“Everybody needs an editor.” This was the mantra that veteran Associated Press investigative editor Ron Nixon asked the audience to repeat during a session at the 13th Global Investigative Journalism Conference (#GIJC23) on editing investigations. Why? Because as the panelists explained, great investigative editors make stories stronger, protect and motivate reporters, and make investigations more efficient.
“What makes a good investigator is not necessarily what makes a good investigative editor,” said Drew Sullivan, publisher and co-founder of the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP). For Sullivan, the difference is both in what editors are tasked with and their approach to the job. It’s an investigative editor’s job to make the reporter a success, to mentor them rather than be their boss, and to take the blame if anything goes wrong.
