journalism

Constructive investigations – and what you can do

In THE INQUISITOR team, we are convinced that there can be no more constructive journalism than investigative research and the most detailed coverage possible – based on documents. For everything else, there are the ever-growing PR and propaganda departments of the Olympic organisations.

Jens Weinreich

Feb 16, 2024 — 6 min read

Dear readers,

You may have heard of a type of journalism called constructive journalism. The core of this so-called constructive journalism lies in informing the target group about possible solutions to problems. We in THE INQUISITOR team are convinced that the first step towards solutions must always be to investigate, uncover facts, publish documents and analyse them in a first-class manner. We are certainly endeavouring to do so.

Now take a look at the headlines and teasers of our articles from the past two weeks. A simple screenshot, above, doesn't sound particularly constructive, does it?

Insane. Frightening. Alarming.

"Corruption allegations against the president of World Aquatics", "prosecutors call for a jail sentence for the former president of the International Biathlon Union", a commission of enquiry gives French sport a damning report on its way to Paris 2024 ("omerta at all levels, a rape culture and systemic dysfunctions"), Russian systemic dopers talk their way out of allegedly contaminated "strawberry dessert", and finally, once again from the world of World Aquatics (formerly known as FINA) and European Aquatics (formerly known as LEN): "former FINA vice president convicted of incitement to murder".

In case you missed it, here are some links to our latest articles, starting with Lars Jørgensen's summary of the trial against former Mr Biathlon Anders Besseberg, who the prosecution wants to put in jail – and where investigations are continuing in other countries, for example against the marketing giant Infront ...

… which apparently pursues similar business practices to the once gigantic Olympic bribery system of ISL/ISMM, which has shaped world sport.

And it is not far from ISL/ISMM and the at least CHF 142m in bribes paid to Olympic officials, which have been proven in court, to the sad topic of the bribe payer Husain Al-Musallam, president of World Aquatics, and his dubious, possibly criminal practices in the realm of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA). Al-Musallam's predecessor as OCA's director general was, you guessed it, on the ISL/ISMM slush list.

Get ready for new documents in this Captain Aqua crime story – as early as this weekend.

It's not a history channel.

Let's face the truth: It's a lived Olympic reality.

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In THE INQUISITOR team, we are currently only able to provide a minimal excerpt from the largely corrupt and in some parts criminal Olympic world. We understand if those of you who work in sport and read these lines recoil in disgust and say: but that's not me, that's not my world.

Incidentally, one of the many dysfunctional features of this parallel society is this issue: in one Olympiad, IOC directors receive more money than all Olympic athletes and Olympic champions receive as bonuses from Olympic marketing revenue – they also receive more money in these four years than every single Olympic federation.

I deliberately write: these directors get/receive more money, I do not write that they deserve it.

In THE INQUISITOR team, we are convinced that there can be no more constructive journalism than investigative research and the most detailed coverage possible – based on documents.

For everything else, there are the ever-growing PR and propaganda departments of the Olympic organisations. For everything else, there are so-called Young Reporter Programmes where journalists are trained into the system at a young age by mentors who have long since left their role as journalists – sometimes this manifests itself in these journalists taking part in the Olympic torch relay and being celebrated by their peers.

But all this is no longer journalism. Not even constructive journalism. It doesn't solve any problems. It is a part of the problem.

Journalists, sources and whistleblowers who are interested in constructive solutions in the interests of society – i.e. above all in uncovering and first-class analyses based on documents – have always been vilified in the Olympic system as naysayers and troublemakers. But you know what?

We'll just get on with it! And among the many encouraging reactions in the first months of THE INQUISITOR's existence, after the first weeks of regular publications, are these: the number of people from the business, from the Olympic family, who help us with their knowledge and information and co-operate with us in their own way, is growing daily.

That is marvellous. We still have to disappoint some sources because we cannot cope with the flood of problems and topics that need to be investigated and published properly. It needs time to conduct a proper journalistic inquisition.

Please be patient.

In the next few days, you will read new, sometimes exclusive details about agonising topics: about integrity artists, about so-called ethics commissions and integrity units that do not act and only look for excuses and loopholes in their statutes, about doping systems and, of course, about criminal investigations.

That is constructive. Very much so.

You can support this project with information at any time. But we are also dependent on your subscriptions. Journalists are human beings and have to pay their bills.

So give yourself a jolt, subscribe diligently so that you are always (and hopefully always better) constructively informed!

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Thank you – and kind regards. Stay curious!