The Centre for Human Rights Reporting has emerged in response to a glaring gap in the field of investigative journalism. As foreign desks and investigative units have withered in mainstream newsrooms, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have taken up the baton, producing stories that once belonged to journalists. Yet the training and support for this new generation of reporters—particularly those focused on human rights—have not kept pace. The Centre exists to fill that gap.
At its heart lies a belief that the best human rights reporting is rooted in a rigorous blend of journalism, law, and advocacy. The Centre intends to offer a crucible for these disciplines, forging investigative reporters who can hold the powerful to account. Its mission is not only to train journalists and advocates, but also to scrutinise the very output of NGOs that now shape so much of the human rights narrative.
The Centre’s remit is broad. It will foster new investigative techniques in partnership with NGOs, scrutinising claims of abuses ranging from gender-based violence to infringements on religious freedom and the erosion of fair trials. It will offer workshops and short courses to students and practitioners alike, nurturing a fresh cohort of reporters armed with both ethics and evidence.
This effort is timely. As fake news proliferates and human rights abuses are buried beneath bombast and propaganda, there is an urgent need for careful, credible reporting. Yet there is also a risk that NGO-led journalism can become a tool of advocacy, where the line between investigation and fundraising grows blurred. The Centre hopes to stand as a bulwark against that drift, championing rigorous reporting over moralistic spin.
In time, it aims to build towards a standalone master’s degree in Human Rights Reporting. But in the near term, its ambition is to shape a new generation of investigators—capable of holding governments, armed groups, and corporate actors to account, and of bridging the gap between those who speak of human rights and those who fight for them.
