American University, Investigative Reporting Workshop

The Investigative Reporting Workshop (IRW) is an independent nonprofit newsroom based at the American University (AU) School of Communications that trains journalism students at AU in investigative practices and has partnered with more than 35 news organizations to produce professional investigations at the national, regional, and local levels. The IRW produces investigations on a range of issues, including racial justice, the environment, national security, immigration, the economy, and more – increasingly through the lens of equity and inclusion. IRW staff also provide critical reporting, data analysis and research to partner newsrooms to pursue high-impact accountability journalism. The intended outcomes of this grant are that a more diverse set of people are equipped to bring their perspectives and inquiries to the field of investigative reporting. The grant provides flexible support for the Investigative Reporting Workshop at American University.

The Investigative Reporting Workshop is a professional, nonprofit newsroom operating within the School of Communications at American University. The Workshop produces original investigative reporting on a wide range of topics including the environment, health, criminal justice, national security, immigration, and the economy. It works in collaboration with a range of news outlets across the United States to develop and disseminate stories and projects about government and corporate accountability, while also training journalism students in the craft of investigative reporting. The Workshop produces reports on a variety of media platforms, and is also collaborating with other academic disciplines on the development of a new field called “Accountability Studies,” which bridges journalism, data, and social sciences to establish new methods for holding those in public and private power accountable to the public.

The Center for Media and Social Impact, based at the American University School of Communications, undertakes research to support the field of nonfiction social issue media. This project will research the ethical, legal, and communications’ challenges that filmmakers may face when documenting controversial issues and abuses of power, and provide them with resources and guidance on filmmaking, ethical, legal, and communications processes that will protect themselves and their sources.

The Investigative Reporting Workshop, a professional newsroom, is a project of the School of Communications at American University. It trains a new generation of investigative reporters by pairing graduate students with seasoned reporters. The teams conduct in-depth investigations on an array of underreported topics of national and international significance, including the banking sector, government accountability, climate change, immigration, and more. This grant will support new and ongoing investigations, and the reporting of these stories in multiple forms for different media.

To support the Investigative Reporting Workshop (over three years).