Investigative journalism is a bit like completing a jigsaw puzzle. The pieces are mixed up and eventually assemble into a single image.

For any democracy Watchdog journalism is essential. Watchdog journalism can be used to hold individuals accountable by exposing abuses of authority and corruption. This kind of reporting, from Upton Sinclair’s investigation into the meatpacking industry, to Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein uncovering Watergate and Watergate, has had a major impact.

Fraudulent Academic Credentials

Many people across the world purchase fake academic credentials. From a single operator using an printer in New York City’s Chinatown to an online order-ready operation, the market for fake diplomas is diverse and expanding.

The degree mills, which were just a few operators who created certificates in their kitchens to sell on matchbook covers have now gone high-tech, using chat rooms, websites and edu suffixes within their domain names. They also employ fake accreditation agencies that cite strict, but not specified guidelines. In this billion-dollar industry, it is possible to acquire a bachelor’s or master’s degree with no classes, and without having to take exams and with no work whatsoever.

It’s also simple to create fake college transcripts in order to acquire one of these fake degrees. If you are found guilty, it’s a white-collar crime that can result in the possibility of jail time.

To find out how it’s easy to obtain fake university degrees, Marketplace teamed up with the former FBI agent Allen Ezell to purchase one from Almeda University, an online school that offers an PhD in biblical counseling. Lack, using an alias while on the phone, offered Almeda University backstory and qualified for the degree upon providing some of his qualifications.

Diploma Mills Investigation

The fake diploma business is worth billions of dollars, according to the experts. Marketplace investigated one of the most prolific players that is a Pakistan-based diploma manufacturing company known as Axact which was discovered by looking through business records, analyzing details about customers and cross-referencing with social media profiles. We found that many Canadians may have purchased fake degrees from this college.

Although there are laws that prohibit selling or presenting false credentials but it’s a thorny legal issue to prosecute diploma mills. This thorny issue has attracted the attention of UNESCO and federal prosecutors, as along with the Department of Education and the Federal Trade Commission. But it remains a challenge for investigators to find them out, despite the assistance of an increasing number of watchdog groups.

Additionally, many of these fake schools have names that are eerily similar to those of legitimate institutions. It can be hard to spot them during a background check. Professional background screeners are like detectives, and they employ their training to identify warning signs in a candidate’s academic record.

Alongside a suspectly similar name, additional clues to possible fraud include an address that is not listed and a website that doesn’t mention the location of the school. The visits to these universities like those our reporters made at the New World Mission Dunamis International University, Cape Town, and Northern Ireland Institute of Business Technology, Belfast, are crucial steps to expose diploma mills.

Integrity of Qualifications and Qualifications

Investigative journalism is a craft that takes dogged persistence and a deep understanding of how to uncover patterns and anomalies. Investigative journalism requires a wide range of skills, including document analysis, anonymity and on-record interviews as well as subscription-based tools to conduct research and more. It’s usually a slow and labor-intensive work, but can uncover the truth that holds powerful corporations, criminals, politicians, and governments accountable for their actions.

Marketplace, for example, investigated Axact’s largest diploma mill and uncovered records of business. They also cross-referenced customer data to determine if customers were interested in purchasing fake degrees. The team also travelled to the locations of fake universities like New World Mission Dunamis International University in South Africa and Northern Ireland Institute of Business Technology in London to establish their authenticity and to see how they operate.

The negative impact of diploma mills has two sides, Gollin says: They devalue legitimate degrees that students spend years and thousands of dollars to earn. They also put the public in danger when professionals like engineers and doctors lack the proper training.

Investigative journalism is important for this reason. Investigative journalism has the power, whether it is the Watergate scandal that caused a stir in America or recent Nobel Peace Prize recipients Maria Ressa & Dmitry Muratov who fought for freedom of expression in Russia and Philippines. It has the potential to uncover corruption and help improve the world as a place.

Counterfeit Degrees Exposed

Globally, the fake diploma business is believed to cost $7 billion per year. The rapid growth of this industry is at least in part due to the ease at the ability of people to get fake diplomas. The business is also growing due to the fact that people are lying on their resumes to gain employment and earn money and click here now https://lambang-toanquoc.com/.

Degree mills are still in existence despite increasing scrutiny by authorities because of their profit motive. A fake university can sell thousands of degrees a year at a cost that is minimal, as the scammers can produce degrees inexpensively by making use of computer software and outsource their actual staffing to overseas suppliers. The fake universities advertise in legitimate magazines and newspapers like Economist USA Today and 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 during his investigation with reporters across the globe. They also shared scans of registration papers for the mailers owned by Belford High School in Texas and California and Belford University, as well as a letter from a bogus International Accreditation Organization and screenshots from the Axact’s internal publication. Some of these documents have been utilized by the BBC to compile the documentary, File on 4: Degrees of Deceit, which will be airing this week on the Radio 4 show, ‘File on Four’.