History
Agency for Journalistic Investigations was created in May, 1996 by famous Petersburg journalist and writer Andrey Konstantinov.
The unique feature of the new structure was that for the first time journalists in Russia specializing in investigative style began working in team. Besides investigative trend, archive and analytical department, department of operation information and reporters' service appear in the Agency. Numerous publications of people working for the Agency in Russia's mass media, their immutable social resonance led to the idea of publishing books "Corrupt Petersburg" and "Gangsters' Russia", based on documentary materials. Several times these books were republished in Russia and became national bestsellers, people all over Russia and living in Petersburg learned about the Agency.
Today AJI is a multiprofile, dynamically developing enterprise with a good image on the information and publishing market of St. Petersburg and North-West region of Russia. The Agency issue daily summary of operations, weekly "Your Secret Adviser" , daily Internet-newspaper "Fontanka.Ru", it is also carrying out active social and educational activities, going on to issue its own books, doing different consulting services.
Principle keys
Summary of operations
Summary of information is issued in on-line regime and sent to subscribers as new information appears. Reporters' Service specializing in search and spreading of information on accidents and crimes committed in St. Petersburg and Leningrad region is in charge of its issue. Every week Reporters' Service sends its subscribers nearly 100 reports about the most significant crimes in different fields of city's life.
High level of drive distinguishes Service's work. Often city's residents learn about important events from our reports.
Leading mass media of the region, commercial structures, consulates, foreign companies are subscribers of our summary of operations. We pay attention to interests of every subscriber and give additional information taking into consideration individual wishes.
In 1999 at the professional contest of St. Petersburg's journalists "Golden pen " the summary of operations won in nomination "debut of the year".
Newspaper "Your Secret Adviser"
Weekly review "YOUR SECRET ADVISER" has been published since October, 1999. It's one more successful project of the Agency for Journalistic Investigations (St. Petersburg).
The most interesting materials collected by different departments of the Agency make the basis of the most of publications. It was this newspaper which first published chronicle of search and detention of Alexander Malysh by people working for the Agency. Alexander Malysh is a suspect in the assassination of Legislative Assembly deputy Victor Novosyolov (NN 2-4). It is "Your secret adviser" which published materials about one sect existing in St. Petersburg (NN 8,9). Chronicle of investigations into assassinations committed in St. Petersburg, analytical reviews, examining fields of influence of city's largest criminal syndicates, "trade mark" parts - "Gangsters' Petersburg", "Corrupt Petersburg", "Knavish Petersburg" - all these things make the newspaper "Your Secret Adviser" indispensable for those who are interested in backstage life of Petersburg.
In April, 2000 at the annual professional contest "Golden pen" the newspaper "Your secret adviser" got the first prize in "The debut of the year" nomination.
Books and literary projects
One of the main tasks of the Agency for Journalistic Investigations is preparation of books on profile subjects. After the edition of "Corrupt Petersburg" and "Gangsters' Russia", in 1999 we issued "Corrupt Petersburg -2" with new materials collected by people working for the Agency. Edition of these books is more than 300 thousand copies, they became national bestsellers.
In May, 2000 appeared the first book of the serials "Knavish Petersburg".
In October 2000 AJI issue the first textbook in Russia on investigative journalism for students and working journalists prepared by Agency's employees.
In April, 2002 AJI carried out a new literary project - the book "Golden bullet". It represents collected detective stories written by journalists of an imaginary Agency which prototype is, of course, the Agency for Journalistic Investigations.
Director of the Agency Andrey Konstantinov is the author of "Gangstres' Petersburg", "Advocate", "Advocate-2", "Journalist", "Journalist-2", "Inventor", "Inventor-2". The book "Russia's gangland" written together with Swedish journalist Malcolm Dixelius in Sweden was published twice, and in 1998 appeared its new version "Russian mafiozzi".
The total edition of Konstantinov's books is more than 10 million copies.
Journalistic investigations
In the Agency for Journalistic Investigations there are skilled specialists (both journalists and former Law enforcement officers) able to carry out a real journalistic investigation basing on facts which seriously influence economics and politics of the region. Investigations like that resulted in serious analytical works on certain sectors of region's economics, financial and industrial groups, criminal syndicates. Agency's publications published both in "Secret adviser" and other mass media invariably give rise to wide social response.
Due to high professionalism of Agency's employees they could detain and hand to Law enforcement bodies a certain Alexander Malysh suspect in the assassination of Legislative Assembly deputy Victor Novosyolov. For his detention director of the Agency for Journalistic Investigations and his two employees were recommended for government rewards.
Information, analytical and consulting services
Almost every day Russian and foreign journalists and people working not only for mass media companies come to the Agency asking to give comments on one or another event, receive consultations on Law, social and other matters. Regularly we've got orders for analytical dossiers, mass media monitoring, search for information of profile character.
The Agency has a lot of opportunities for search, working out and systematization of information in different fields. Our own data bases let Agency's clients get unique information on matters they take interest in.
In the Agency there is a consulting center where journalists and regular clients can both get consultation and assistance in collecting information and use modern equipment and means of communication.
Educational programs
Agency for Journalistic Investigations has a great experience of educational and methodical activities. Since 1999 the employees of the Agency has been reading a course for the senior students of journalism faculty of St.-Petersburg State University. Since 2000 the employees of the Agency has been organizing about 36 seminars in all regions of Russia and in most of the states of UIS. About 400 regional investigative journalists took part in the seminars. More than 80 journalists had a two-week practice in the Agency for Journalistic Investigations.
The employees of the Agency shared the experience of their investigations, talked about methodic of journalistic investigations, about history of this style, about rules of safety of journalists during investigations, about juridical details of investigative journalists' activities. The first Russian textbook by this subject "Journalistic Investigations. The history of method and today's practice" was based on these seminars and practice. Edition of this book is 20 000 copies.
International contacts
The head and other employees of the Agency for Journalistic Investigations have repeatedly given reports on organized crime in Russia at international conferences in Great Britain, Holland, Sweden, Norway. Under the aegis of AJI there had been conducted specialized workshops in Istanbul, Yerevan, Tallinn, Kiev, Stockholm.
Since the beginning of 2000 journalists working for 30 foreign mass media have got consultations, among them - "Fokus", "Newsweek", "Vanity Fair", "Figaro", "Stern", "Hokaydo simbun", "Kiodo Tzucin" and others.
In 2000 the Agency got Soros Fund grant to conduct 4 workshops on methods of journalistic investigations for journalists. This grant includes program of probation periods and edition of the first in Russia textbook on methods of journalistic investigation. With the support of the USA State Department in 2000 we opened Consulting center for foreign journalists.
In September, 2000 the Agency for Journalistic Investigations has begun issuing the online internet-newspaper "Fontanka.ru"(www. Fontanka.ru) - it's an information and analytical site reflecting the view from St. Petersburg on events taking place in Moscow, Russia and all over the world.
