investigativereportingworkshop.org OVERVIEW
The Investigative Reporting Workshop is a professional, nonprofit news organization within the American University School of Communication. The Workshop pairs graduate student researchers with professional reporters and editors and co-publishes with mainstream media as well as other nonprofits. The Workshop publishes in-depth stories about government and corporate accountability, ranging widely from the environment and health to national security and the economy.
The Workshop has an ongoing partnership with The Washington Post and with PBS FRONTLINE. Workshop stories have been co- published with The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The New Yorker, Mother Jones magazine, WAMU-FM, McClatchy newspapers and NBCNews.com. INVESTIGATIONS
Since 2009, the Workshop has tracked the financial health of all the banks and credit unions in the country. Other projects include stories on airline safety and maintenance; the use of toxic chemicals in everyday products; and efforts at reforming the justice system in light of the long-term impact of misdemeanor charges. When the Workshop produces stories for television, our online components include additional stories, photos, videos and interactive graphics. Years of Living Dangerously The Workshop produced two stories in this documentary series on the impact of climate change, which aired on Showtime.
Hunting the Nightmare Bacteria This one-hour, award-winning FRONTLINE documentary focused on hospital infections resistant to antibiotics. The Koch Club This project showed how the billionaire Koch brothers’ contributions and influence extends beyond politics into education, policymaking and the humanities; co-published with The New Yorker.
The Hole This investigation revealed the use of solitary confinement at immigration centers; co- published with The New York Times.
iLAB & BLOGS
The Workshop writes about the news industry and new journalistic models in the “iLab” section of the site. Recent reports include:
“Measuring Impact: The Art, Science and Mystery of Nonprofit News” Winner of the Research in Journalism Award in 2014 from the Society of Professional Journalists.
The Workshop tracks the growth of nonprofit news organizations around the country. Investigating Power This website showcases video interviews and short documentaries about significant journalists and their achievements since the 1950s in bringing truth to power.
“935 Lies: The Future of Truth and the Decline of America’s Moral Integrity” A new book from Executive Editor Charles Lewis. PARTNERS
Our colleagues and co-publishers include: The Washington Post, in which we team student researchers and reporters with various Post investigative teams, and PBS FRONTLINE, with a production team led by Rick Young based with us at the School of Communication at American University. We also produced “Years of Living Dangerously” for Showtime. Our stories also have been co-published with: ■ The Philadelphia Inquirer ■ The New York Times ■ The New Yorker ■ NBCNews.com, formerly MSNBC ■ ABC World News Tonight ■ McClatchy newspapers ■ Politico ■ Mother Jones ■ Columbia Journalism Review ■ The Lens in New Orleans ■ The Broward Bulldog Several of our stories have been translated into three languages and distributed to ethnic press outlets when co-published with New America Media. FUNDERS
The Workshop is funded by foundations, grants and individuals. You can donate online through our website: investigativereportingworkshop.org.
Around Foundation ■ Carnegie Corporation of New York Challenge Fund for Journalism VI ■ Deer Creek Foundation Nathan Cummings Foundation ■ Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation ■ Ford Foundation ■ Fund for Constitutional Government ■ Otto Haas Charitable Trust #2 Hagedorn Foundation ■ W.K. Kellogg Foundation ■ John S. and James L. Knight Foundation ■ Litowitz Foundation John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation ■ McCormick Foundation ■ The Giles W. and Elise G. Mead Foundation The Park Foundation■ Public Welfare Foundation The V. Kann Rasmussen Foundation ■ Rockefeller Family Associates ■ Rockefeller Brothers Fund ■ Streisand Foundation Unbound Philanthropies ■ Wyncote Foundation ADVISORY BOARD
■ Yevgenia Albats, The New Times magazine ■ Rosental Calmon Alves, Professor, University of Texas ■ Walt Bogdanich, The New York Times ■ John Carroll, Former editor, The Los Angeles Times ■ Yuen-Ying Chan, Professor and Director, Hong Kong University’s Journalism and Media Studies Centre ■ Sunday Dare, Knight International Journalism Fellow ■ Leonard Downie Jr., Professor of Journalism at Arizona State University; vice president at large, The Washington Post ■ Anne Garrels, NPR ■ Gwen Lister, Founding editor, The Namibian ■ Deborah Nelson, Professor, University of Maryland ■ Leonarda Reyes, Reforme-El Norte ■ Jim Risser, Former director, Stanford Knight Fellowship ■ Mark J. Rochester, Deputy managing editor, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ■ James B. Steele, Vanity Fair magazine WORKSHOP STAFF Charles Lewis, Founding Executive Editor Lynne Perri, Managing Editor Larry Kirkman, Executive Producer John Sullivan, Senior Editor and Washington Post reporter David Donald, Data Editor Kris Higgins, Financial Manager
Investigative Reporting Workshop 4400 Massachusetts Ave. NW Washington, D.C. 20016-8017 202-885-3609
For more information on publishing partnerships or reprinting our stories, contact [email protected].
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