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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contacts:
Melanie A. Farmer, 212-854-9082 or mf2362@columbia.edu
Elizabeth W. Fishman, 212-854-8619 or ew2129@columbia.edu
Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism Opens
New Center for Investigative Journalism
Seasoned investigative journalist Sheila S. Coronel will direct
Toni Stabile Center for Investigative Journalism
of Sheila S. Coronel)
New York, Sept. 20, 2006 – Columbia University’s Graduate
School of Journalism on Tuesday, Sept. 26 will host the opening
ceremony of the newly established Toni Stabile Center for
Investigative Journalism, dedicated to training students
specializing in investigative journalism. David Remnick, editor of
The New Yorker, will introduce the center’s inaugural director and
faculty chair, Sheila S. Coronel, an award-winning investigative
journalist well known for her coverage of the Philippines
government during times of corruption and upheaval. (Left: Photo
The Toni Stabile Center for Investigative Journalism is endowed by a $5 million donation
from Toni Stabile of Naples, Florida. Ms. Stabile is an investigative journalist and
president of the Vincent A. Stabile Foundation. The Center, which opened its doors to
students on Aug. 21, will train students specializing in investigative journalism as part of
the school’s master of science degree program. The center will also offer fellowship
opportunities.
The ceremony will take place in the school’s lecture hall at 7:00 p.m. In addition to
Coronel’s address on the state of global investigative journalism, Dean Nicholas Lemann
is expected to announce an historic $100 million fund-raising campaign, which coincides
with the school’s 100 th anniversary. Members of the press who wish to attend the event
must call in advance, (212) 854-9082.

“The launch of the Stabile Center is another step forward,” said Dean Lemann. “The
study of investigative journalism is central to the watchdog role of a free press. By
strengthening our students’ investigative reporting skills, the new center will help
strengthen the practice of journalism.”
About Sheila S. Coronel
Coronel most recently served as executive director of the Philippine Center for
Investigative Journalism (PCIJ), an independent nonprofit media agency she co-founded
in 1989 to promote investigative reporting. Nothing like it had previously existed in the
Philippines—a country known for keeping a tight leash on an extremely lively and active
press.
PCIJ was established to promote investigative reporting on current issues and matters of
large public interest, in the hope that by doing so, it would encourage more in-depth
reporting and strengthen the Philippine media’s ability to act effectively. Under Coronel’s
leadership, the PCIJ became the premier investigative reporting institution in the
Philippines and Asia. In 2003, Coronel received the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay
Award, often described as the Asian Nobel Prize, for “leading a groundbreaking
collaborative effort to develop investigative journalism as a critical component of
democratic discourse in the Philippines.”
“My experience as a journalist has shown that carefully researched, high-impact
investigative reports help build the media’s credibility,” said Coronel. “The press as an
institution is strengthened if journalists have demonstrated that they serve the public
interest. Investigative journalism, however, requires an investment in time, resources for
research, and the development of reportorial talent. Unfortunately, in many parts of the
world, such investment is lacking. I look forward to sharing with my students the
techniques and ethos of watchdog journalism in the hope that they will do great reporting
in the investigative tradition.”
Coronel’s career as a journalist spans more than two decades. She has reported for The
Manila Times, The Manila Chronicle, and The New York Times, among others, and has
covered some of the Philippines’ most renowned political figures, including Ferdinand
Marcos, Benigno Aquino, Corazon Aquino, and Joseph Estrada. A recipient of numerous
awards and recognitions, Coronel in 2001 was named the country’s Print Journalist of the
Year. That same year, she was listed among Asiaweek’s Top 50 Communicators in Asia.
About the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
For almost a century, the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism has been
preparing journalists in a program that stresses academic rigor, ethics, journalistic
inquiry, and professional practice. Founded with a gift by Joseph Pulitzer in 1903, the
school offers master of science, master of arts, and doctor of philosophy degrees.
About Columbia University
Founded in 1754 as King’s College, Columbia University in the City of New York is the
fifth oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and today is one of the

world’s leading academic and research institutions. For more information about
Columbia University, visit www.columbia.edu.
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