Center for Investigative Reporting
A Sarajevo-based nonprofit investigative journalism center reporting on corruption, organized crime, and systemic abuses in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the wider Balkans.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
The Center for Investigative Reporting, commonly known by its Bosnian acronym CIN, is a nonprofit investigative journalism organization based in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was established in 2004 with financial support from the United States Agency for International Development and with technical assistance from New York University's journalism program and the Journalism Development Group. The organization was created to develop a dedicated investigative reporting institution in a media environment where sustained, evidence-based investigations were limited. It is described as the first organization of its kind in Bosnia and Herzegovina and among the earliest specialized investigative centers in the Balkans. CIN's central mission is to provide citizens with independently reported information that can help them make informed decisions. Its work concentrates on corruption, organized crime, conflicts of interest, abuse of public authority, financial wrongdoing, and other systemic irregularities. Investigations have also examined education, healthcare, employment, sport, politics, tobacco and drug trafficking, falsified documents, public procurement, property holdings, policing, and the treatment of vulnerable groups. Rather than functioning only as a conventional news publisher, CIN combines long-form reporting with documentary video, data-driven projects, searchable databases, maps, visualizations, and explanatory graphics. The center operates from Sarajevo while reporting on issues across Bosnia and Herzegovina and, through collaboration, across the wider Balkan region. Its investigations are published on its own website and are frequently republished or referenced by local and regional newspapers, broadcasters, and digital outlets. CIN has also cooperated with international media and investigative networks; its work has appeared through or been associated with outlets including The Guardian, TIME, Der Spiegel, The Washington Post, BBC, ZDF, Deutsche Welle, and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Material is generally made available to partner organizations without a licensing charge when CIN is credited as the source. CIN is a founding member of the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, a network connecting investigative journalists and organizations across Southeastern Europe, Central Asia, and neighboring regions. It has also worked with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and other cross-border reporting partners. These relationships have allowed its reporters to contribute to investigations involving offshore finance, regional criminal networks, political influence, and transnational business activity. The organization is funded primarily through grants from international donors. Its stated institutional objective has been to build a durable news product capable of generating some revenue while preserving editorial independence. CIN's staff has included journalists and media professionals from different parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina, supported by editorial advisers and continuing professional training. In addition to written investigations, the center produces documentaries and other video material for public and independent broadcasters. CIN has received numerous Bosnian, regional, European, and international journalism awards. Recognized work has addressed food safety, political and business influence, offshore crime, governance, corruption, policing, housing allowances, child rights, and pharmaceutical-sector affairs. Its awards and partnerships have helped establish it as one of Bosnia and Herzegovina's best-known investigative reporting institutions. The center's identity is defined less by a consumer-facing brand or commercial product line than by its editorial credibility, public-interest databases, and role in holding powerful individuals and institutions accountable.
History
CIN was founded in Sarajevo in 2004 with a USAID grant and technical support from New York University's journalism school and the Journalism Development Group. Its establishment responded to the need for a permanent investigative reporting institution in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where the media sector was still dealing with the political, institutional, and economic consequences of the country's postwar transition. From the outset, CIN was designed as an independent nonprofit center rather than as a political or commercial news outlet. The center's reporting model emphasizes documentation, verification, and public accountability. Its journalists investigate the use of public resources, corruption, organized crime, conflicts of interest, suspicious property and financial transactions, and institutional failures. Over time, the subject range expanded to include health, education, employment, sport, child welfare, policing, illegal trade, document fraud, and pharmaceutical and business affairs. CIN's work often combines conventional reporting with records research, data analysis, visual explanation, and documentary production. CIN has developed an audience in Bosnia and Herzegovina through its own website and through republication by partner media. It makes its reporting and supporting materials available to other outlets that identify CIN as the source. This distribution model has extended the reach of investigations beyond Sarajevo and helped place local accountability stories in regional and international news discussions. CIN reporting has been carried by or cited in prominent outlets in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States. A major part of the organization's development has been its participation in collaborative journalism. CIN became a founding member of the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, which links investigative organizations across Southeastern Europe, Central Asia, and surrounding regions. It has also cooperated with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. Through such partnerships, CIN has contributed to cross-border reporting on offshore companies, financial crime, political influence, and regional networks that cannot be adequately examined within one national jurisdiction. The center broadened its digital public-service role by creating databases, maps, graphics, and other structured resources. These projects allow readers to examine relationships and assets in ways that complement individual articles. CIN has also produced documentary and video material that has been broadcast by public and independent television stations in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Its financial model has relied principally on grants from international donors. CIN has expressed an interest in creating a sustainable publication and revenue base that can cover part of its operating expenses without compromising editorial independence. The organization has maintained a professional newsroom staffed by journalists with experience across the country's media sector, with international editorial advisers assisting local editors and supporting ongoing training. CIN's investigations have attracted extensive recognition. Awards have included honors from the USC Annenberg School for Communication, Transparency International Bosnia and Herzegovina, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, the Robert F. Kennedy Center, the Southeast Europe Media Organisation and Central European Initiative, European Union programs, USAID-supported initiatives, the Anti-Corruption Network in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and journalism associations in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia. This record has reinforced CIN's standing as a leading investigative reporting organization in Bosnia and Herzegovina and a significant participant in Balkan accountability journalism.
- 2017
Bosnalijek reporting recognized
[1]The Bosnia and Herzegovina Association of Journalists honored CIN work on Bosnalijek with its Reporter of the Year award.
- 2016
Databases receive World Summit Awards recognition
[1]CIN's database projects were selected among five leading digital media projects in the World Summit Awards.
- 2011
Daniel Pearl Award winner
[1]CIN won the ICIJ Daniel Pearl Award for a series on offshore crime.
- 2010
Daniel Pearl Award finalist
[1]A CIN series on document-related problems was named a finalist for the ICIJ Daniel Pearl Award for Outstanding International Investigative Reporting.
- 2007
Early investigative journalism awards
[1]CIN received recognition for reporting including the series Danger on Your Plate and coverage of influential political and business actors.
- 2004
Center established in Sarajevo
[1]CIN was launched with USAID funding and technical support from New York University and the Journalism Development Group.
Products and positioning
An independent, evidence-led, nonprofit investigative newsroom focused on public accountability in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Balkans.
Editorial journalism · 2004
Investigative reporting
CIN's principal offering is original investigative journalism examining corruption, organized crime, misuse of public office, financial fraud, conflicts of interest, and institutional failures. Reporting is based on documentary evidence, interviews, records research, and verification, and is published for public access through CIN's website and partner media.
Data journalism
Public-interest databases
CIN builds searchable databases and structured information resources that help readers examine assets, relationships, public officials, companies, and other accountability subjects. These projects extend individual investigations by making complex information easier to compare, search, and reuse.
Broadcast journalism
Documentaries and video reports
The center produces documentaries and supporting video materials linked to its investigations. These works have been distributed through public and independent television stations in Bosnia and Herzegovina and provide a visual format for reporting on corruption, policing, social issues, and public institutions.
Recent events
- 2017
CIN journalists recognized for reporting on Bosnalijek[1]
Other
The Bosnia and Herzegovina Association of Journalists named a CIN reporter or reporting team Reporter of the Year for investigations concerning Bosnalijek.
- 2016
CIN databases recognized among leading global digital media projects[1]
Other
The World Summit Awards selected CIN's databases as one of five notable digital media projects worldwide, highlighting the center's use of structured public-interest information.
- 2012
CIN receives multiple awards for governance and corruption reporting[1]
Other
CIN reporting on governance, corruption, and alleged criminal or political networks received recognition from journalism and civil-society organizations, including the Thomson Reuters Foundation and Media Center Sarajevo and the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award.
- 2011
CIN wins the ICIJ Daniel Pearl Award for international investigative reporting[1]
Other
The center received the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists' Daniel Pearl Award for a series concerning offshore crime, recognizing its contribution to international investigative reporting.
Sources2 sources
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