Empower local investigative journalism

Get the tools, training and editorial support your newsroom needs to power watchdog journalism.

Supercharge local investigations — with AP by your side

The AP Local Investigative Reporting Program is designed for the realities of today’s newsrooms — offering training workshops, reporting tools and direct collaboration with AP journalists to help local teams apply investigative techniques immediately and with impact. Whether you’re prying loose public records, backgrounding someone on deadline or building a sourcing strategy, the program strengthens your newsroom’s investigative capacity, one story, skill and tool at a time.

Visit our FAQ for more details.

What we offer

From story idea to publication, we provide the skills, tools and collaboration to strengthen your investigative reporting — and your newsroom.

Training that’s built for action

From records act requests to scrutinizing elected officials to individualized problem-solving sessions, AP journalists and select partners design our live workshops deliver skills that journalists can apply the same day.

Tools that unlock your stories

You’ll get access to the resources AP and our partners use every day — from data support and FOIA strategy guidance to open-source tools that strengthen your reporting.

An FBI Evidence Response Team investigator walks behind crime scene tape on the third floor of the Bluemont Village Apartments, Saturday, July 15, 2023, in Fargo, N.D. The suspect in a fatal shooting involving police officers a day earlier was connected to at least one apartment unit at this location. Both the suspect and one police officer were killed. (AP Photo/Ann Arbor Miller)

Collaborative investigative support

We collaborate directly on investigations with local newsrooms. These partnerships produce journalism with clear potential for impact that can be scaled up across a region, state or even nationally.

Upcoming workshops and collaboration opportunities

Have an investigative idea or project in mind?
Submit your proposal to collaborate with AP’s Local Investigative Reporting Program.

In addition to collaborations, we provide both scheduled and on-request workshops.

The program is exclusive to AP members and select customer newsrooms. Freelancers and non-U.S. outlets are not currently eligible.

How to background people in an hour

Quick-hit investigations

Investigations off a beat

Public records strategy

Open-source intelligence (OSINT) and visual investigations

Investigative interviewing and source building

Legal considerations and defamation protections

Candidate backgrounding (in collaboration with Sunlight Research)

Visit our FAQ for details on how to get involved and what to expect.

Explore FAQ

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