We knew it was coming, but the Center for Investigative Reporting (CIR) has today launched a new YouTube channel in partnership with some of the biggest media brands and broadcasters, offering a dedicated conduit for investigative news reporting.
Funded by Knight Foundation, The I Files will be curated by CIR and feature contributions from ABC News, BBC, the New York Times, Al Jazeera and the Investigative News Network (INN), which consists of 60 non-profit news organizations including the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, the Investigative Reporting Workshop and the Center for Public Integrity CIR. It will also reel in videos from freelance video journalists and independent filmmakers from around the globe.
Founded in 1977, the Center for Investigative Reporting is one of the US’s oldest non-profit investigative news organizations. Its stories appear on the likes of NPR News, PBS Frontline, PBS NEWSHOUR, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, Washington Post, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Sacramento Bee, The Daily Beast and more.
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The debut of The I Files channel will feature ten investigative videos and a handful of playlists, showcasing the work of contributors from the New York Times, students from the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism and more.
CIR’s contribution includes two exclusive stories: Jane Doe #1, the first ever interview with the woman whose testimony exposed and brought down Yusuf Bey, the founder of a Muslim group responsible for the murder of African-American journalist Chauncey Bailey in 2007.
Other videos include the New York Times’ three part series, Punched Out, about the life and death of a National Hockey League enforcer; an ABC News award-winning three part investigation into the death of an American Peace Corps volunteer abroad; and a series of reports from inside Syria, where a BBC reporter has spent weeks with Syrian rebels as they organize attacks.
“The I Files is poised to make investigative reporting more web-centric, vibrant and social, in a way we hope attracts more viewers and interest for the enterprise journalism communities depend on,” says Michael Maness, vice president for journalism and media innovation at Knight Foundation, which is providing $800,000 in support.
CIR is also launching The I Files Future Award, a contest that challenges journalism students to submit their best work, with the best winning a $2,500 prize.
Meanwhile, you can follow The I Files on: Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Google+ AND Pinterest, and you can view the official promo video below.
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