Hmmm, @deaconlee, you really have put some food for thought on the table. I hadn't realised that investigative journalism was in such trouble in the US. I tend to read things like The Atlantic and the New Yorker (until I hit the paywall) so perhaps am missing a lot of the good stuff that the lower tier freelance journos are doing...and wouldn't know how to find it anyway. We are soooooo lucky we have guys whose talents were forged in their fight against the apartheid regime. They really don't scare easily, but there's a lot to be scared of here. I think the sheer number of journalists actively shining lights onto the bad guys here (as you say, they love working in the dark) would make it difficult for the baddies to do what they did to that journalist in Malta a couple of weeks ago - but their lives are threatened regularly. We had one journalist die in her 30s recently from a heart attack, brought on by the stress of the fight she and a group of journos were having with the management of the SABC, which insisted on only positive reporting on the ANC. As journalists, they gave that instruction the middle finger, but were then subjected to intimidation, death threats and real attempts (she had her brake lines cut, if I remember correctly...pretty hairy stuff).

I agree with you about the potential for the blockchain to shine light with its potential for total transparency, but as always the use of the tool depends on the user of the tool. If they want to use it to hide nefarious activities, they can and they will. It's still up to citizens to hold those in power accountable. We're still taking baby steps on that in Africa, but at least we're taking those steps, and investigative journalists are such an important part of that accountability journey. Now people must read and consider critically what the journos reveal! Thanks so much for your input today. 😊😊