Investigative journalism has been a driving force in journalism for centuries. The tradition of reporting bad behavior was already well established long before the 20th century. Its practice even predates the publication of the first successful colonial newspaper in 1704, demonstrating that the role of gatekeeper of the press has deep historical roots in democracy long before the 1960s. For the past three centuries, investigative journalists have sought to make a difference by raising public awareness of perceived wrongdoing. Before the early 1960s, investigative journalism was highly localized and sporadic. This reflected the character of early journalism and the technological limitations of communication. It was not until the 20th century that a unique combination of forces came together to create a sustained era of national expositions. (Reference) In the 1960s, investigative journalism began to thrive more than ever. The media industry had begun to become a more recognized industry, with not only society's elites making use of print, radio and television journalism, but also everyday civilians. Reporters have also seen a change in their roles as journalists. Reporters believed that the responsibilities of the press included being “an investigator, a government watchdog, an interpreter of the news, and an educator to the masses” (Aucoin, 2005). A new "golden age" of journalism had begun in the 1960s and 1970s. Investigative journalism began to thrive for a variety of reasons. In the 1960s, British newspapers faced competition from television and radio, so newspapers became larger and filled space with large features and photo reports. At the same time there was a climate of skepticism and irreverence that made investigative investigations...... middle of paper ...... more stories to expose. Among these, a policeman tried for the illegal killing of a bystander at the G20 demonstrations, the revelations released by Wikileaks, the MPs' expenses scandal and other criminals brought to justice thanks to investigators from the journalistic world. Some newspapers are the natural home for investigative journalists. The Guardian, for example, not only revealed the phone hacking case, but also the G20 verdict and the Wikileak cables. The Daily Telegraph, previously not known for its exploratory work, did impressive work on the MP Expenses scandal in 2009, where it simply bought stolen data from an insider and exploited it slowly, surely and deliberately. So, unlike Stephan Dorrill's view that investigative journalism is now effectively dead”, the numerous examples show that journalism is alive and well in Britain..