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“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