, tracking down victims scattered across the United States, hidden by their trauma. Ultimately, she identified over 80 potential victims, eight of whom agreed to publicly recount their experiences.

In November 2018, Brown published her investigative series, ‘Justice Distorted’. She exposed how Florida prosecutor Alexander Acosta had ‘tailored’ a plea deal for Epstein, allowing the billionaire to evade a life sentence.

The reports sparked global attention. In July 2019, Epstein was arrested; Labour Secretary Acosta resigned; In 2021, accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years in prison. In early 2026, the US Department of Justice released millions of new documents related to Epstein.

Brown transformed the testimonies of over 80 female victims from being ignored into admissible court evidence. She proved that even the wealthiest individuals cannot permanently evade legal accountability.

II. Comparing Chinese and American Investigative Journalists

Juxtaposing Han Futao and Julie Brown is not to rank them, but to discern how investigative journalists’ roles differ and converge under distinct social systems, and what shared mission they uphold.

Focus Areas:

Chinese investigative journalists predominantly concentrate on public welfare and safety issues—food safety, medical corruption, environmental concerns, and the rights of vulnerable groups. Han Futao’s investigations into oil tankers and psychiatric hospitals, Wang Keqin’s probe into pneumoconiosis, and Cui Songwang’s exposé of illegal brick kilns all address fundamental survival rights of ordinary citizens.

American investigative journalists, however, focus more on power corruption—political and business elites, the judicial system, and capital abuse. Brown pursued secret deals between billionaires and prosecutors, while Woodward and Bernstein exposed presidential wiretapping scandals.

Subjects of Scrutiny:

Chinese investigative journalists primarily scrutinise corporate negligence and local regulatory failures; American counterparts focus on elite corruption and power abuses. This divergence stems from differing power structures and problem distributions in both nations.

Working Methods:

Chinese investigative journalists, constrained by limited access to information, rely more on undercover investigations, infiltrations, and cross-provincial tracking—Han Futao applied as a nursing assistant to infiltrate a psychiatric hospital, while Cui Songwang disguised himself as a mentally disabled person to infiltrate illegal brick kilns.

American investigative journalists, however, utilise Freedom of Information requests, analysis of court documents, and victim tracing—Brown sifted through thousands of pages of encrypted court documents for clues.

Risks faced:

Chinese investigative journalists primarily confront physical violence, legal threats, and professional pressure—Xinhua reporters were mobbed and had their phones seized while investigating document forgery in Anhui; Wang Keqin was dismissed for exposing vaccine irregularities in Shanxi.

American investigative journalists confront legal suits, personal threats, and capital retaliation—Epstein deployed a vast legal team to publicly attack Brown.

Social Roles:

Chinese investigative journalists function more as ‘guardians of public welfare’ and ‘patchers of institutional flaws’—their reporting directly drives policy refinement and specialised rectification campaigns.

American investigative journalists function more as ‘balancers of power’ and ‘democracy watchdogs’—emphasising neutral observation, revealing truths to enable public and institutional self-assessment.

Yet underlying both is a shared mission: to make truth visible, hold the accountable to account, and refine systems. Whether in Beijing or Miami, investigative journalists pursue the same purpose—unveiling deliberately concealed black boxes and giving voice to the powerless.

III. Why Are Investigative Journalists Becoming Increasingly Scarce in China?

Understanding the value of investigative journalists only heightens the concern when one observes their dwindling numbers.

The Dual Pressure of System and Market

Following 2008, news policies tightened, with public opinion guidance becoming media’s primary duty. Investigative reporting, often touching upon vested interests, frequently encounters lobbying, evasion, or even violent obstruction. The assault on a Xinhua News Agency reporter in Anhui during an investigation into fabricated materials, where his mobile phone was seized, serves as a microcosm.

Simultaneously, under market pressures, traditional media revenues have declined. In-depth investigations, requiring significant investment, lengthy cycles, and offering low returns, have been marginalised. Numerous media outlets dismantled their investigative units, compelling journalists to pivot towards self-media platforms or corporate public relations.

The Persistent Rise in Occupational Risks

Investigative journalists confront multifaceted dangers: physical violence, legal threats, and professional pressures. When defending their rights, reporters are sometimes counter-charged with ‘criminal damage’. The recent investigation into journalist Liu Hu on suspicion of false accusation and illegal business operations serves as a stark reminder of the industry’s precarious boundaries.

The Imbalance Between Economic Security and Professional Rewards

Scholarly tracking studies indicate that while approximately 65% of departing journalists achieve upward mobility in terms of income, only 35.5% experience a corresponding rise in job satisfaction. When investigative journalists confront monthly salaries of four to five thousand yuan against property prices exceeding ten thousand yuan per square metre, their ideals cannot cover mortgage payments. They migrate to public relations, entrepreneurship, or self-media platforms, yet most cease frontline investigative work.

Shifting Social Discourse Landscape

Information overload fragments public attention. Short videos and emotionally charged content dominate user time, diminishing patience for complex, in-depth reporting. Self-media platforms’ tendency to ‘set the tone’ fuels frequent reversals in news narratives, squeezing professional journalists’ operational space. As audiences increasingly prioritise instant gratification over patient truth-seeking, investigative journalists’ relevance inevitably wanes.

IV. Why Are Investigative Journalists Irreplaceable?

Yet regardless of changing circumstances, the social function of investigative journalists cannot be substituted by any other role.

Exposing ‘Systemic Black Boxes’

Ordinary journalists report ‘what happened’—a tanker truck was inspected. Investigative journalists reveal ‘why it happened’—industry unwritten rules, tokenistic oversight, and chains of vested interests. Han Futao exposed the economic logic behind mixed-load transport (high tank-cleaning costs, manufacturers skipping inspections); Julie Brown revealed how plea bargains are ‘tailored’ by prosecutors.

Without investigative journalists, the public sees only isolated incidents, unable to grasp systemic risks.

Becoming the ‘Amplifier for the Voiceless’

The victims uncovered by investigative journalists are often the most voiceless: underage girls in the Epstein case, elderly people confined in mental hospitals, mentally disabled labourers locked in illegal brick kilns. They possess no rights, no influence, no resources, and may not even realise their rights have been violated.

Investigative journalists provide the right to be seen, the channel to be heard. This in itself is a form of justice.

Driving ‘Institutional Self-Repair’

Fact-based exposure → Public pressure → Institutional response—this is the standard pathway through which investigative reporting transforms society. Han Futao’s reporting → State Council investigation → Mandatory national standards enacted; Julie Brown’s reporting → Attorney General’s resignation → Maxwell’s conviction. Investigative journalists are the ‘immune cells’ of the social system: identifying lesions and triggering responses. Without them, society might never know where it is ailing.

Constructing the ‘Cornerstone of Public Rationality’

In an era of fragmented information, investigative reporting delivers: complete chains of evidence, verifiable facts, and in-depth causal analysis. While self-media platforms chase traffic and algorithms amplify sentiment, the months of meticulous research invested by investigative journalists form the most reliable factual foundation for public discourse.

V. What happens when investigative journalists step aside?

Consider this sobering mirror image:

Gutter oil: First exposed in 2005, yet remains an industry norm two decades later.

Illegal brick kilns: Revealed in 2007, still ensnaring mentally disabled labourers fourteen years on.

Tanker truck adulteration: Reported as early as 2005, yet persists as an ‘open secret’ in 2024.

Mental hospitals defrauding insurance: Han Futao exposed it through undercover work, but how many undiscovered ‘dark secrets’ remain nationwide?

The ‘exit’ of investigative journalists mirrors the ‘return’ of these dark secrets. As society’s pain receptors are systematically removed, festering sores quietly ulcerate and spread in unobserved corners.

Without investigative journalists, those trafficked children might never be found.

Without investigative journalists, contaminated food might continue to grace dining tables.

Without investigative journalists, those confined as ‘patients’ in psychiatric hospitals might never step beyond the iron gates.

Without investigative journalists, ordinary people crushed by power might never know how they were treated.

VI. The Ember Burns On

Though the ranks of investigative journalists have dwindled, the flame persists.

Han Futao’s agony endured in psychiatric wards, Cui Songwang’s escape through icy rivers, the courage of that 19-year-old female reporter who infiltrated a Myanmar-based fraud ring for 128 days—their numbers may be as scarce as candles in the wind. Yet their individual resolve, their very existence, constitutes the most potent voice against collective silence.

The spirit of investigative journalism is extending into new realms: documentaries, new media, data journalism, podcasts and other emerging formats; independent journalists upholding public narratives within constrained spaces; citizen journalism collaborating with professional media, such as the user-driven ‘Truth Puzzle’. Within outlets like Southern Weekly, China Youth Daily’s Ice Point Weekly and Caijing, teams and individuals continue conducting rigorous in-depth investigations into food safety, medical corruption, environmental ecology and other critical areas.

Public media literacy is rising. Confronted with information overload, increasing numbers are consciously cultivating a spirit of scepticism, approaching truth through cross-referencing multiple sources. When the public begins demanding ‘why’ rather than merely accepting ‘what,’ the value of investigative journalism will be rediscovered.

Guardians of Our Guardians

The fate of investigative journalists has never merely chronicled the rise and fall of a single profession; it serves as a barometer for a society’s health.

When the last reporter daring to go undercover chooses silence, what we lose is not merely a few groundbreaking exposés, but the very courage and capacity for societal self-purification and radical self-reform. We shall lose the eyes that peer into darkness, the nerve that senses pain, the voice that speaks for the voiceless.

What we require is not merely more investigative journalists, but society’s collective respect for truth, pursuit of reason, and guardianship of the public good.

From Han Futao to Julie Brown, their actions demonstrate that investigative journalism is not merely a profession, but a social contract—a pledge to safeguard truth, however high the cost.

To protect those who protect us is to safeguard our shared lives and future.

For on the day truth is buried, we are all buried with it.

中文原文

Translated by Youdao and DeepL

Edited by Shadow

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