The Center for Investigative Reporting

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.

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 over 500 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.

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.

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.