Investigative Reporting Program
The Investigative Reporting Program is a UC Berkeley Journalism nonprofit newsroom and teaching institute, founded in 2007 and led by four-time Pulitzer winner David Barstow, that trains graduate students through real-world investigative projects distributed via major media partners.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2007
- HeadquartersBerkeley, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Investigative Reporting Program does
The Investigative Reporting Program (IRP) is a nonprofit newsroom and teaching institute embedded within UC Berkeley Journalism, founded in 2007 through an initial gift from the Reva and David Logan Foundation and led since by four-time Pulitzer Prize winner David Barstow as the Reva and David Logan Distinguished Chair in Investigative Journalism. The program operates a hybrid academic/newsroom model: it recruits Berkeley Journalism graduate students, who work under professional editors and reporters to produce investigative projects, and distributes the resulting journalism through partnerships with major outlets including The Washington Post, The New York Times, PBS FRONTLINE, The Guardian, CNN, Reveal, ProPublica, CalMatters, and The San Francisco Chronicle. Its core products are the IRP training-and-newsroom program, the Police Records Access Project (a UC Berkeley/Stanford collaborative that has published 1.5 million pages of once-secret California law enforcement records), the Aging in America series (funded by The SCAN Foundation), and the annual Logan Symposium convening investigative journalism leaders.
The IRP's underlying technology is investigative reporting methodology, public-records analysis, and data journalism rather than a software platform; the Police Records Access Project is the principal technical asset, functioning as a data infrastructure for accountability reporting. The business model is philanthropic: revenue comes from foundation grants (Reva & David Logan Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, The SCAN Foundation, Heising-Simons Foundation), individual donors, and in-kind university support, with a Heising-Simons capital gift having funded a dedicated building. There is no fee to students, who are matriculated Berkeley Journalism graduate students, and no fee to media partners; consequently, the program has no traditional pricing model and no traditional customers, and is not a candidate for venture-style scaling.
Investigative Reporting Program firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Investigative Reporting Program
- Legal name
- The Regents of the University of California
- Website
- https://investigativereportingprogram.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2007
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The Investigative Reporting Program is a UC Berkeley Journalism nonprofit newsroom and teaching institute, founded in 2007 and led by four-time Pulitzer winner David Barstow, that trains graduate students through real-world investigative projects distributed via major media partners.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Investigative Reporting Program industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Investigative Journalism Education
- NAICS
- Newspaper Publishers (513110), Newspaper Publishers (51311)
- SIC
- Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Investigative & Nonprofit News Organizations (MPAJADAF)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Data Journalism & News Intelligence Publishers (Indexes, Election/Market Data) (MPAJADAK)
Keywords
Where Investigative Reporting Program is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Berkeley
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Investigative Reporting Program business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Foundation Grants: Major funding from foundations including Reva & David Logan Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, The SCAN Foundation, and Heising-Simons Foundation. These foundations provide program support and capital for operations.
- Individual Donors: Individual donors provide major program support and have long been the base of funding for the IRP.
- University Support: UC Berkeley Journalism provides institutional support including facilities (offices sponsored by Heising-Simons Foundation) and administrative infrastructure.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Investigative Reporting Program product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Investigative Reporting Program is a nonprofit newsroom and teaching institute at UC Berkeley Journalism that trains graduate journalism students through hands-on investigative reporting projects while producing high-impact investigative journalism. It generates award-winning stories published in major outlets including the Washington Post, New York Times, PBS FRONTLINE, and The Guardian, covering issues such as police misconduct, government accountability, and aging in America.
Product overview
The Investigative Reporting Program (IRP) is a nonprofit newsroom and teaching institute at UC Berkeley Journalism that operates as a single unified program producing investigative journalism. The core IRP offering combines hands-on student training with professional investigative reporting, producing high-impact investigations published in outlets such as The Washington Post, Reveal, The New York Times, and PBS FRONTLINE. Key program components include the Police Records Access Project (a data-driven records analysis initiative focused on police misconduct), the Aging in America story series (supported by The SCAN Foundation), and The Logan Symposium (an annual convening of investigative journalism leaders). The IRP is led by four-time Pulitzer Prize winner David Barstow as the Reva and David Logan Distinguished Chair in Investigative Journalism.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Police Records Access Project: An interdisciplinary collaborative that requests and analyzes records from law enforcement agencies to report on police violence and misconduct cases around California, with a focus toward community-engaged and impactful journalism.
- Logan Symposium
- Aging in America
Products and services
- Investigative Reporting Program (IRP) A nonprofit newsroom and teaching institute at UC Berkeley Journalism that trains graduate journalism students through real-world investigative reporting projects and produces high-impact investigative journalism stories exposing injustice and abuse of power. The program is led by four-time Pulitzer Prize winner David Barstow.
- Police Records Access Project An interdisciplinary collaborative initiative that requests and analyzes public records from law enforcement agencies to report on police violence and misconduct cases in California, with a focus on community-engaged journalism. The project has made public 1.5 million pages of once-secret police records.
- Aging in America Series A story series exploring programs and policies that enable older adults to live more independently, as well as disparities and barriers that keep them from fully engaging in their communities. Made possible by grants from The SCAN Foundation.
- The Logan Symposium An annual invitation-only event hosted by Berkeley Journalism's Investigative Reporting Program since 2007 that brings together top investigative journalists, newsroom leaders, media attorneys, academics, foundations, and philanthropists to address critical issues confronting the field.
Quantifiable outcome
- Stories published in top-tier outlets including Washington Post, New York Times, PBS FRONTLINE, The Guardian, CNN, and San Francisco Chronicle
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Investigative Reporting Program
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Investigative Reporting Program technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Investigative Reporting Program partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- UC Berkeley and Stanford (Police Records Access Project)coreInterdisciplinary collaborative for the Police Records Access Project that requests and analyzes records from law enforcement agencies. With partners at UC Berkeley and Stanford and journalists across California.
- The Washington PostcoreMajor media outlet that receives and publishes investigative reporting projects produced by IRP students, providing broad national distribution for student work
- The New York TimescoreLeading national newspaper that has published investigative reporting projects from IRP students
- PBS FRONTLINEcorePrestigious documentary program that has aired investigative reporting projects from IRP students
- Reveal from The Center for Investigative ReportingcoreNonprofit investigative newsroom that collaborates with IRP on investigative projects
- The San Francisco ChroniclecoreRegional newspaper that has published investigative work by IRP alumni including Katey Rusch ('20)
- CNNmajorMajor cable news network that has published stories by IRP alumni including Holly McDede ('25)
- The GuardianmajorInternational news outlet that has published investigative reporting by IRP staff including Bernice Yeung, Aaron Glantz and Noy Thrupkaew
- KQEDmajorNorthern California public radio station and media partner
- Los Angeles TimesmajorMajor California newspaper listed as a media partner
- ProPublicamajorNonprofit investigative journalism organization listed as a media partner
- CalMattersmajorCalifornia-focused nonprofit news outlet listed as a media partner
- Inside Climate NewsminorClimate-focused news outlet listed as a media partner
- The Marshall ProjectminorNonprofit news organization focused on criminal justice, listed as a media partner
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Investigative Reporting Program competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- CalMatters: California-focused nonprofit news outlet and listed IRP media partner. Comparable as a regional nonprofit newsroom producing investigative accountability journalism with foundation support.
- ProPublica: Independent, nonprofit investigative newsroom producing high-impact accountability journalism distributed to major national outlets. Most direct comparable to the IRP by mission, funding model (foundation grants), and distribution partnerships.
- Inside Climate News: Nonprofit investigative newsroom focused on climate and the environment, listed as an IRP media partner. Comparable as a topic-focused nonprofit newsroom funded by philanthropic grants.
- The Marshall Project: Nonprofit newsroom focused on criminal-justice investigative reporting, listed as a media partner of the IRP. Comparable as a specialized nonprofit investigative outlet funded by foundations.
- The Center for Investigative Reporting (Reveal): Nonprofit investigative newsroom producing Reveal, with which the IRP has a direct distribution partnership. Highly comparable mission, output style, and reliance on philanthropic funding.
Emerging players
- Institute for Nonprofit News: Industry network supporting nonprofit newsrooms including investigative outlets. Comparable as the connective tissue across the same philanthropic-news ecosystem the IRP depends on for funding and partnerships.
- Arizona State University Walter Cronkite School of Journalism: Public-university journalism school that operates professional newsrooms and investigative reporting training programs. Comparable as a peer academic-journalism hybrid with foundation and donor funding.
Broad incumbents
- Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY: Public-university graduate journalism school with an investigative track and nonprofit newsroom training model. Comparable as an academic institution combining journalism education with public-interest reporting.
- Nieman Foundation for Journalism (Harvard): Harvard-based foundation supporting journalism fellowships, investigative training, and reporting. Comparable as an academic institution that funds and elevates investigative journalism work, though with a fellowship rather than newsroom model.
- Columbia Journalism School: Premier US graduate journalism school that hosts investigative reporting programs and the duPont-Columbia Awards. Comparable as an academic institution training investigative reporters and producing investigative work, but much larger and broader in scope.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Investigative Reporting Program social profiles
Digital presenceInvestigative Reporting Program financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Investigative Reporting Program leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
Investigative Reporting Program funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
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Investigative Reporting Program M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Investigative Reporting Program
What does Investigative Reporting Program do?
The Investigative Reporting Program is a nonprofit newsroom and teaching institute at UC Berkeley Journalism that trains graduate journalism students through hands-on investigative reporting projects while producing high-impact investigative journalism. It generates award-winning stories published in major outlets including the Washington Post, New York Times, PBS FRONTLINE, and The Guardian, covering issues such as police misconduct, government accountability, and aging in America.
Is Investigative Reporting Program a public or private company?
Investigative Reporting Program is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was Investigative Reporting Program founded?
Investigative Reporting Program was founded in 2007. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Investigative Reporting Program based?
Investigative Reporting Program is headquartered in Berkeley, United States, in the North America region.
How does Investigative Reporting Program make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Foundation Grants are the primary driver. The others are individual Donors and university Support.
Who are Investigative Reporting Program's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are CalMatters, ProPublica, Inside Climate News, The Marshall Project and The Center for Investigative Reporting (Reveal). Emerging players are Institute for Nonprofit News and Arizona State University Walter Cronkite School of Journalism. Broad incumbents are Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY, Nieman Foundation for Journalism (Harvard) and Columbia Journalism School.
Does Investigative Reporting Program have an API?
No public API is recorded for Investigative Reporting Program.
What industry is Investigative Reporting Program in?
Investigative Reporting Program's product category is Investigative Journalism Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJADAF, Investigative & Nonprofit News Organizations, with a secondary code of MPAJADAK, Data Journalism & News Intelligence Publishers (Indexes, Election/Market Data). Its NAICS code is 513110 and its SIC code is 2711.