The IJB’s research activities include systematic investigations intended to improve journalistic techniques and develop principles and knowledge about investigative journalism. We also work to develop and publish knowledge, facts, and ideas on matters of public interest that enlighten, inform and generate important discussions.
By working on high-impact, multidisciplinary projects, students learn public advocacy, core journalism and ethical reporting skills. Broader public interest is also served by in-depth, contextualized examinations of important issues.
The IJB was envisioned by Robert Cribb, award-winning investigative reporter and the Bureau’s founding director. It is built on a decade of experimenting with a model to bridge the investigative journalism classroom with the newsroom. That pioneering work has resulted in dozens of major investigations from student-led projects moving onto newspaper front pages and television screens over the past decade.
The Bureau works in partnership with major media organizations in Canada, the United States and overseas, as well as with teaching programs throughout the world.
Journalistic standards
The IJB adheres to the Canadian Association of Journalists’ Ethics Guidelines. These guidelines help inform the work we do and cover key journalistic principles including accountability, accuracy, fairness, independence and transparency, among others. The full guidelines can be found here.
Editorial independence
The IJB retains full authority over editorial content to protect the best journalistic and business interests of our organization. News coverage decisions and sources of revenue are distinct and separate. Acceptance of financial support does not constitute implied or actual endorsement of donors or their products, services or opinions.
We accept gifts, grants and sponsorships from individuals and organizations for the general support of our activities, but our news judgments are made independently and not on the basis of donor support.
Our organization may consider donations to support the coverage of particular topics, but our organization maintains editorial control of the coverage. We will cede no right of review or influence of editorial content, nor of unauthorized distribution of editorial content.
Funders
The Investigative Journalism Bureau is supported by Toronto business executive and investigative journalism aficionado Gerry Gotfrit. The funding will support research, education, and knowledge translation activities in public health and health system journalism, and in cross-discipline topics and themes.
Postmedia’s funding investment, as part of a shared commitment to high-impact investigative journalism, helps extend the reach of the IJB’s important work to wide audiences while also investing in the next generation of investigative reporters.
The Reva and David Logan Foundation provides operational funding, supporting the continued work of the IJB.
The IJB also receives support from Unifor, Canada’s largest private sector and media union. Unifor funds two paid summer internships annually and contributes to the CJF Black Journalism Fellowship program at the IJB.
A contribution provided by Neil Seeman and the Seeman family, matched by the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, has supported the launch of the The Mary and Philip Seeman Mental Health Investigative Journalism Fund. This fund will enables the IJB to further its work in unearthing the structural difficulties and finding novel solutions to the youth mental health crisis.
From 2021 to 2024, funding from the Toronto Star helped to bolster and expand the IJB’s innovative research and reporting model and extend Torstar’s historic commitment to high-impact investigative journalism in Canada.
The IJB is part of a team of researchers led by Neil Seeman who were awarded a $15,000 grant from the University of Toronto’s Council of Health Sciences (CHS) in October 2021. The team will open source text analysis to examine the private, “taboo” reasons that some people express for wanting the COVID-19 vaccine.
The Donner Canadian Foundation has supported the IJB projects that focused on youth mental health and Indigenous infrastructure gaps in Canada.
The McLean Foundation contributes operational funding, helping to support the ongoing efforts of the IJB.
Empire Communities has been a long-term supporter of the IJB’s mission to strengthen public-interest journalism.
The Canadian Centre for Child Protection has also partnered with us to elevate reporting that protects and advocates for children.
R. Howard Webster Foundation has helped support our efforts to inform and empower Canadian communities.
The Barry and Laurie Green Family Charitable Trust has been a proud supporter of our 2024 Indigenous reporting initiative.
The IJB won The Data-Driven Reporting Project from the Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications and the Google News Initiative. The competitive award comes with a $100,000 USD prize, which will go to support one of the IJB’s ambitious public health reporting projects.
Donor transparency
The IJB follows the University of Toronto’s guidelines for donor transparency, which can be found here.
Any donations the IJB receives are used to further our mission of producing high-impact investigative journalism while simultaneously training the next generation of investigative journalists. Funds can go to our general operating budget as well as directly finance our projects.
We choose which issues we want to investigate independently from our funders. Donors have no say in editorial content or process.
As a general policy, donors are acknowledged by the IJB for their donations. We recognize some donors may not wish to be publicly recognized for privacy reasons. We respect these decisions and will review such requests on a case-by-case basis.
Journalism Networks
The IJB is one of three Canadian members of the Institute for Nonprofit News, which is a body of more than 300 non-profit newsrooms across the globe. Members must adhere to strict standards of editorial independence and financial transparency.
