The Bureau of Investigative Journalism — A UK Journalism Organisation UK JournoHub Recommends
The Bureau of Investigative Journalism is a UK not-for-profit newsroom producing long-form investigations, funded by philanthropic grants and reader donations rather than advertising. UK JournoHub highlights their work because open-access, well-resourced investigative journalism benefits the whole industry.
Many of the Bureau's investigations are made available for republishing, and their data and methodology are often published alongside their stories — a model that helps local and regional outlets extend the reach of national investigations they could not otherwise resource.
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Why UK JournoHub Features the Bureau
Investigative journalism is expensive and slow, which is exactly why it is disappearing from many commercially funded newsrooms. The Bureau of Investigative Journalism exists to keep it alive using a different funding model — philanthropy and reader donations — that removes the commercial pressure to abandon long-running stories.
What makes the Bureau particularly useful to the wider industry is its openness. Much of its output is made available for republishing on generous terms, and its data and methodology are frequently published alongside the finished journalism. For local and regional newsrooms without the resources to run months-long investigations themselves, this is a direct route to serious accountability journalism their own readers can benefit from.
We feature the Bureau because our own investigative and data journalism hubs cover the skills and workflows involved in this kind of reporting, and the Bureau is a live, working example of that approach at scale — along with training and fellowship opportunities for journalists who want to build those skills themselves.
What the Bureau of Investigative Journalism Does
The Bureau of Investigative Journalism is a UK not-for-profit newsroom. Rather than relying on advertising revenue, it is funded through philanthropic grants and reader donations, which allows it to commit to investigations that take months or years and may not have a guaranteed commercial payoff.
Long-Form Investigations
In-depth, original investigative journalism across beats including health, environment, policing, and international affairs, produced to the timescale the story requires rather than a commercial news cycle.
Open-Access Republishing
Much of the Bureau's journalism is made available for republishing under Creative Commons or similar open terms, extending the reach of investigations to outlets that could not resource them independently.
Training and Fellowships
Programmes aimed at working journalists and students that build investigative skills, from data analysis to source handling to long-form structure.
Data and Methodology
Publication of underlying datasets and methodology notes alongside investigations, supporting transparency and enabling other journalists to build local or follow-up stories.
Why Journalists and Editors Should Know About the Bureau
The Bureau's model and output are directly relevant to reporters and editors working under resourcing pressure:
- ›A working example of philanthropic funding
Journalists exploring nonprofit or reader-funded models for their own outlets can study the Bureau as a long-running, credible example of how philanthropic funding supports investigative work without compromising editorial independence.
- ›Republishing as a resourcing strategy
Editors at local and regional outlets without an investigations desk can use Bureau republishing terms to bring serious accountability journalism to their own readers, provided they follow the specific licence attached to each piece.
- ›Data as a story-generation resource
Published datasets and methodology notes give journalists a starting point to localise national investigations, verify claims independently, or extend the Bureau's findings with their own reporting.
- ›A route into investigative skills
Reporters looking to move into investigative work can look to Bureau training and fellowship opportunities as one route to building the specific skills the beat requires.
Practical scenarios where knowing about the Bureau matters
A local newsroom without investigations capacity: An editor wants to run serious accountability journalism but has no spare reporting hours for a months-long investigation. Checking whether a relevant Bureau investigation is available for republishing is a fast, credible option.
Building a local angle on a national story: A Bureau investigation into a national issue is published with underlying data. A regional reporter can use that data to find and verify a local angle relevant to their own readership.
Developing investigative skills: A reporter wants to move from general news into investigative work. Bureau training or fellowship programmes, when open, offer a structured route to build relevant skills.
How Journalists and Editors Can Engage with the Bureau
Check republishing terms for a story
If a Bureau investigation is relevant to your readers, check the specific republishing or Creative Commons terms attached to that piece before reprinting.
Republishing terms→Explore published data and methodology
Many Bureau investigations are accompanied by underlying data and methodology notes. Use these as a starting point for follow-up or local reporting.
Bureau investigations→Apply for training or fellowships
When open, Bureau training and fellowship programmes offer working journalists and students a structured route into investigative skills.
Training and fellowships→Support the Bureau's journalism
As a reader-funded and philanthropically supported newsroom, the Bureau relies on donations to sustain its investigations. Individuals and organisations can support their work directly.
Donate→Notable Areas of the Bureau's Work
Health and public services investigations. The Bureau has a track record of investigating health and public service failures, using its philanthropic funding model to sustain reporting timescales that commercially funded newsrooms often cannot.
Environmental and corporate accountability. Long-form investigations into environmental harm and corporate conduct are a recurring feature of the Bureau's output, frequently supported by published data that other journalists can build on.
Local investigations coordination. The Bureau also coordinates investigative work with local and independent newsrooms through its Bureau Local network, extending investigative capacity beyond its own newsroom to reporters across the UK.
Bureau Resources for Journalists
The Bureau publishes resources directly relevant to journalists and editors. All of these are on their own website.
Related Guides on UK JournoHub
Visit the Bureau of Investigative Journalism
Everything on this page is drawn from the Bureau's own website. For investigations, data, republishing terms, and training, go directly to thebureauinvestigates.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the Bureau of Investigative Journalism?
Is UK JournoHub partnered with the Bureau of Investigative Journalism?
Does the Bureau of Investigative Journalism regulate the press?
Can I republish Bureau investigations in my own outlet?
How do I apply for a Bureau fellowship or training programme?
How can UK journalists use Bureau data and methodology?
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