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
Founded in 1977 as the nation’s first nonprofit investigative journalism organization, The Center for Investigative Reporting (CIR) is among the most innovative, credible and relevant media organizations in the country.
CIR is nonpartisan and fact-driven. We uncover stories about important issues, share what we know in an unbiased way, and track the real world change that results. As a nonprofit, CIR is not beholden to any corporate or individual interests. Our bottom line is the public interest, not profit.
Because we are a multiplatform newsroom, the public can read, watch, listen to and interact with our stories. Our text-based investigations and data interactives reach an audience of millions on our website, revealnews.org, and through distribution partnerships with organizations such as The Associated Press. Our documentary film and television partners include, among others, Netflix, NBC News, Univision and the PBS NewsHour.
Our public radio show Reveal, which we co-produce with the Public Radio Exchange (PRX), is the first one-hour weekly broadcast showcasing investigative reporting in the public interest. It is complemented by the Reveal podcast. Reveal airs on 450 public radio stations nationwide; the podcast is downloaded on average 1.6 million times per month.
“Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting” is our publishing brand and all of CIR’s work is published on its website revealnews.org.
Though we value impact more than awards, we appreciate the recognition we receive from our peers. In 2018 alone, CIR has won major awards across all platforms: Finalist for a National Pulitzer Prize, first place for the Society of Professional Journalists Award, Alfred I. duPont-Columbia First Place Award for Reveal, and a finalist designation for our first Academy Award for Best Short Documentary. CIR was previously a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 2012 and 2013 and a recipient of the 2012 MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions.
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
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
Grow our audience size.
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 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.
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 collecting feedback from the people you serve?
Electronic surveys (by email, tablet, etc.),
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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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With whom is the organization sharing feedback?
Our staff, Our board, Our funders,
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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
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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 02/22/2022
Rob King
ESPN
Term: 2021 -
Jon Logan
Jonathan Logan Family Foundation
Susan Sachs
Financial Consultant
Susan Hirsch
Hirsch & Associates
Justin Nyweide
HMI Capital, LLC
Gabriel Stricker
Niantic, Inc.
Suzette Clarke
CxO Communication Specialist
Blye Faust
Rocklin/Faust
Rob King
ESPN
Robert Rosenthal
CIR
Gina Pell
Founder THE WHAT
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? GuideStar partnered on this section with CHANGE Philanthropy and Equity in the Center.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
No data
Gender identity
No data
No data
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data