Investigative Journalism in the Age of Streaming

Open any streaming platform on any given night and you’ll find endless fascinating, thrilling, and often dark series and films based on real-life stories. It’s fun to discuss the twists and turns of these shows and movies but we often forget that behind each story is an investigative journalist doing the hard work of tracking down sources, talking to victims and perpetrators and weaving it all into a cohesive narrative.

Join acclaimed journalists Robert Kolker (“Lost Girls”, “Hidden Valley Road”) and Jessica Pressler (“The Hustlers at Scores,” “How Anna Delvey Tricked New York’s Party People”) for a conversation on the evolving landscape of investigative journalism. The discussion will examine how podcasts and streaming services are reshaping long-form reporting and explore society's fascination with dark topics like true crime, scams and mental health issues.

The event will dig into:

• How digital platforms and streaming services are influencing investigative reporting and storytelling techniques.
• Why audiences are drawn to dark, true-life narratives and the responsibilities this places on journalists.
• The challenges and opportunities that arise when journalistic works are adapted for entertainment platforms.
• How journalists can adapt to evolving media landscapes while maintaining the core principles of their craft.

You'll also have the opportunity to purchase our speaker's books courtesy of McNally Jackson Books.

Join us for this thought-provoking discussion that promises to shed light on the future of journalism and our cultural appetite for true-life narratives. Don't miss this opportunity to hear from two of the most influential voices in modern investigative journalism.

Robert Kolker is the author of , an instant #1 best-seller and selection of Oprah's Book Club that was named a Top Ten Book of the Year by the , the , the , and ; one of the year’s best by NPR, the , the New York Post, and Amazon; the #1 book of the year by ; and one of President Barack Obama’s favorite books of 2020. His previous work includes , also a New York Times best-seller and New York Times Notable Book, and one of ’s best nonfiction books of the quarter century. He is a National Magazine Award finalist whose journalism has appeared in the New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic, Wired, O, the Oprah Magazine, the Marshall Project, Bloomberg Businessweek, and New York magazine.

Jessica Pressler is a writer living in New York. She has contributed to New York Magazine since 2009, writing dozens of memorable feature stories on everything from the squabbles between well-to-do preschool parents and heated tensions between bird lovers and cat lovers. Her profile of the fake heiress Anna Delvey was adapted into the Netflix series Inventing Anna, and her story Hustlers at Scores became the Jennifer Lopez movie Hustlers.

Host or Publisher Alliance for Downtown New York