The role of the press in keeping citizens (0) CRITICAL (CRITIC) of those in power has never been more important, yet investigative journalism itself is in serious trouble. A well 1INFORM public depends on reporters who have the time, resources and 2INDEPENDENT to follow difficult stories wherever they lead. Exposing 3CORRUPT at the highest levels of business and politics, however, is slow and costly work. Over the past two decades, declining advertising revenues and relentless 4FINANCE pressures have led many newspapers to cut the very departments that carry out such investigations. Editors openly question the long-term 5VIABLE of maintaining full-time investigative teams when online readers expect content for free. At the same time, the overall 6READ of serious print titles continues to shrink, and the number of paying 7SUBSCRIBE in many Western countries is well below what it was a generation ago. Unless new funding models can be found, some commentators warn, the loss of fearless reporting will weaken the 8DEMOCRACY health of entire societies.