InSight Crime is a non-profit
journalism
Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the " news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree. The word, a noun, applies to the occupation (p ...
and investigative organization specialized in
organized crime
Organized crime (or organised crime) is a category of transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals to engage in illegal activity, most commonly for profit. While organized crime is generally th ...
in
Latin America
Latin America or
* french: Amérique Latine, link=no
* ht, Amerik Latin, link=no
* pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived ...
and the Caribbean. The organization has offices in
Washington, D.C., and Medellín,
Colombia
Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the ...
.
InSight Crime has received funds from the
Open Society Foundations
Open Society Foundations (OSF), formerly the Open Society Institute, is a grantmaking network founded and chaired by business magnate George Soros. Open Society Foundations financially supports civil society groups around the world, with a st ...
and
American University
The American University (AU or American) is a private federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Its main campus spans 90 acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, mostly in the Spring Valley neighborhood of Northwest D.C. AU was cha ...
’s Center for Latin American and Latino Studies, and worked in Colombia together with the
think tank
A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-govern ...
''Fundación Ideas para la Paz''.
History
InSight Crime was founded by Jeremy McDermott and Steven Dudley in April 2010 under the endorsement of the Fundación Ideas para la Paz (FIP) in
Bogotá
Bogotá (, also , , ), officially Bogotá, Distrito Capital, abbreviated Bogotá, D.C., and formerly known as Santa Fe de Bogotá (; ) during the Spanish period and between 1991 and 2000, is the capital city of Colombia, and one of the larges ...
, Colombia, and with the financial support of the
Open Society Foundations
Open Society Foundations (OSF), formerly the Open Society Institute, is a grantmaking network founded and chaired by business magnate George Soros. Open Society Foundations financially supports civil society groups around the world, with a st ...
(headed by
George Soros
George Soros ( name written in eastern order), (born György Schwartz, August 12, 1930) is a Hungarian-American businessman and philanthropist. , he had a net worth of US$8.6 billion, Note that this site is updated daily. having donated mo ...
). By August 2010, the Center for Latin American and Latino Studies at the
American University
The American University (AU or American) is a private federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Its main campus spans 90 acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, mostly in the Spring Valley neighborhood of Northwest D.C. AU was cha ...
became a sponsor.
According to the organization, it was founded in order to create an online platform that "connects the pieces, the players and organizations" involved in
Latin America
Latin America or
* french: Amérique Latine, link=no
* ht, Amerik Latin, link=no
* pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived ...
n crime and "the effectiveness of the initiatives designed to stop them."
Website
InSight Crime launched its website in December 2010 with news on organized crime and profiles of drug trafficking organizations and criminal personalities in Colombia and
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...
. The website has since expanded to include information about every major country in the Americas.
The website intends to create an "information resource and networking tool designed for students, academics, analysts, researchers, policymakers, journalists, non-governmental workers, government officials and businesses to obtain the information and contacts they need to tackle the problems that organized crime increasingly presents in Latin America and the Caribbean."
Consultancy
Apart from publishing information on its website, InSight Crime also conducts investigations across Latin America for private and government organizations.
See also
*
Southern Pulse
References
{{Latin America topic, Illegal drug trade in, state=collapsed
Investigative journalism
Organizations established in 2010
2010 establishments in Washington, D.C.
Non-profit organizations based in Washington, D.C.