Investigative Fund Offers Deeper Coverage

We are proud to announce the launch of The Jewish Week Investigative Journalism Fund.

At a time when news organizations are facing economic hardships and cutting back on expenses, when in-depth, enterprise reporting is seen as a luxury and important issues are too often left unexplored, the board and staff of The Jewish Week believe it is vital to redouble our efforts to keep our community informed.

Sometimes that will mean shining a light on those aspects of Jewish life that tend to remain in the shadows. But we are not just looking for scandals. We want to be able to report thoughtfully and more fully on trends — positive or negative — that will have an impact on our community.

Investigative reporting is not cost-effective. It is labor-intensive and sometimes, after much research, one finds that the premise of the story does not hold up. But the benefits of producing worthy stories can be far-reaching and long-lasting, at times helping to right a wrong or call attention to an issue that deserves wide discussion.

Our goal is to serve the public interest by telling the truth — about, to and for the community.

We also hope to strengthen the value and work of an independent press in Jewish communal life.

We want to enable journalists — staff members and freelancers — to take the time required to pursue worthy projects of concern in the community. And we want to bridge the gap in understanding and awareness between and among various segments of the community by deepening the coverage of Jewish life with accurate, firsthand reporting.

A committee made up of Jewish Week board members will review proposals, and our editors will make assignments. We encourage our readers to suggest ideas for topics by e-mailing us at inve…@jewishweek.org.

We believe that the strength of a society is determined in part by the independence and vibrancy of its media, and we are confident that both will benefit from the deeper, fair-minded coverage provided through the new fund.