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.
Dec 22
2016
Susan Arbetter of The Capitol Pressroom wrapped up 2016 with an hourlong interview with Jim Heaney, editor of Investigative Post; Michael Gormley, Albany correspondent for Newsday, and Ken Lovett, Albany bureau chief for The New York Daily News. The trio fielded questions on the top state stories of this year and the role of the press in a changing media landscape.
Dec 19
2016
The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation is matching donations of up to $1,000 made to Investigative Post through Jan. 19. Investigative Post is one of 57 nonprofit news organizations the Knight Foundation has selected to provide matching funds. “The desire for quality journalism and in-depth reporting is clear, as more and more people turn to nonprofit outlets for information they can trust,” said Jennifer Preston, Knight Foundation vice president for journalism. “With this effort, we are hoping to drive awareness and expand the donor base for nonprofit news organizations, big and small, that are producing journalism in the[...]
Dec 14
2016
It’s time to take stock of our reporting for 2016 – and it’s been quite a year for Investigative Post. Our reporting over the past two years involving the Buffalo Billion program triggered an investigation by U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara that resulted in the indictment this fall of nine state officials and business executives, including nanotech guru Alain Kaloyeros and Louis Ciminelli, one of Buffalo’s most successful business owners and political powers. Other work has had impact as well, most notably reporting by Dan Telvock on the city’s lead poisoning crisis. After a lot of hemming and hawing, city and[...]
Dec 2
2016
Jim Heaney and Susan Arbetter discuss the coming storm involving Donald Trump and the press on The Capitol Pressroom. Heaney said that while there is reason for concern, other politicians, most notably Gov. Andrew Cuomo, have acted to undermine the press, so Trump’s hostility is hardly novel. The interview, which aired Dec. 1, runs from 0:57 to 12:48.
Nov 22
2016
It’s been awhile since I saw a bunch of government types become as unhinged as the gang at the Erie County Water Authority. Dan Telvock reported on Nov. 7 that the authority cut corners in its program to test the drinking water it supplies to some 550,000 customers in Western New York, primarily those in Buffalo’s immediate suburbs. In a nutshell, the authority didn’t always heed a federal requirement that they test water in the houses deemed most at risk because of the presence of a lead service line or lead solder in interior plumbing, and used the houses of[...]
Nov 1
2016
Jim Heaney talks with Susan Arbetter of The Capitol Pressroom about a story published Monday by Investigative Post on the Buffalo Police Department’s failure to update its “use of force” training for officers. The interview runs from 36:53 to 49:13
Oct 14
2016
In this episode of Investigative Postcast, Lee Coppola talks with Jim Heaney about his career as an investigative reporter and journalism educator. Coppola discussed the best story he did for The Buffalo News, which became the basis of a book and Hollywood film; his experience as a television reporter; and what prompted him to take the job as dean of the School of Journalism at St. Bonaventure University. Coppola also discussed what’s been gained and lost as reporters take advantage of technology to research and produce stories. Investigative Post is honoring Coppola for distinguished service to local journalism at[...]
Oct 11
2016
The fall from grace is just about complete for Alain Kaloyeros. The so-called “nano-tech guru” who Gov. Andrew Cuomo has praised as a “near genius” has resigned as CEO of SUNY Polytechnic Institute. His success building a nano-technology sector in the Albany area prompted Cuomo to put Kaloyeros in charge of his initiative to revitalize the upstate economy through a series a big-ticket projects in Buffalo, Dunkirk, Rochester, Syracuse and Utica. But reporting by Investigative Post into the awarding of a lucrative contract to LPCiminelli to build a factory for SolarCity triggered investigations by U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara and State Attorney General Eric[...]