What exactly is the gathering of investigative reporting nonprofits, now under way in Tarrytown, N.Y., trying to achieve?
Ostensibly, it’s creation of an Investigative News Network — a coming together of the growing universe of investigative reporting nonprofits. As Bill Buzenberg, director of the Center for Public Integrity, said at dinner last night, “Imagine what a 50-state network (of investigative nonprofits) might achieve?”
But as the conference swings into gear this morning, it’s clear there are many different ideas of what the mission or missions of such a network might be. In Monday’s opener — a fascinating round of introductions from the 39 people in attendance — several possibilities were put on the table, most centering around the new-media model of partnerships:
— A full editorial co-op of the nonprofits’ investigative work.
— A back-office partnership that aims to facilitate some of the nitty-gritty, nuts-and-bolts work (especially IT) that bogs down many start-ups.
— An association or trade group that offers specific services to members — especially insurance products, First Amendment counsel, etc.
— An organization that somehow goes at everyone’s first order of business: the question of how these nonprofits can have a sustainable life after the startup phase.
Buzenberg and the meeting’s other convenor, Robert Rosenthal of the Center for Investigative Reporting, said the purpose of the meeting will be to discuss what among these or other ideas might emerge as organizing principles for furthering the investigative reporting movement.
One thing that was obvious Monday during two hours worth of introductions:There’s tremendous energy afoot in the world of investigative reporting journalism. Several participants were still buzzing about the tent-revival spirit of the recent meeting of Investigative Reporters and Editors. From the big national groups that Buzenberg and Rosenthal run, to more recent state and regional operations like those in New England and Wisconsin, to groups in Seattle and Denver that are still in incubation stage, there’s tremendous hope for the future of investigative reporting. Not only has a wide consensus emerged around the idea that investigative reporting needs to be preserved as legacy news businesses recede, but many foundations and individual funders are stepping up to make it happen. I wrote about this Monday in a post about nonprofit journalism on the Poynter site.
In fact, the growth of investigative reporting nonprofits has been so robust that Jon Sawyer, who heads the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, urged the group Monday not to take action that stifles this burst of entrepreneurial activity.
A couple of other first-day observations:
— Several participants said formation of a network on the editorial side will be easy compared to making things happen on the business side of operations. “The challenge is business funding and business practices,” said Chuck Lewis, the founder of CPI and now director of American University‘s Investigative Reporting Workshop. “But these things are possible.”
— Public broadcasting has aspirations to be a major player in all this. Brian Duffy made this clear in his short remarks Monday night, telling the audience he wants any and all of them to call him with ideas for partnerships with NPR. “We would like to partner with you,” he said. Stephen Segaller of WNET.ORG went further, suggesting that public broadcasting might already BE the network that is wanting to be invented here.
Yeasty stuff here. Stay tuned.