View all newsletters
Sign up for our free email newsletters

Fighting for quality news media in the digital age.

Channel 4 funds investigative journalism web project

By Alison Battisby

A new investigative journalism website that aims to give more power to the public has been awarded funding from Channel 4, it was announced today.

The project, Help Me Investigate, is focused on the community and will allow any member of the public to submit a question they would like answering.

Channel 4’s Innovation for the Public fund, 4ip, has partnered with Screen West Midlands to fund the collaborative site.

Paul Bradshaw, creator of the site and online journalism lecturer at Birmingham City University, said he sees Help Me Investigate as a toolkit for people.

He said: “People can contribute their expertise to answer specific questions, and journalists with no resources could use the site to call on the community for help.”

Bradshaw believes that the site will be hugely beneficial to journalists, and is already talking to media organisations in the UK and overseas who are interested in using the model.

The site will launch this month in test mode, inviting users to ask questions about local issues such as hospital parking charges, the expenses of local councillors and how much councils spend on PR.

Content from our partners
MHP Group's 30 To Watch awards for young journalists open for entries
How PA Media is helping newspapers make the digital transition
Publishing on the open web is broken, how generative AI could help fix it

Freedom of Information campaigner Heather Brooke is also involved with the project and will support the site by giving advice and ideas to users.

Bradshaw said the group behind the site wanted to test it carefully before the official launch.

He told Press Gazette: “We didn’t want go to in all guns blazing and mess it up. We want to build the culture around the website first and give users a chance to play with it first.”

The team hopes that Help Me Investigate will be one part of a “slow journalism” movement, joining even more sites that open government data and processes to the public such as They Work For You and Fix My Street.

Bradshaw told the Guardian he was glad that Channel 4 had decided to back his idea.

“Companies need to find the next business model and it’s not enough just to throw money at possible solutions,” he said.

There are hopes that the model may be a step in the right direction to save old style investigative journalism, such as the freedom of information requests that sparked the MPs expenses story.

Bradshaw added: “While its competitors dwindle and cut costs, if Channel 4 strikes lucky it could find itself extremely well-positioned.”

Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog

Select and enter your email address Weekly insight into the big strategic issues affecting the future of the news industry. Essential reading for media leaders every Thursday. Your morning brew of news about the world of news from Press Gazette and elsewhere in the media. Sent at around 10am UK time. Our weekly does of strategic insight about the future of news media aimed at US readers. A fortnightly update from the front-line of news and advertising. Aimed at marketers and those involved in the advertising industry.
  • Business owner/co-owner
  • CEO
  • COO
  • CFO
  • CTO
  • Chairperson
  • Non-Exec Director
  • Other C-Suite
  • Managing Director
  • President/Partner
  • Senior Executive/SVP or Corporate VP or equivalent
  • Director or equivalent
  • Group or Senior Manager
  • Head of Department/Function
  • Manager
  • Non-manager
  • Retired
  • Other
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
Thank you

Thanks for subscribing.

Websites in our network