In a one-on-one session with Newslaundry’s Abhinandan Sekhri, the Boston Globe journalist, who was part of the team that exposed the Catholic Church’s cover-up of sexual abuse by priests, spoke on the challenges of 21st-century journalism and, in particular, investigative journalism.

Rezendes said the Globe website had hundreds, if not thousands, of readers sifting through almost 2,500-word Spotlight reports because they were interested in reading it. On the need to strengthen investigative journalism, he said newspapers should have deep pockets so that journalists can follow stories against the grain. “In the US, if you are doing investigative journalism, sooner or later you will be sued. The cost of libel insurance is high,” he said.

Speaking of sources confiding in him, he said one has to gain the trust of sources by whatever means possible. Rezendes said he has a reputation of never letting a source down.

The Pulitzer-winner was in New Delhi at the first-ever Media Rumble, organized by Newslaundry and Teamwork Arts, on July 21 and 22 at Bikaner House.