Prepared for the Center for International Media Assistance (CIMA), United States (US), this report was commissioned to determine the size and strength of the field of investigative journalism and what types of assistance are needed to help the field expand. The report "explores the rapid growth of investigative journalism overseas and suggests ways to best support and professionalize its practice in developing and democratizing countries."

Findings from the executive summary include:

• "A substantial investment into investigative journalism programs can have significant positive impact in a wide range of countries, including those in the Middle East and former Soviet Union. Such funding will be most effective if long-term and integrated into broader initiatives that include legal reform and freedom of information.
• Nonprofit investigative reporting centers have proved to be viable organizations that can provide unique training and reporting, while serving as models of excellence that help to professionalize the local journalism community.
• The centers are part of an expanding global network of training institutes, reporting organizations, journalism associations, grant-making groups, and online networks that have great potential to effect change. Different programs will be appropriate for different regions and markets.
• Commercially based training, even in the West, plays little role in furthering investigative journalism, leaving non-profit organizations to take the lead. Although university-based training has potential, it appears limited in scope outside the United States and Western Europe.
• Because of its emphasis on longer-term, high-impact journalism, investigative reporting projects can be difficult to evaluate. Training and reporting projects aimed at creating a culture of investigative journalism should be evaluated based on their quality and impact, not broad numbers of people trained and stories produced.
• Better coordination and communication are needed between those in U.S. government-funded programs and the investigative journalism community...."

The document emphasises that in-country needs vary widely from short-term workshops and consulting where an economy is growing and a sophisticated press exists, to a "holistic ‘package’ not only of training, but of protection of individual journalists, incentives, reliable information streams (e.g. internet access), institutional support to the better-quality media outlets, legal backup and support to centres..." It offers the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism as a model. The study finds no clear relationship between the economic health of the press and its investigative tradition, but a correlation by country between lesser degrees of corruption, an investigative reporting tradition, and the country being home to an investigative reporting association. The document maps the international donor and development field, along with investigative reporting implementing organisations, finding that a lack of coordination and consultation is hindering the field.


The document analyses conference and training opportunities for investigative journalists, describing conferences, nonprofit centres (with an in-depth analysis of their financing and function), and journalism schools (including the possibility of videoconferencing for training - at one time used to train more than 1,500 journalists in French- and English-speaking Africa and in Asia and Latin America).


"Standards and Quality" and "Monitoring and Evaluation" sections of the document address the rapid expansion of investigative journalism. The availability of new technology contributes to ethical challenges in the overuse and abuse of undercover cameras - along with the challenges of misrepresentation, and payment of money for information. Placing journalistic ethics training in basic journalism education is proposed to address this challenge, along with the establishment by investigative programmes and nonprofit centres of benchmarks for standards, with awards to highlight standards and build status in the field.

The difficulty of evaluating the results of investment in changing newsroom culture is recognised and addressed with an example strategy of using pre-story conditions for comparison by answering of the following questions: Have a project’s stories resulted in change? Have policies or practices been reformed, or have officials been held accountable? Have they generated public attention or been honoured with awards? Another suggested method is to attempt to gauge whether the environment for investigative reporting has improved, using the questions: Is there a market for an investigative journalist's work? Are media owners and managers supportive?

The author's recommendations include:

• Increase funding, particularly for sustained programmes that are integrated into broader media legal reform and existing investigative reporting and training centres. As stated here, "[e]ndowments, long-term funding, and training in business and fundraising skills can make a major contribution by ensuring stability and a longer-term focus."
• Where investigative reporting centres may not work, increase partnerships of international programmes with established local media. Where centres will work, adapt centre models to local conditions and needs, including, where possible, reporting groups, training institutes, professional associations, and funding vehicles.
• Improve networking and cross-border collaboration among investigative centres, for increased access to reporting, databases, training materials, and other resources. The author recognises the Global Investigative Journalists Network for its potential to become an international secretariat and nerve centre for the profession, with a central website, listserv, and resource centre.
• Support conferences and fellowships for conference attendance.
• Evaluate training and reporting projects and insist on high programme standards in reporting, editing, and ethical conduct. Use outside audits and awards competitions to raise standards. Regional funds offering small grants can have impact, in addition to raising standards.
• The author recommends consultation among managers and implementers of US government-backed programmes and major non-profit associations and networks of investigative journalism groups for for better international coordination. He chooses to highlight the Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE) as a resource due to its connectivity. He also recommends ensuring that investigative reporting training, conference, workshops, and visits remain a feature of sponsored journalism visitor programmes.

The document concludes with a resource list of investigative journalism training and reporting centres, both international and by region.