David Barstow to lead Berkeley’s investigative journalism program

David Barstow, a four-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize, will be the new head of the Investigative Reporting Program, a teaching newsroom at UC Berkeley’s School of Journalism. (UC Berkeley photo by Wesaam Al-Badry)

Four-time Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist David Barstow will be the new head of the Investigative Reporting Program at UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism, campus officials announced today (Monday, July 15). His post begins next month.

Barstow will leave his post as a full-time investigative reporter at the New York Times, where he’s examined President Donald Trump’s tax returns, Wal-Mart’s use of bribes in Mexico, workplace safety rules and the murky relationships between retired generals, the Pentagon and the military-industrial complex, among other issues.

Barstow, working with colleagues, was awarded Pulitzer Prizes for each of those investigations.

The journalism school’s Investigative Reporting Program is a teaching newsroom that creates teams of Berkeley students and professional journalists to produce content for outlets such as the Los Angeles Times, Frontline and USA Today.

“I’ve long believed that the best way to teach investigative reporting is by actually doing investigative reporting,” said Barstow, who will be the Reva and David Logan Distinguished Chair in Investigative Journalism. “That is exactly what the Investigative Reporting Program has been doing for the last 14 years under the leadership of Lowell Bergman. It is an enormous honor to now fill his shoes, and I can’t wait to mentor, encourage and work side by side with the brilliant students at the (Graduate) School of Journalism who are enthusiastically taking up the torch of investigative reporting.”

“The truth needs reinforcements, and I can think of no better place to find recruits,” he added.

I am beyond thrilled to share that I’ll be the next leader of the storied Investigative Reporting Program at UC Berkeley’s School of Journalism. Investigative reporting needs reinforcements, and I can think of no better place to hunt for
recruits.

— David Barstow (@DavidBarstow) July 15, 2019

Edward Wasserman, dean of the journalism school, called Barstow “among the most honored journalists in the country.”

Bergman founded the Investigative Reporting Program in 2006 and retired in June.

“We scoured the nation for months for someone who was eager to teach and mentor our students, and to integrate the IRP’s signature strengths into our master’s program in a thoroughgoing way so the entire school will be known for its training in investigative reporting,” Wasserman said. “We are convinced David is just that person.”

Dean Baquet, executive editor of the New York Times, said he hoped to work with Barstow in the future.

“David Barstow is one of the finest journalists of his generation,” Baquet said. “His name has appeared on some of the most important stories the Times has published. He is a sensational writer, and reporter, and a journalist of high integrity.

“We are sorry to see him go, of course,” Baquet added. “But we also hope that we get to work together on future projects. And we think he will be a great teacher for a new generation of investigative journalists.”

For more information, see the complete news release from UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism.