Where do all the laid-off investigative journalists go? To investigative-journalism websites of course! There is no dearth of fantastic non-profit, for-profit and educational websites out there. They publish hard-hitting investigative pieces that are often not indexed by Google and other search engines. Here are some of my favorites (and yes I make sure to check them during investigations):
Center for Public Integrity: CPI exposes private influence on public institutions and politicians (among other significant projects). My favorite was a series called The Windfalls of War, with a searchable index of FOIA’d documents detailing war contracts to private companies.
Center for Investigative Reporting: A hugely talented staff of reporters keeps the flame of investigative journalism alive. CIR is the oldest non-profit investigative journalist group around. My favorite is the California Watch, which focuses on health, education and political issues in my home state.
Both CPI and CIR have tools to help you find information – from sample FOIA letters to suggested repositories.
Transparency International: TI uncovers proof of corruption worldwide. TI comes up with such alarming information that you wonder why you didn’t read about it anywhere else.
Global Witness: Similarly, GW focuses on corruption, but particularly regarding natural resources. Great series on the circuitous path of oil money.
Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard: My new favorite. Great tweet updates. Smart. Harvard. Who knew?
ProPublica: Of course! Where all the laid-off journalists want to work.
PD Investigations: OK this one isn’t a non-profit, but it has original investigative stories I’m not reading anywhere else.
These organizations have more investigative findings than they can put on their websites. If it seems like one of these groups might be addressing a question you have, DO CALL. These are smart, committed people with lots of knowledge to share.