Bureau of Investigative Journalism
Encyclopedia
The Bureau of Investigative Journalism is a British
not-for-profit
news organisation backed by a number of prominent journalists. It is registered as a private, limited by guarantee, no share capital company. It was set up with the aim to produce and encourage independent serious investigations
and to encourage a new generation of reporters. It is based in London
.
The Bureau works out of City University, but remains independent editorially from that University and its backers.
One of the main co-founders is David Potter
, who has invested £2 million into the Bureau.
In September 2009 Iain Overton
was appointed its first managing director.
Media commentator Roy Greenslade
reported that "The creation of the bureau stems from a belief that papers are either unable or unwilling to carry out investigative journalism."
In its first year - 2010/2011 - the Bureau won an Amnesty Award, a Thomson Reuters Award and was shortlisted for an IRE award for its reporting.
Following its official launch in April 2010, the Bureau produced a range of stories that fitted within the organisation's four pillars of investigation: Human Rights, Open Society, Health and the European Union. This included:
WHO
The first report produced by the Bureau in June 2010 focused on the World Health Organisation's (WHO) 2004 influenza pandemic guidelines. Broadcast on Al Jazeera (English), the story revealed how the three main scientists recommending the stockpiling of Tamiflu to the WHO were on the payroll of Roche, the antiviral's pharmaceutical manufacturer.
In light of the report, the WHO committed to reviewing its conflict of interest procedures, and demands for an inquiry were made in the European Parliament.
Election Expenses
In July the Bureau worked with British-based Channel 4 News to highlight possible manipulations of UK general election expenses by prospective members of parliament. Aired over two successive weeks, the reports pinpointed numerous cases of possible breaches of Electoral Commission guidelines by several MPs, predominantly by shifting the cost of promotional materials from one campaign account to another.
The investigation focused in particular on Richmond Park's Conservative Party MP, Zac Goldsmith. Possible inconsistencies in his campaign team's accounting of expenses led to an ongoing (as at 14/12/2010) investigation by the Electoral Commission.
Other inquries were undertaken by the Commission as a result of the Bureau/Channel 4 report, notably into the campaign expenses of government minister Sarah Teather. However, the Commission found no evidence of impropriety.
Public Pay
In September the Bureau unveiled the largest single database on senior public sector salaries ever produced. The culmination of an exhaustive eight-month data and Freedom of Information trawl, over 38,000 public sector jobs paying over £100,000 per year were listed.
An episode of BBC’s flagship current affairs programme, Panorama, was produced as a result of the investigation and an exclusive, searchable database of senior pay packets was placed on the BBC News website.
Iraq War Logs
In October 2010 the Bureau produced two television reports on the occupation of Iraq between 2004-2009 after access to an unprecedented 400,000 US “significant action” reports was given by whistleblower's website Wikileaks.
As the broadcasting arm of the uniquely collaborative project, the Bureau produced a major news special for Al Jazeera in both Arabic and English, and an hour-long documentary for Channel 4’s main current affairs show, Dispatches. The Bureau also produced an exclusive and dedicated war log website.
EU Structural Funds
In December, the Bureau and London’s Financial Times (FT) together published the only database tracking the EU’s Structural Funds produced to date, providing a transparent view into how the €347bn resource is used.
In a series of FT articles spanning five days, a range of systemic flaws, misuses and scams were revealed, including how the Italian mafia have learnt how to exploit the system for their own gain.
Programmes for BBC radio’s File on Four and Al Jazeera’s People and Power were also produced. The team won the annual UACES Thomson Reuters Reporting Europe Prize their BBC Radio 4 programme ‘File on 4: Europe’s Missing Millions’ which aired on 30 November 2010.
Tory Party funding
In 2011 the Bureau began investigating the funding of the UK Conservative party. It found that 50 per cent of donations came from the financial service sector, with such funding totaling £47.76 million since 2005. In addition, 57 individuals from the financial services sector were found to have donated 50,000 GBP each to the Tory party, entitling them to membership of the Leader's Club, which includes such privileges as access to Prime Minister David Cameron and other senior figures. The findings raise uncomfortable questions about the impartiality of decision makers as they set about reforming and regulating the banking industry in the wake of the Global Financial Crisis.
NHS reforms
The Bureau has run a series of investigations into reforms into the UK's National Health Service.
US Covert War
In July 2011 the Bureau published the first in a series of major reports examining aspects of the US covert war on terror, by challenging a US claim that no civilians had been killed in CIA drone strikes in Pakistan since mid-2010. Since then the Bureau has published a number of major reports, including its full, searchable database of all known drone strikes. The Bureau's Covert War team was shortlisted for a prestigious Foreign Press Association award in November 2011.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
not-for-profit
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
news organisation backed by a number of prominent journalists. It is registered as a private, limited by guarantee, no share capital company. It was set up with the aim to produce and encourage independent serious investigations
Investigations
Investigations may refer to:* Griffin Investigations, the most prominent group of private investigators specializing in the gambling industry* "Investigations" , the 36th episode of the television series Star Trek: Voyager...
and to encourage a new generation of reporters. It is based in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
The Bureau works out of City University, but remains independent editorially from that University and its backers.
One of the main co-founders is David Potter
David Potter
David Edwin Potter, CBE, FREng is the founder and chairman of the microcomputer systems company Psion PLC., and Psion Teklogix after Psion's acquisition of Teklogix in the year 2000.-Early life:...
, who has invested £2 million into the Bureau.
In September 2009 Iain Overton
Iain Overton
Iain Overton is a British documentary maker born on 3 August, 1973. He has worked for the BBC and ITN and worked in over 85 countries around the world....
was appointed its first managing director.
Media commentator Roy Greenslade
Roy Greenslade
Roy Greenslade is Professor of Journalism at City University London and has been a media commentator since 1992, most notably for The Guardian....
reported that "The creation of the bureau stems from a belief that papers are either unable or unwilling to carry out investigative journalism."
In its first year - 2010/2011 - the Bureau won an Amnesty Award, a Thomson Reuters Award and was shortlisted for an IRE award for its reporting.
Investigations
2010 - 2011Following its official launch in April 2010, the Bureau produced a range of stories that fitted within the organisation's four pillars of investigation: Human Rights, Open Society, Health and the European Union. This included:
WHO
The first report produced by the Bureau in June 2010 focused on the World Health Organisation's (WHO) 2004 influenza pandemic guidelines. Broadcast on Al Jazeera (English), the story revealed how the three main scientists recommending the stockpiling of Tamiflu to the WHO were on the payroll of Roche, the antiviral's pharmaceutical manufacturer.
In light of the report, the WHO committed to reviewing its conflict of interest procedures, and demands for an inquiry were made in the European Parliament.
Election Expenses
In July the Bureau worked with British-based Channel 4 News to highlight possible manipulations of UK general election expenses by prospective members of parliament. Aired over two successive weeks, the reports pinpointed numerous cases of possible breaches of Electoral Commission guidelines by several MPs, predominantly by shifting the cost of promotional materials from one campaign account to another.
The investigation focused in particular on Richmond Park's Conservative Party MP, Zac Goldsmith. Possible inconsistencies in his campaign team's accounting of expenses led to an ongoing (as at 14/12/2010) investigation by the Electoral Commission.
Other inquries were undertaken by the Commission as a result of the Bureau/Channel 4 report, notably into the campaign expenses of government minister Sarah Teather. However, the Commission found no evidence of impropriety.
Public Pay
In September the Bureau unveiled the largest single database on senior public sector salaries ever produced. The culmination of an exhaustive eight-month data and Freedom of Information trawl, over 38,000 public sector jobs paying over £100,000 per year were listed.
An episode of BBC’s flagship current affairs programme, Panorama, was produced as a result of the investigation and an exclusive, searchable database of senior pay packets was placed on the BBC News website.
Iraq War Logs
In October 2010 the Bureau produced two television reports on the occupation of Iraq between 2004-2009 after access to an unprecedented 400,000 US “significant action” reports was given by whistleblower's website Wikileaks.
As the broadcasting arm of the uniquely collaborative project, the Bureau produced a major news special for Al Jazeera in both Arabic and English, and an hour-long documentary for Channel 4’s main current affairs show, Dispatches. The Bureau also produced an exclusive and dedicated war log website.
EU Structural Funds
In December, the Bureau and London’s Financial Times (FT) together published the only database tracking the EU’s Structural Funds produced to date, providing a transparent view into how the €347bn resource is used.
In a series of FT articles spanning five days, a range of systemic flaws, misuses and scams were revealed, including how the Italian mafia have learnt how to exploit the system for their own gain.
Programmes for BBC radio’s File on Four and Al Jazeera’s People and Power were also produced. The team won the annual UACES Thomson Reuters Reporting Europe Prize their BBC Radio 4 programme ‘File on 4: Europe’s Missing Millions’ which aired on 30 November 2010.
Tory Party funding
In 2011 the Bureau began investigating the funding of the UK Conservative party. It found that 50 per cent of donations came from the financial service sector, with such funding totaling £47.76 million since 2005. In addition, 57 individuals from the financial services sector were found to have donated 50,000 GBP each to the Tory party, entitling them to membership of the Leader's Club, which includes such privileges as access to Prime Minister David Cameron and other senior figures. The findings raise uncomfortable questions about the impartiality of decision makers as they set about reforming and regulating the banking industry in the wake of the Global Financial Crisis.
NHS reforms
The Bureau has run a series of investigations into reforms into the UK's National Health Service.
US Covert War
In July 2011 the Bureau published the first in a series of major reports examining aspects of the US covert war on terror, by challenging a US claim that no civilians had been killed in CIA drone strikes in Pakistan since mid-2010. Since then the Bureau has published a number of major reports, including its full, searchable database of all known drone strikes. The Bureau's Covert War team was shortlisted for a prestigious Foreign Press Association award in November 2011.