Crowdfunding investigative journalism at The BMJ

Abstract

The BMJ is now more than a scholarly journal, and for the past decade we have pursued investigative journalism as a powerful lever for improving health by exposing failings in the system. Over the past year we have substantially expanded our coverage, publishing 16 investigative stories (bmj.com/investigations), including a series that won a British Journalism Award, and worked with a greater number of international journalists.

We have reported the disclosures of a whistleblower working on the Pfizer covid-19 vaccine trial, a story that unexpectedly led us to confront Facebook over the way it deals with misinformation on its platform. We have probed the implications of mRNA instability in vaccines and asked serious questions about Russia’s Sputnik vaccine. Beyond covid, we have tackled concerns in global health, including polio eradication, and asked whether health institutions should still be investing in fossil fuels.