Jim Heaney is editor and executive director of Investigative Post. He was an investigative reporter with The Buffalo News from 1986 to 2011 and a reporter and editor with The Orlando Sentinel from 1980-86. His coverage over the years has focused on economic development, local and state government, politics, education, housing and transportation, and he was an early practitioner of computer-assisted reporting. Heaney has won more than 20 journalism awards and was a finalist for the 1993 Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting.
Jan 20
2014
Investigative Post editor tells Eileen Buckley on Press Pass that government at all levels – local, state and federal – is becoming increasingly hostile to the public’s right to know. Heaney cites numerous examples of officials refusing interview requests and delaying the release of public records.
Jan 14
2014
Attention smartphone users: Investigative Post is now available in a mobile friendly format. The upgrade is the first of several steps we’re taking to improve our digital presentation. Our digital agency at Bicycle Creative has reformatted the site to fit a smartphone screen and ease navigation. It makes for much easier viewing of stories, photos and the cartoons of Tom Toles. Next up for our mobile site: the introduction of video co-produced with our partners at WGRZ. In the coming weeks we will be adding the ability to view videos on mobile devices. iPhone users, who account for three-quarters of[...]
Jan 7
2014
Investigative Post is seeking a development director to help us grow our organization into the preeminent source of watchdog journalism in Buffalo and Western New York. Investigative Post has attracted significant donor support during its two years of operation thanks in part to the quality of its journalism and the high profile it has established through a distribution network of newspapers, websites and television and radio stations that has reached a cumulative audience of 10 million viewers, readers and listeners. Investigative Post has also developed a strategic finance plan and built a fundraising infrastructure, including a database of more than[...]
Jan 7
2014
Readers voted Dan Telvock’s story on potentially contaminated water at a proposed state beach as Investigative Post’s story of the year. The story, which aired Oct. 3 on WGRZ and published in Artvoice and on InvestigativePost.org, garnered 37 percent of votes in an online poll. Telvock reported that the beach, off Route 5 in South Buffalo, is adjacent to two Superfund sites and that an Erie County Health Department consultant had concluded that opening the beach for swimming was “probably impractical from a public health standpoint.” State officials responded to the report by first refusing to commit to testing the water[...]
Dec 30
2013
This is the time of year when news organizations look back at the biggest stories of the past 12 months, and while I hate to follow any pack, such a review is in order for our fledgling organization. Dan Telvock and I produced some 55 stories, 75 blog posts and a dozen in-depth interviews in 2013. That body of work was read, viewed and listened to by a collective audience that approached 6 million through our website and news outlets that distributed our stories, primarily WGRZ TV, and also Artvoice, WBFO FM and The Buffalo News. I’m especially pleased with[...]
Dec 17
2013
Investigative Post editor tells Eileen Buckley on Press Pass that the clean energy initiative at Riverbend represents progress, but is not the panacea that project proponents are claiming. He also expressed concern that many subsidized projects, including planned Uniland-Delaware North building in downtown Buffalo, do little to build the region’s tax base.
Nov 26
2013
Those upset by the prospect of Delaware North Companies receiving public subsidies to move into new office space are 13 years and some $4 million too late. The company has been receiving public assistance since it moved into its present headquarters at Key Center in 2000. Sales and property tax breaks, some of which continue until its office lease expires in 2015, total an estimated $4.1 million. That’s not counting the $11.6 million low-interest line of credit Delaware North obtained from the city when it moved into its new quarters for a spell, until federal officials objected because the money[...]
Nov 25
2013
Jim Heaney of Investigative Post, in the first of a two-part series, counts the many ways Delaware North Companies and Uniland Development would reap tax savings from their proposal to build an office building at Delaware Avenue and Chippewa street. The assorted tax breaks add up to $12 million to $15 million and go well beyond what the companies are seeking from the Erie County Industrial Development Agency. Tomorrow, Investigative Post documents the millions of dollars of subsidies Delaware North has been receiving since 2000. Check out WGRZ’s newscast at 6 p.m., along with a full story InvestigativePost.org and the[...]