Managing 14 reporters in 10 far-flung countries

Investigative Reporters and Editors, Inc. The IRE Journal, Winter 2009 by Kaplan, David E

The results of the project have been gratifying. ICIJ released its findings at a press conference at the Palais des Nations, the UN's European headquarters in Ceneva, and the Jin Ling story made worldwide news. The series was covered by The Associated Press, Reuters and other wires, published by major newspapers across Europe, and ultimately cited in more than 60 media outlets and blogs in 10 languages.

Tobacco control activists credit the series with helping prompt the passage of tougher controls on cigarette smuggling at the October negotiation of the World Health Organization-sponsored Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, the world's first global public health treaty. ICIJ's findings also resulted in the European Union's Anti-Fraud Office, the lead agency investigating cigarette smuggling in Europe, dramatically boosting its estimate of the Jin Ling trade. In the United Kingdom, the series sparked a parliamentary hearing and a major investigation by law enforcement.

Our team remains at work on a dozen other stories. Got a tip on tobacco? E-mail us at icijtobacco@icij.org.

By David E. Kaplan

Center for Public Integrity

David E. Kaplan, a longtime international trainer for IRE, is editorial director of the Center for Public Integrity in Washington, D. C. Previously, he worked as chief investigative correspondent for U.S. News & World Report and as one of two senior editors at the San Francisco-based Center for Investigative Reporting.