Cicero - an Investigative Journalist

A great Roman scholar, Cicero was also a brilliant investigative journalist ahead of his time. By the Catilinarian Orations, as well as his speech against Verres, Cicero made not only one of the most beautiful, coursebook speeches, but also genuine journalistic investigations, using sources, means and instruments worthy of a detective. By exposing Catiline's coniuratio in the Roman Senate, Cicero thus made public his journalistic investigation, in the absence, at that time, of written or electronic newspapers, but having writing and words at hand. Like a fine political analyst, Cicero made public his investigation by the four memorable speeches in the Roman Senate, being a true advocate of the Roman state, as his speech ended with the arrest of Catiline. Through In Verrem, the great Roman orator made an economic investigation, being this time a genuine economic journalist, collecting evidence and data, analyzing economic registers, thus investigating the route of finances etc., unmasking, all through the power of the spoken word, the corruption, embezzlement, economic crimes of Verres. We have chosen as case studies these two famous speeches (In Verrem and In Catilinam) for shaping the image of this "universal journalist" that Cicero was.