No, I don't think it's a new phenomenon. I've been working in the field for 30 years, and there have always been lawsuits when people weren't happy with the work we were doing.
The job of investigative journalists is to take stock, expose facts and hold people to account. When people aren't happy, they sometimes try to find ways of muzzling us. This is not a new phenomenon, but it's important to do this work as an investigative journalist.
I'll go back to the idea that it's expensive and takes time for a public broadcaster to be able to do this kind of journalism. I have colleagues who do this kind of journalism. They spend months preparing a story that's going to come out and making sure it's done with rigour and depth.