Investigative journalism is comparable to the process of assembling the pieces of a puzzle. The pieces are scattered and then progressively assemble to form a picture.
In any democratic society the role of watchdog journalism is vital. Watchdog journalism is able to hold individuals accountable and expose corrupt practices and abuses of authority. This kind of reporting that has taken place, from Upton Sinclair’s expose on the meatpacking industry to Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein in exposing Watergate and Watergate, has had a major impact.
Fake Academic Credentials
Many people across the world buy fake academic certificates. Fake diplomas can be purchased in a variety of forms, ranging from a single person operating an office printer in New York City’s Chinatown and up to an online service that provides pre-designed certificates.
The mills for degrees that were just a few operators who created certificates in their kitchens to market on matchbook covers are now modern, with chat rooms, websites and edu suffixes on their domain names. They also employ fake accreditation agencies that cite strict, but not specified standards. The billion-dollar industry lets you get a bachelor’s, master’s or doctorate degree without having to attend classes, taking tests or performing any other work.
Making up a fake transcript for a college is another method to get one of these fake diplomas. If you’re found guilty, it is an offense that could result in prison time.
Marketplace and the former FBI agent Allen Ezell teamed up to purchase a fake diploma from Almeda University. This online school offers the PhD in biblical counseling. Lack of a fake name, he used an alias on the phone, gave Almeda University backstory and qualified for the degree upon providing certain qualifications.
Diploma Mills Investigation
Experts believe that the business of fake diplomas is worth billions of dollars. Through analyzing the business records, analyzing the information of customers, and looking at social media profiles, Marketplace uncovered Axact in Pakistan which is one of the largest players. We discovered that a lot of Canadians might have purchased fake degrees from this fake school.
While there are laws in place to restrict the sale and false representation of fake certificates, it’s difficult to pursue diploma mills. This issue is a thorny one that has drawn the attention of UNESCO and federal prosecutors, as along with the Department of Education and the Federal Trade Commission. It remains a challenging task for investigators despite the increasing number of watchdog groups.
A lot of fake institutions have names that sound similar to those of legitimate schools. It is often difficult to identify them with an investigation of background. Background screeners with experience have their own training and are experts in identifying the red flags in the applicant’s educational history.
Other indicators that diploma mills are fraudulent include a name that is like a similar one, and an address or website that doesn’t mention the school’s address. The visits to these universities like those our reporters have made to the New World Mission Dunamis International University, Cape Town, and the Northern Ireland Institute of Business Technology, Belfast, are crucial steps to expose diploma mills.
Integrity of qualifications for education
Investigative journalism demands perseverance and a keen awareness of the patterns and anomalies. Investigative journalism requires a variety of abilities, such as document analysis, anonymity and recorded interviews and subscription-based tools for research and more. It is usually laborious and slow, yet it could reveal the truth, and make powerful individuals as well as politicians and criminals accountable.
Marketplace For instance, the Marketplace examined the largest mill at Axact and uncovered business records. They also compared data from customers to verify that buyers were in the market to purchase fake degrees. The group also visited fake universities like New World Mission Dunamis International University, South Africa, and Northern Ireland Institute of Business Technology, London to verify their legitimacy and understand the ways they operate.
Gollin clarifies that diploma mills have a dual effect: they lower the value of legitimate degrees that students earn after having spent years and thousands of dollars to earn. They can also expose the public to danger when professionals like engineers and doctors lack the appropriate education.
Investigative journalism is crucial because of this. Investigative journalism is a powerful tool to make a difference, whether it’s the Watergate scandal that shocked America or the recent Nobel Peace Prize recipients Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov who fought for freedom of expression in Russia and the Philippines. It is able to uncover corruption and help improve the world as a place.
Counterfeit Degrees Exposed
The fake degree business is believed to amount to $7 billion annually. In part, the rapid expansion of this business is due to the ease with which it is for people to get fake degrees. It is also flourishing due to the fact that many people fake resumes in order to secure a job and make money and read more at https://lambang-toanquoc.com/.
Degree mills are still in existence despite the increased scrutiny of authorities because of their business motives. They are able to create thousands of fake degrees each year at a relatively low cost through the use of software and outsource the actual personnel. The fake universities advertise in legitimate magazines and newspapers like Economist USA Today as well as Forbes. They also promote in Discover, Investors Business Daily and Discover.
Declan Walsh, an investigative journalist who exposed Axact’s fake degree business recently shared the documents he discovered in his investigation with journalists all over the world. They included scans of registration papers for the mailboxes of Belford High School in Texas and California and Belford University, as well as an official letter from the International Accreditation Organization and screenshots from the Axact’s internal publication. The BBC utilized a number of these documents to make the documentary File on 4: Deceptions Degrees that will air on Radio 4 this week.