The Center for Investigative Reporting (CIR), a nonprofit investigative reporting organization, announced this week that it will launch a new channel on YouTube. The channel, which is expected to be launched in July, will be a hub of investigative journalism curated by CIR. The channel is being launched in part by an $800,000 contribution by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
“One of the goals of this partnership will be to raise the profile and visibility of high-impact storytelling through video,” said Robert J. Rosenthal, executive director of CIR. “We hope this initiative generates revenue that supports the work of nonprofit organizations and independent filmmakers everywhere. Collaborative efforts like this are no longer the future of journalism; they are today’s reality.”
CIR stated the channel will feature the work of both major broadcasters and independent producers from around the world. Some of the contributors to the channel are already announced and include National Public Radio, ABC News, The New York Times, the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, the Center for Public Integrity, American University’s Investigative Reporting Workshop, and Independent Television Service. In addition, CIR will seek submissions from freelance journalists and member organizations of the Investigative News Network (INN). The INN is a non-profit organization that represents the interests of nonpartisan news organizations across North America.
“We are very excited at the opportunity to expand the size of the audience for public-interest journalism through the YouTube platform,” said Kevin Davis, CEO and executive director of the Investigative News Network. “We believe that this channel can increase the impact of accountability journalism in a way that both engages and informs.”
There is no firm date yet on when the new channel will launch, but those interested can already view many videos from CIR on the CIRvideos YouTube channel. Donations to the organization can also be made from that page. CIR co-hosted the first “TechRaking” conference with Google this week. The conference covered the future of news through the lens of advancing technology.