More than two dozen Bay Area journalists have announced they are launching a project to continue the investigative reporting of Oakland Post editor Chauncey Bailey, who was shot to death Aug. 2 while investigating criminal activities surrounding Your Black Muslim Bakery. The move is reminiscent of the effort by nearly 40 reporters from 23 newspapers to carry on the work of Arizona Republic Don Bolles (right), who was killed by a car bomb in 1976 while investigating the Mafia. Here’s an Arizona Republic story about that effort, which was called the Arizona Project.

E&P reports that former Chronicle managing editor Robert Rosenthal will coordinate the Chauncey Bailey Project. The following organizations will participate in the project:

Bay Area Black Journalists Association
Bay Area News Group (Oakland Tribune)
Center for Investigative Reporting
Investigative Reporters and Editors, Inc.
KGO-AM
KPIX-TV
KQED Public Radio
KTVU-TV
Maynard Institute for Journalism Education
National Association of Black Journalists
New America Media
New Voices in Independent Journalism
San Francisco State University Journalism Department
San Francisco Bay Guardian
San Jose State University Journalism Department
Sigma Delta Chi of the National Society of Professional Journalists
Society of Professional Journalists – Northern California Chapter
University of California, Berkeley, Graduate School of Journalism

Oakland Tribune managing editor Pete Wevursk told E&P that the project “is essential to Oakland and essential to us as journalists who wish to emphasize the point that you can kill the messenger, but the message is still going to get through.”

• Press Club, Aug. 3: Oakland murder reminiscent of 1976 killing

• Press Club, Aug. 6: Journalists urged to continue Bailey’s work