The Center for Investigative Reporting
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Advances in social justice, challenges to inequality, and the public’s ability to seek accountability from those in power all rely on the availability of unbiased, credible information. Verifiable, nonpartisan facts inform solutions-oriented conversations, inspire empathy and understanding, and empower the public with information they need to engage and take action. Such “truth telling” stands apart from much of what passes for news these days, including stories created solely to drive traffic to advertisers, sponsored content, partisan rhetoric that fuels discord and intolerance, and even pseudo-investigative reporting that rushes to judgment without meticulous fact-checking and on-the-record sources. At CIR, our goal is to protect the public interest by informing the public and allowing them to use our verifiable, fact-based stories to address important issues in their lives, communities and for our democracy as a whole.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Investigative Journalism in the Public Interest
The Center for Investigative Reporting empowers the public through investigative journalism and groundbreaking storytelling in order to spark action, improve lives, and protect our democracy. Founded in 1977 as the nation’s first nonprofit investigative journalism organization, The Center for Investigative Reporting has earned a reputation for being among the most innovative, credible and relevant media organizations in the country. We publish our multiplatform work on our website, public radio program and podcast, and social media platforms, reaching over a million people weekly on nearly 600 stations. We produce documentaries and television news stories, publish in-depth investigative reports, and partner with local and regional outlets to support and empower local news coverage. Our reporting ignites real-world change, from civil and criminal investigations, to new laws and policies, the instigation of public discourse, and solutions-oriented community action.
Where we work
Awards
General Excellence Award 2010
Online News Association (ONA)
Named "Journalists of the Year" 2010
Northern California chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ)
Journalism Innovation Award 2011
Northern California chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ)
MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions 2012
John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
George Polk Award 2012
Long Island University, New York
Radio Winner, "Mississippi Goddam" 2022
Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Awards
Domestic TV Winner, "Unrelinquished: When Abusers Keep Their Guns" 2022
Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Awards
National Radio Excellence in Diversity, Equity & Inclusion 2022
Edward R. Murrow Awards
Large Audio Winner 2022
Investigative Reports & Editors
Morton Frank Award 2022
Overseas Press Club
Excellence in Online/Digital Journalism for Data 2022
Asian American Journalists Association Awards
Best in Business Award: Audio Winner 2021
SABEW
External reviews

Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of podcast and radio show audience members
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Investigative Journalism in the Public Interest
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Reveal airs on nearly 600 stations.
Number of localized versions of our national stories
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Investigative Journalism in the Public Interest
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Through support of our approximately 1,000-member Reveal Reporting Network we aim to produce stories that are localized versions of our national investigations
Number of multi-platform investigations that lead to impact.
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Investigative Journalism in the Public Interest
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Publish major, multi-platform investigations that reach and engage target audiences, have the potential to be localized by other news organizations and lead to impact.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
We believe in the power of an informed public. Our goal, therefore, is to uncover and publish verifiable facts, data and on-the-record sources that can be used to help end injustice, improve lives and hold the powerful accountable. Nonpartisan and nonprofit, we measure our success not by profit or clicks but rather by the improvements in lives and communities that result from the public’s engagement with the information we share. Our impact is evidenced by a wide range of outcomes, including: new laws and regulations sparked by our reporting; corporate and government policy reforms, government investigations, and other institutional responses; pick up of our stories by other media; social media activity; community organizing; and increased attention toward the issues about which we report.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
The public can read, watch, listen to and interact with our stories. “Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting” is our publishing brand; all of our work is published on our website revealnews.org.
Our public radio show Reveal, co-produced with the Public Radio Exchange (PRX), is the first one-hour weekly broadcast showcasing investigative reporting in the public interest and one of the fastest growing shows in public radio history; Reveal is also released on podcast. We broadcast weekly on nearly 600 public radio stations across the nation.
CIR is collaborative by design and committed to ensuring the public has access to the best investigative journalism we can find. To that end, we partner with local, regional and national newsrooms worldwide.
In addition to our Reveal radio show, we publish text and data interactives. We also produce documentary films for television and video platforms; our video partners include, among others, Netflix, NBC News, Univision and the PBS NewsHour.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
There is abundant evidence that the majority of Americans support freedom of the press and strongly value reporting that takes on injustice and improves lives. This is an important validation for Reveal, where we measure success by the real world changes that stem from our reporting and the trust our audiences place in our work.
CIR has engendered a level of trust from its audience that is diametrically opposed to the polling data about “mainstream media.” We surveyed our audience last fall and learned that 72% of respondents never or rarely miss an episode of the Reveal podcast and 88% of them have recommended Reveal to a friend.
Our success in earning this trust is grounded in our commitment to reporting stories that matter to people in their day-to-day lives, meeting audiences where they are by publishing on multiple platforms and in narratively-compelling ways, investing in collaborations and capacity building so that trusted local newsrooms can co-publish and/or localize our work, following up on the impact from our reporting, and deeply engaging with our audiences.
We meticulously track impact resulting from the public’s engagement with our work, which may include new laws and policy reforms, government and criminal investigations, changes in the public conversation, grassroots organizing, and other solutions-oriented action.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
CIR's investigative journalism is an essential component of the checks and balances that protect and strengthen our democracy. Throughout our history, we have found and told stories that others don't, won't and can't – stories that present facts in a transparent and nonpartisan manner, adhere to the highest standards of journalism, and help the public seek solutions to real world problems. Publicly supported and not beholden to any special interests, we follow our leads wherever they take us and publish the facts as we find them.
Through its Reveal Local Labs initiative, CIR has also stepped up to address the decimation of investigative reporting at the local level in ways that no other organization has done. Through a unique collaborative initiative, we are succeeding in helping local newsrooms increase their capacity to undertake investigative reporting and reach both local and national audiences to help address injustices, improve lives and hold the powerful accountable.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
The Center for Investigative Reporting
Board of directorsas of 12/22/2022
Rob King
ESPN
Term: 2021 -
Jon Logan
Jonathan Logan Family Foundation
Susan Sachs
Financial Consultant
Susan Hirsch
Hirsch & Associates
Gabriel Stricker
Niantic, Inc.
Suzette Clarke
CxO Communication Specialist
Rob King
ESPN
Robert Rosenthal
CIR
Gina Pell
Founder THE WHAT
Omar Alam
Salesforce
Ashok Ramani
Davis Polk
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
No data
No data
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 12/22/2022GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.