News Topic:

Investigative Reporting Program

Featured Staff: Christine Schiavo

August 13, 2021

Christine Schiavo has spent 30 years in the trenches of local journalism and seen its struggles firsthand: layoffs at The Philadelphia Inquirer, the loss of nearly the entire copy desk at The Morning Call in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and the permanent closure of that paper’s newsroom last year. But even as staff and resources shrank and…

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Alumni Portrait: Alyssa Jeong Perry of NPR’s “Code Switch”

May 7, 2021

For Alyssa Jeong Perry (’16), the recent wave of anti-Asian violence has underscored the need to report on the diversity within the Asian American community. Perry, who is Korean American, is a producer at National Public Radio’s “Code Switch” podcast, where she feels fortunate to be able to report deeply on issues of race, ethnic…

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Inside Climate News & the Investigative Reporting Program uncover potential health hazards from storage tanks

April 19, 2021

An 18-month investigation by Inside Climate News in collaboration with Berkeley Journalism’s Investigative Reporting Program (IRP) found that bulk storage tanks that hold asphalt and heavy fuels pose a potential health risk to millions of Americans living near the tanks — a national problem that has gone largely unregulated. In “Noxious Neighbors,” Berkeley Journalism alum…

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Berkeley Journalism collaborates with FRONTLINE, ProPublica on “American Insurrection”

April 9, 2021

Berkeley Journalism’s Investigative Reporting Program (IRP) is collaborating with the PBS series FRONTLINE and ProPublica on “American Insurrection,” a documentary about the threat posed by militia groups, white supremacists and other extremist groups, scheduled for release on April 13. The 90-minute documentary features in-depth reporting by alumna Gisela Pérez de Acha (’20) and two students…

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Alumni Portrait: Freelance investigative reporter Jimmy Tobias

March 29, 2021

For Jimmy Tobias (’16), investigative reporting is a lot like building a trail. “It’s a slow, deliberate enterprise that rewards experience and attention to detail,” he said. Tobias knows quite a bit about both. Before attending Berkeley Journalism, he worked as a wilderness trail technician for the U.S. Forest Service and the Montana Conservation Corps, which he describes…

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“Mauled” investigation named finalist for Goldsmith Prize

March 17, 2021

The investigative project “Mauled: When Police Dogs Are Weapons” led by Berkeley Journalism lecturer Abbie VanSickle with research by student Michelle Pitcher (’21) has been named a finalist for the prestigious Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting. “Mauled” is a year-long collaboration between The Marshall Project, AL.com, IndyStar and the Invisible Institute and exposed the widespread use and abuse of police dogs…

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Alumni Portrait: Reporter Parker Yesko of investigative podcast “In The Dark”

March 17, 2021

Parker Yesko (’16) always knew she wanted to be a criminal justice reporter. But she never would have predicted that just two years out of journalism school, her work would help to overturn a murder conviction and set a man free. About a year after graduating from Berkeley Journalism, Yesko landed a job as an…

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Journalists explore redressing the wrongs of journalism

March 10, 2021

Four leading journalists discussed efforts to transform news coverage of race, social justice, agriculture and other key issues in a panel called “Writing and Righting the Wrongs of Journalism” held at UC Berkeley on March 8. Moderated by Berkeley Journalism Dean Geeta Anand, the panel featured Monika Bauerlein, CEO of Mother Jones, America’s longest-established investigative news organization; Wesley…

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IRP reporter reflects on “The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez”

March 1, 2021

One year ago, the searing six-part docuseries “The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez” began streaming on Netflix. The film, based on reporting by Garrett Therolf of Berkeley Journalism’s Investigative Reporting Program (IRP), examines the brutal 2013 death of 8-year-old Gabriel Fernandez by his mother and her boyfriend and how misguided policies fail to protect children in peril. Brian Knappenberger is the…

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“Agents of Chaos” documentary nominated for Writers Guild Award

February 16, 2021

“Agents of Chaos,” a four-hour HBO documentary about Donald Trump and Russia’s interference in the 2016 election based on reporting by Berkeley Journalism’s Investigative Reporting Program (IRP) and Investigative Studios, has been nominated for best documentary script at the Writers Guild Awards. The film was streamed in two parts and each of the two-hour segments were nominated individually. The film…

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