By Robert Cribb
When I first pondered the idea of hosting an international investigative journalism conference in Toronto, I dismissed it as momentary mental instability. It was the fall of 2023, just three years into the launch of our small non-profit newsroom. We’d made a significant impact with our reporting—shaping policies, changing attitudes, and raising awareness on a range of vital public interest issues. But a cross-border investigative conference bringing together prestigious muckrakers, thinkers and students from across Canada and the U.S.? Admittedly, I wasn’t sure we could pull it off.
The first call I made was to Ron Nixon of the Associated Press, a legend in investigative journalism and a dear friend. We couldn’t offer to pay him anything or even cover his travel, but without hesitation, he was in. One call after another, from Pulitzer Prize-winning David Cay Johnston to the Toronto Star’s Nicole McIntyre and TVO’s Laurie Few, the response was a resounding yes. Momentum grew and so did my faith in what we could accomplish.
The inaugural IJB Investigative Journalism Conference, co-hosted with the U.S.-based Investigative Reporters and Editors, turned out to be an overwhelming success. There’s a special magic that happens when you put a group of razor-sharp journalists in a room together for two days. Ideas pop, solutions slowly emerge, a sense of collective mission starts to creep in. It’s intoxicating and inspiring.
The generosity of these giants of our industry, who shared their time, insights, and knowledge, with a room of fully engaged reporters of all ages and stages, hungry to glean and to grow, was humbling.
I want to express my deepest gratitude to everyone who made this event possible. A special thanks goes out to those who spoke on our panels, IJB staff, IRE, and our partners at The Creative School at Toronto Metropolitan University for their incredible support in bringing this vision to life.
To see this event come to life is a testament to the strength of the community that surrounds our newsroom. The dedication and passion of so many who believe in public interest journalistic excellence, have kept us alive. Every day, our small team engages in conversations about how to sustain this mission. Despite the challenges we face, the conference showed us that there is a tremendous amount of hope for the future.
To say I’m grateful would be an understatement. It even got me thinking about making it an annual event. But that’s irrational.
Rob Cribb
IJB founder and director
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