Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism
It was reported today that longtime
Wisconsin State Journal investigative reporter Andy Hall is leaving the newspaper and striking out on his own.
An article in today's paper states that Hall is the executive director and sole initial employee of the
Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, an organization so new it doesn't appear to have its own website yet.
Andy is one of the nicest guys and sharpest journalists that I know. He's a solid reporter, and knows how to get to the bottom of a story, even a complicated story. Watching old video footage of John McCain during last year's presidential campaign I was surprised to catch a glimpse of Andy. He was one of the
Arizona Republic reporters who investigated McCain's involvement in
the 1989 Keating 5 scandal. He's a longtime member of
IRE, Investigative Reporters and Editors and has won numerous reporting awards.
According to the story Andy is not so much leaving the
State Journal as he is joining with Wisconsin Public Radio and Television and the UW-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication in a partnership to provide information about public issues, government ethics and public safety to news media across the state.
I'm curious to see how this partnership works out. Other partners are involved and funding will come from foundations and individuals. The
State Journal has provided $2000 in seed money.
In the brave new world of journalism, as old media struggles to stay viable and new media struggles to become viable, collaborations like this may have staying power. I hope so. In concept at least, this appears to be First Amendment journalism at its best.
Post Script: I read this story in the "dead tree" edition of the
Wisconsin State Journal, not the online edition. I went looking for it in the online edition and it didn't seem to be posted, at least as I scanned the headlines. The only way that I found it online was through Google. Which makes me wonder, why is it that there are more stories in the printed version, with limited content, than there are online, which theoretically has unlimited content? That's one of the reasons I still prefer to read the foldable version, more relevant content.