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.
Sep 25
2017
Jim Heaney tells Susan Arbetter that “Buffalo has a policing problem” on Monday’s edition of The Capitol Pressroom. Arbetter interviewed him about an Investigative Post story from last week that documented unconstitutional searches and other misconduct on the part of the department’s Strike Force and Housing Unit.
Sep 18
2017
After a hiatus, Investigative Post has resumed its podcast program with a Jim Heaney interview with Sarah Cohen, a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and editor with The New York Times. Cohen, a Buffalo native, will be the keynote speaker at Investigative Post’s gala dinner on Oct. 19 at the Hyatt Regency. She’ll discuss the state of investigative reporting and Donald’s Trump impact on the media. Cohen covers some of that ground in her podcast interview with Heaney. “A lot of places and people are realizing that investigative reporting … based on facts and documents and holding officials accountable is the[...]
Sep 13
2017
A win is a win, and Byron Brown certainly did that Tuesday, capturing a little more than half the vote in a three-way Democratic primary for mayor. The victory sets Brown up for a fourth term, equalling the tenure of Jimmy Griffin. That’s about where the good news ends for the mayor. The numbers are not otherwise kind. Let’s start with his 13,346 votes – the lowest of his four primary runs and little more than half of his total eight years ago. (Mickey Kearns garnered more votes eight years ago in losing to Brown in a landslide. Think about it.)[...]
Jul 13
2017
Jim Heaney discusses two recent stories done by Investigative Post on the proposed extension of Metro Rail and Buffalo’s continuing lead poisoning crisis. Heaney explained to Susan Arbetter of The Capitol Pressroom why he thinks the rail extension is a bad idea and chastises city and county officials for their failure to address lead poisoning with a greater sense of urgency.
Jul 5
2017
Jim Heaney tells Susan Arbetter of The Capitol Pressroom there’s a “corruption coalition” at play in Albany that explains the failure of the state Legislature to reform New York’s troubled economic development programs. Heaney also discusses the challenges faced by investigative reporting.
Jun 19
2017
The second of two reports issued by Bart Schwartz, hired by Gov. Andrew Cuomo to look into the management of state development projects, including the Buffalo Billion, found a “sloppy process” and “systemic problems.” Jim Heaney, speaking to WGRZ’s Michael Wooten, said the reports lack details and “raise as many questions as they answer.” He also noted that the second report was issued two months ago, but that it took a Freedom of Information request from The Buffalo News to bring the documents to public light.
Jun 8
2017
Jim Heaney talks with Susan Arbetter of The Capitol Pressroom about the challenges faced by local news outlets as the foundations of their business models erode and reader and viewer attention focuses on the actions of President Trump and other distractions.
Jun 5
2017
The New York State Associated Press Association has honored Investigative Post for its reporting on two environmental stories. The AP selected Looking for Lead (in all the wrong places) as the best investigative television story for midsized markets. The three-story package documented Buffalo’s failure to test for lead in the drinking water of inner-city neighborhoods despite the prevalence of lead poisoning in children who live there. The story aired in August 2016 and was co-produced with WGRZ. Another story, Decades Later, Love Canal Landfill Still Poses Risk, placed third in the investigative reporting category among midsized radio markets. The story, which[...]