The Bureau of Investigative Journalism has appointed Franz Wild as its next chief executive and editor-in-chief.
Wild has been TBIJ editor for the past two years having initially joined the non-profit news organisation in 2020 to lead its Enablers team which reported on “oligarchs, dictators and criminals”.
He will succeed CEO and editor-in-chief Rozina Breen who is leaving after three years to join US-based non-profit the Pulitzer Center as director of editorial (global) overseeing its worldwide journalism.
Wild, who previously spent 13 years at Bloomberg, said he is “ridiculously excited” to lead TBIJ, saying: “The attacks we’re seeing on democracy, human rights and the planet call for the most dogged kind of reporting, which is exactly what we’re here to deliver. Without our investigations and exposés there will be no accountability.
“I have worked closely with Rozina over the past two years. And I’ve learnt a lot about the role already. Rozina started an important chapter in the Bureau’s history, taking the vital first steps towards making the Bureau more sustainable. I’ll continue that journey.”
TBIJ said his appointment comes at an “exciting time” as it builds up its direct audience, improves its financial resilience and delivers impactful reporting projects in areas like big tech and global health.
Breen told Press Gazette last year she was on a mission to diversify the organisation’s grant-led funding model as its foundation funding came under threat. She was also working to diversify the content and platforms on which TBIJ was publishing.
Writing on Linkedin, Wild said TBIJ is now on the path to being “financially resilient”.
He noted: “The challenge is pretty crazy. AI is eating into our traffic and nicking our work. The internet is awash with mis- and disinformation. More and more people understandably distrust what they see.
“But we can still build our following though by giving humans what they want, which is real human stories. We can find scoops, make people laugh and cry, surprise them, all these things the bots can’t do.”
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