May 24, 2011
Contact: Stephen J. Berry
IowaWatch, the online news service of The Iowa Center for Public Affairs Journalism, has joined a journalism partnership that will provide opportunities to distribute its investigative and explanatory projects nationwide through Thomson Reuters global news service.
The Reuters arrangement also will enable IowaWatch to deliver Reuters’ content to its readers and viewers.
Co-founded and directed by Stephen J. Berry, associate professor of journalism at the University of Iowa’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication, IowaWatch is a non-profit organization that provides professional training to journalism students while they produce multi-media explanatory and investigative projects on serious public affairs issues. The projects are distributed free to non-profit and for-profit news outlets. Since launching on May 29, 2010, it has produced 52 projects, including 13 long-form multi-media projects.
The Reuters partnership was arranged through the Investigative News Network, a nationwide association of non-profit news entities. IowaWatch is among 30 other INN members, including The Center for Public Integrity and The Center for Investigative Reporting, taking part in the partnership.
In announcing the arrangement Monday, Chris Ahearn, president of Media for Thomson Reuters, said he hopes the arrangement will help fill a growing gap in news coverage.
“Publishers are telling us investigative news is extremely valuable, but it seems to be the first thing cut when resources get tight,” he said. “The new relationship with INN is another step towards addressing the market’s need and providing our clients with stories they won’t find anywhere else.”
Kevin Davis, chief executive officer of INN, said, “Investigative reporting is at the forefront of our mission, and we’re excited to expand our reach and serve Reuters clients around the globe.”
INN is the newest component to the comprehensive coverage and delivery platform Reuters is building to meet the diverse needs of publishers and broadcasters around the world. It represents one additional step toward one stop fulfillment of its media client needs worldwide.
