To strengthen news media coverage about justice and injustice, IJJ seeks to:

• Help journalists bring context, depth and diversity of perspectives to news coverage and commentary about complex justice issues.
• Make exemplary journalism accessible to the public across all media.
• Raise the standing of justice issues in the field of journalism, ensuring that media decision makers nurture high-quality news coverage.

IJJ activities include:

• Professional fellowships.
• Direct support and grants for journalists.
• Web-based resources for journalists, journalism educators and students.
• Conferences, forums and collaborative projects.
• Research and commentary.

IJJ was created in 2000 at the School of Journalism of the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication with funding from The Ford Foundation, which has continued to support the institute since that time.