The Howard Center for Investigative Journalism

The Howard Center for Investigative Journalism projects

In Texas, natural disasters increase domestic violence risks

After Hurricane Harvey and Winter Storm Uri, domestic violence calls dropped immediately because of outages but in the days that followed, they rose.

Senegalese Journalist Maty Sarr Niang Finally Liberated

Maty Sarr Niang, a journalist for the independent news site Kéwoulo, was released on March 12 after being detained for nearly 10 months. Her case was considered to be a signal of Senegal’s democratic backsliding.

567 días y contando: Un renombrado periodista guatemalteco sigue tras las rejas

A pesar de las esperanzas de que un nuevo presidente anticorrupción libere a José Rubén Zamora, su futuro sigue siendo incierto mientras espera un nuevo juicio en prisión.

Silencing Truth: The Persecution of Russian Journalist Ivan Safronov

Less than two years before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Ivan Safronov, a well-respected military correspondent, was arrested to show Russian journalists that they were no longer allowed to report on the military. Following his arrest, Putin tightened press restrictions in Russia, forcing Safronov’s fiancé to flee the country. Still, even after his appeal was denied and Safronov continues to serve his 22-year sentence in Siberia, his letters to friends remain optimistic.

The Nightmare before New Year’s: The Story of Bahaa Eldin Ibrahim

Egyptian journalist Bahaa Eldin Ibrahim was a man spending time with his family on vacation until he was suddenly detained for his association with his employer Al-Jazeera. After almost 6 years his family and colleagues are fighting for justice.

567 days and counting: Renowned Guatemalan journalist still behind bars

Despite hopes a new anti-corruption president would free José Rubén Zamora, his future remains uncertain ahead of a new trial scheduled for Feb. 20. The award-winning investigative journalist and publisher has been imprisoned for more than a year and a half in a high-profile case that has drawn attention from press freedom groups, U.S. government officials and Guatemala’s new president.

The Fearless Reporting of Elahe Mohammadi

Elahe Mohammadi wanted to write about the funeral for a young woman who died in police custody and to interview the mourning family as they buried their loved one. Instead, the newspaper reporter for Ham Mihan in Tehran was arrested, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, an international press advocacy organization. 

‘Our family is suffering’: In Baku, one Azerbaijani journalist still awaits justice

Azerbaijani journalist Polad Aslanov previously spent time with family, reporting on corruption and running two news sites before being unjustly imprisoned in Baku, where he is currently serving a 13-year sentence. Outside of prison, Aslanov’s wife and daughter fear for their family’s safety and have been advocating for him to be released.

States approved nearly 300 bills affecting policing in wake of George Floyd’s murder

Governors approved nearly 300 police reform bills after Floyd’s May 2020 killing in Minneapolis, according to an analysis of data from the National Conference of State Legislatures by the Howard Center.

Mega Billions: The great lottery wealth transfer

Using an analysis of cellphone location data, this nationwide investigation of state lotteries found that stores that sell tickets are disproportionately clustered in lower income communities in nearly every state and that their customers come from those neighborhoods. This pattern, coupled with predatory advertising practices and powerful state lobbying efforts, is driving a multibillion-dollar wealth transfer from low-income U.S. communities to powerful multinational companies, the collaboration between the Howard Center and Boston University found.