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A.P. To Distribute Nonprofits' Investigative Journalism

Posted by kdawson on from the live-to-pry-another-day dept.

The NY Times is reporting on the Associated Press's decision to distribute the investigative journalism of four nonprofit groups. This ought to benefit both struggling newspapers, which have cut investigative staff, and the nonprofits where, we can hope, many of those laid-off journalists are plying their trade. It's refreshing to see this kind of forward thinking coming out of an organization not normally known for its progressiveness. "Starting on July 1, the A.P. will deliver work by the Center for Public Integrity, the Investigative Reporting Workshop at American University, the Center for Investigative Reporting, and ProPublica to the 1,500 American newspapers that are A.P. members, which will be free to publish the material. The A.P. called the arrangement a six-month experiment that could later be broadened to include other investigative nonprofits, and to serve its nonmember clients, which include broadcast and Internet outlets."

5 of 56 comments (clear)

  1. AP also is non-profit by Toe,+The · · Score: 4, Informative

    Just for the edification of the reader... the AP also is a not-for-profit cooperative.

  2. No better than the rest by R2.0 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    From the article:

    At the same time, independent groups doing investigative journalism have grown in number and size, fueled by foundations and wealthy patrons, and are offering their work to newspapers, magazines, television and radio news programs, and news Web sites. [emphasis added]

    Lets all take a cue from Woodward and Bernstein, who all these J school grads aspire to emulate - follow the money. These groups are being funded by people with agendas, just like the media they purport to study/critique.

    --
    "As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly." A. Carlson
  3. Sideways... by owlnation · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I think this is a step sideways. The term "not for profit" is very misleading. In fact, most such organizations need to get their name and "issues" out there to raise funds. Hence, there's plenty of biased, scaremongering stories that comes from non-profit orgs, NGOs and charities. In fact, almost all scaremongering stories come from those very sources. Sensationalist headlines means the organizations name is out there along with a guilt trip designed to encourage people to donate to "fight" whatever issue is being trumped.

    Many, if not all, Newspapers already regurgitate press releases from non-profit orgs as news. What would really help newspapers is to stop relying on press releases, and stop relying on the the A.P. or Reuters etc., and actually get out there and investigate actual news. Where are the Bob Woodwards? Those type of guys are what newspapers need. That will save them. There's plenty of stories and scandals in every national and local government, in every corporation -- things we really NEED to know about. But we're not finding out about because no-one is digging into them any more.

    Blogs or Google News, or other news feeds, are the perfect places to report things from A.P. or non-profits, or entertainment P.R. Newspapers should be the sources of comment and actual investigative journalism.

    1. Re:Sideways... by R2.0 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Where are the Bob Woodwards? Those type of guys are what newspapers need.

      I mention him higher up, although not in the same light. In my opinion Woodward and Bernstein form the root of the current rot in journalism - The idea that the journalist should be the story. Every J-school grad wants to be the one who brings down a President, not because of any sense of justice, but because they want to be powerful and important. That may or may not have been what drove W & B (I believe more in the former than the latter), but it surely drives those who came after, and even theri contemporaries.

      As soon as journalists started viewing themselves as the 4th branch of government instead of a profession that served that role, they became part of the problem.

      --
      "As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly." A. Carlson
  4. More propaganda by Kohath · · Score: 4, Informative

    I don't know about the others, but ProPublica is a left-wing propaganda organization. It was founded by Herbert and Marion Sandler, from Time's 25 people to blame for the financial crisis. It has provided propaganda stories to newspapers around the country disguised as news....

    On second thought, that should fit right in with the rest of what the AP distributes.