Jim Heaney

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.

Feb 22

2012

Cuomo’s $1B economic stimulus for region: Promising vision, questionable assumptions

Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s proposal to invest $1 billion of state incentives in an effort to revitalize the region’s economy is even bolder than the “B as in billion” suggests. Bold, but potentially flawed. Cuomo is alone among the nation’s 50 governors in targeting that kind of money at a regional economy. “To have a governor willing to spend $1 billion in one metropolitan area is truly exceptional these days, given states’ fiscal conditions,” said Greg LeRoy, a national expert on economic development subsidy programs and executive director of Good Jobs First. Moreover, Cuomo wants to break from current economic development[...]

Posted 13 years ago

Feb 22

2012

The journalistic DNA of Investigative Post

I’ve had a quote from Carl Bernstein taped to the front of my computer terminal for the better part of 20 years that reads, “Reporting is not stenography. It is the best obtainable version of the truth.” They were words I worked by as I toiled at The Buffalo News and a mantra of sorts for my new venture, Investigative Post, non-profit investigative reporting center focused on issues of importance to Buffalo and Western New York. I’ve never been a fan of the “he said, she said” brand of journalism practiced by many reporters and taken to its lowest form[...]

Posted 13 years ago

Feb 22

2012

What to expect

Investigative Post is going to be a work in progress for the foreseeable future. This a primer on our website and how else you can follow our work. investigativepost.org will be updated daily during the work week with at least a couple of new items every morning. Our most substantial, in-depth content will be investigations, analyses and follow-up stories, which will be featured at the top of our home page. The frequency of these pieces will vary; starting out, we hope to post a major piece at least every couple of weeks. The frequency will increase as we add staff.[...]

Posted 13 years ago

Feb 22

2012

WNED interview

Interview with Jim Heaney about the launch of Investigative Post and his story on Gov. Cuomo’s $1 billion plan for WNY economy.

Posted 13 years ago

Feb 22

2012

WBFO interview

Interview with Jim Heaney about the launch of Investigative Post and his story on Gov. Cuomo’s $1 billion plan for WNY economy.

Posted 13 years ago

Feb 21

2012

Words we work by

Posted 13 years ago

Feb 21

2012

Introducing Investigative Post

An investigative reporting center involving some of the biggest names in Buffalo journalism opened for business Feb. 22. Investigative Post is collaborating with major media outlets and university journalism programs to produce and distribute investigations and analyses on the major issues confronting Buffalo and Western New York. Jim Heaney, a veteran investigative reporter formerly with The Buffalo News, is spearheading the venture as editor and executive director. “We’re going to produce hard-nosed investigations and in-depth analyses intended to help shape the debate over how to get this community back on its feet,” said Heaney, a former Pulitzer Prize finalist who[...]

Posted 13 years ago

Feb 21

2012

Introducing Joe Friday

For those of you old enough to remember, Joe Friday was the business-like police detective on the Dragnet television series that aired in the 1950s and ‘60s. No matter your age, you’ll recognize the theme song. Detective Sergeant Friday’s signature line was “just the facts, ma’am,” uttered dispassionately as he interviewed witnesses and victims. Our version of Joe Friday also focuses on “just the facts.” On a weekly basis,Investigative Post will post a series of facts on a given topic, based on hard data or other credible sources. No long narrative, no commentary, no quotes. Just the undisputed facts. Readers[...]

Posted 13 years ago