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.

Jan 1

2017

Lead poisoning probe tops reader poll

Dan Telvock’s reporting on Buffalo’s slipshod methods for testing drinking water for lead was voted by readers as Investigative Post’s top story of 2016. Looking for lead (in all the wrong places) edged out an investigation by Charlotte Keith into the awarding of a Buffalo Billion contract whose dynamics that bore a striking resemblance to the SolarCity factory deal that resulted in the filing of federal corruption charges. Between them, the two stories garnered 60 percent of the votes cast by readers. The best of the rest, according to voters, was Daniela Porat’s story about the inadequate training of Buffalo police[...]

Posted 8 years ago

Dec 29

2016

Paladino’s despicable, but protected speech

I’ll be among the first to tell you how loathsome Carl Paladino is. In fact, I have been among the first. When I reported for The Buffalo News I wrote stories that revealed Paladino for what he is: A self-described outsider who contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to politicians over the years, including those in a position to reward him with tax breaks and government contracts. A critic of government spending who has gotten rich off being one of the government’s biggest landlords in Western New York. A so-called champion of minority children who has steadfastly opposed African Americans[...]

Posted 8 years ago

Dec 24

2016

Carl Paladino should be shunned

There’s been the racist, pornographic emails – women having sex with barnyard animals, anyone? The threat to take out newspaper columnist Fred Dicker. The mocking of African American colleagues on the School Board and, most recently, “damn Asian” students. So when I say Carl Paladino has reached a new low, you know I’m talking low. Really low. Even the Trump transition team took exception, calling the remarks “absolutely reprehensible.” Paladino, in his latest cry for attention, responded to an Artvoice survey about his hopes and desires, said he wanted President Barack Obama to die of mad cow disease and for First[...]

Posted 8 years ago

Dec 22

2016

Heaney joins ‘Pressroom conversation

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.

Posted 8 years ago

Dec 19

2016

Double your donation to Investigative Post

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[...]

Posted 8 years ago

Dec 14

2016

Investigative Post’s top stories of 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[...]

Posted 8 years ago

Dec 2

2016

Heaney talks Trump & media on ‘Pressroom

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.

Posted 8 years ago

Nov 22

2016

Erie County Water Authority blows a gasket

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[...]

Posted 8 years ago