Monthly Archives: December 2014

Help Me Investigate is on ice (but I’ll still help you investigate)

Help Me Investigate

I’m putting Help Me Investigate, my collaborative investigation project, on ice.

This year has seen the launch of a number of impressive crowdfunded and crowdsourced projects on platforms including Beacon and Contributoria – plus OpenCorporates Missions and the enormously impressive Bellingcat. Their rise, for me, confirms that there is no longer a need for the original mission that Help Me Investigate took on way back in 2009. Now I think it’s time to rip it up and start again. Continue reading

Former HMI Health editor named best new journalist of the year at British Journalism Awards

Former Help Me Investigate Health editor Tom Warren has been named best new journalist of the year at British Journalism Awards.

Tom, who joined the Bureau of Investigative Journalism last year, won the award for stories on payday loan lenders, party political funding, and the flotation of shares in Royal Mail. He said:

“Before I was a professional journalist HMI taught me skills and made me contacts that I couldn’t have picked up anywhere else. It was a great place to cut my teeth – and I’m not the only one. I can think of several former HMI’ers who have gone on to top jobs in journalism. It’s been a real powerhouse in that respect.”

Some of the data for the payday lenders story was collected by Help Me Investigate.

The Bureau of Investigative Journalism report on their site that judges said:

“Tom made great use of data and technology to unearth stories and details. He picked targets that no-one else was looking at to bring new information to light on matters of real public interest.

“He used excellent detective work to reveal the privileged bidders who profiteered from the Royal Mail flotation, forcing the Government to release the full list.”

The award came the day after another former HMI contributor, Beth Ashton, won an award for her work at the Manchester Evening News.

Beth Ashton wins social media award

Former Help Me Investigate Education contributor Beth Ashton has won an award for her work in the social media team at Trinity Mirror.

Beth wrote for Help Me Investigate Education in 2013 about a ‘leak’ that she stumbled across while investigating care homes.

She now works as Social Media Editor for the Manchester Evening News. It was her work on the newspaper’s campaign to raise money for Manchester Dogs’ Home that led to the award.

Beth accepted the award at a ceremony on Monday, at the Trinity Mirror Editorial Conference in Birmingham.