MOSCOW -- The founding conference of the National Bureau of Investigative Journalism (NBR) is taking place in Moscow on March 31, RFE/RL's Russian Service reports.
The chief editors of Russia's leading media outlets are gathering to discuss the organization's goals and objectives.
The president of the Moscow-based Fund to Protect Glasnost, Aleksey Simonov, told RFE/RL that the NBR should become a sort of lobbyist for journalists' interests in state entities, such as the State Duma and Interior Ministry.
According to Simonov, the increasing violence directed against journalists in Russia demands closer cooperation between journalists and police investigators.
He also said investigative journalism remains one of the most effective and necessary genres in Russia.