Editing Center for Public Integrity (section)

==History==

===1989–2004===
CPI was founded on March 30, 1989, by [[Charles Lewis (journalist)|Charles Lewis]], a former producer for [[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] and [[CBS News]] ''[[60 Minutes]]''.<ref name="CPI_Lewis_20140420" /><ref>{{Cite web | title = Faculty Profile: Charles Lewis | url = http://www.american.edu/soc/faculty/charlesl.cfm | work = [[American University]] | access-date = June 9, 2012}}</ref><ref name="annual reports">{{cite news|url=http://www.iwatchnews.org/about/our-organization/annual-reports|title=Annual Reports|publisher=The Center for Public Integrity|access-date=June 10, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120415104602/http://www.iwatchnews.org/about/our-organization/annual-reports|archive-date=April 15, 2012|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref> By the late 1980s Lewis observed that fewer resources—time, money and space—were being invested in investigative reporting in the United States by established news outlets and major publications.<ref name="hopkins_2000"/>
In his book entitled ''935 Lies: The Future of Truth and the Decline of America's Moral Integrity'' Lewis recounted how he recruited two trusted journalists, Alejandro Benes and [[Charles Piller]]—whom he had met through his television work— to serve on the board of directors of the nascent CPI. All three had grown dissatisfied with what was being done in the name of investigative journalism by established news organizations.<ref name="hopkins_2000" /> They chose the name public integrity as a way of underlying the "ultimate purpose of investigative journalism" which is "to hold those in power accountable and to inform the public about significant distortions of the truth."<ref name="CPI_Lewis_20140420">{{cite web | url=https://www.publicintegrity.org/2014/06/20/14948/25-years-countless-investigations-and-935-lies | title=25 years, countless investigations and 935 lies | publisher=CPI | date=June 20, 2014 | access-date=April 7, 2016 | author=Lewis, Charles}}</ref><ref name="935_lies_2014">{{cite book |title=935 Lies: The Future of Truth and the Decline of America's Moral Integrity |first=Charles |last=Lewis |date=2014 |isbn=9781610391177 |publisher=[[PublicAffairs]] |url=http://www.publicaffairsbooks.com/book/hardcover/935-lies/9781610391177 |access-date=April 7, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160406104448/http://www.publicaffairsbooks.com/book/hardcover/935-lies/9781610391177 |archive-date=April 6, 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In their tenth anniversary Annual Report Piller described their first meetings in their "Boardroom—the cheap seats at the Baltimore Orioles game.

In May 1990, Lewis used the money he had raised and his house as collateral to open an {{convert|1800|sqft|m2|-1|adj=on}} office in [[Washington, District of Columbia|Washington, D.C.]]<ref name="annual reports"/> In its first year, the CPI's budget was $200,000.<ref name="growing importance"/> In 1996, CPI launched its first website, although CPI did not begin to publish reports online until 1999.<ref name="growing importance"/>

In August 2000 the CPI published a story entitled "Cheney Led Halliburton to Feast at Federal Trough: State Department Questioned Deal With Firm Linked to Russian Mob", in which the authors argued that while [[Dick Cheney]] was CEO of [[Halliburton Company|Halliburton]]—from 1995 to 2000—the company received "$3.8 billion in federal contracts and taxpayer-insured loans".<ref name="hopkins_2000">{{cite web | url=http://pages.jh.edu/jhumag/1100web/lewis.html | title=An "i" Toward Tough Journalism | work=Johns Hopkins Magazine | date=November 2000 | access-date=April 7, 2016 | author=Keiger, Dale}}</ref><ref name="CPI_2000_aug">{{cite web | title=Cheney Led Halliburton to Feast at Federal Trough: State Department Questioned Deal With Firm Linked to Russian Mob | publisher=CPI | date=August 2000 |first1=Knut |last1=Royce |first2= Nathaniel |last2=Heller|url=https://publicintegrity.org/federal-politics/cheney-led-halliburton-to-feast-at-federal-trough/}}</ref>

In 2001, [[Global Integrity]], an international project, was launched to systematically track and report on openness, accountability and the rule of law in various countries. It has since been incorporated independently.<ref name=global>
{{cite web | title = Our Story | url = http://www.globalintegrity.org/about/story | publisher = [[Global Integrity]] | access-date = June 9, 2012 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120617181047/http://www.globalintegrity.org/about/story | archive-date = June 17, 2012 }}</ref>

In 2004, CPI's ''The Buying of the President'' book was on [[The New York Times Best Seller list]] for three months.<ref name="growing importance">{{cite news | last = Lewis | first = Charles| url = http://shorensteincenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/2007_03_lewis.pdf | title = The Growing Importance of Non-Profit Journalism | publisher = [[Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy|The Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy]] | date = April 1, 2007 | access-date = April 6, 2016}}</ref>

===2005–2007===
Lewis served as CPI's director until January 2005. As of his departure, CPI had published 14 books and more than 250 investigative reports. In 2005, CPI had a staff of 40 full-time Washington-based reporters who partnered with a network of writers and editors in more than 25 countries.<ref name="growing importance"/> Years later, Lewis said he decided to leave his position at CPI because "he didn't want it to become 'an institution that was Chuck's Excellent Adventure".<ref name="AJR-Buzenberg">{{cite news| last = Hartmann| first = Anath| title = Center of Attention| publisher = American Journalism Review| date = December 2007| url = http://www.ajr.org/Article.asp?id=4442| access-date = November 29, 2007| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130628180128/http://ajr.org/Article.asp?id=4442| archive-date = 2013-06-28| url-status = dead}}</ref> Lewis' departure surprised and upset philanthropists Herb and Marion Sandler, who had partially funded the CPI's activities.<ref name="NYT-Sandler-Profile">{{cite news| last = Nocera| first = Joe| title = The Money Issue| work=[[The New York Times]]| date = March 9, 2008| url = https://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/09/magazine/09Sandlers-t.html}}</ref>

In December 2004, CPI's board of directors chose television journalist [[Roberta Baskin]] as Lewis's successor. Baskin came to CPI after directing consumer investigations for [[20/20 (US television series)|ABC News's 20/20]] and serving as Washington correspondent for PBS's ''[[NOW on PBS|NOW with Bill Moyers]]''.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://voices.washingtonpost.com/federal-eye/2009/08/roberta_baskin_joins_hhs.html| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120307053817/http://voices.washingtonpost.com/federal-eye/2009/08/roberta_baskin_joins_hhs.html| url-status=dead| archive-date=March 7, 2012| title=Roberta Baskin Joins HHS as Adviser | newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=August 3, 2009|access-date=June 10, 2012}}</ref> Lewis wrote that "most of the Center's carefully assembled, very talented, senior staff had quit by the fall of 2005".<ref name="growing importance"/>

In September 2005, CPI announced that it had discovered a pattern of plagiarism in the past work of a staff writer for CPI's 2002 book ''Capitol Offenders''. CPI responded by hiring a copy editor to review all work, issuing a revised version of ''Capitol Offenders'', sending letters of apology to all reporters whose work was plagiarized, authoring a new corrections policy, and returning an award the book received from [[Investigative Reporters and Editors]].<ref name = "Baskin-AJR-Letter">{{cite news | last = Baskin | first = Roberta | title = Taken Aback | publisher = American Journalism Review | date = March 2008
 | url = http://www.ajr.org/Article.asp?id=4468 | access-date = 2008-03-13 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130511214846/http://www.ajr.org/Article.asp?id=4468 | archive-date = May 11, 2013
 | url-status = dead }}</ref> He went on to work for a political consulting firm that specializes in [[opposition research]].<ref>{{cite news |last      = Prince |first     = Richard |title     = What's in the Floodwater? |publisher = Maynard Institute |date      = September 14, 2005 |url       = http://www.maynardije.org/richardprince/whats-floodwater|archive-url = https://archive.today/20130415082910/http://www.maynardije.org/richardprince/whats-floodwater|url-status  = dead|archive-date = April 15, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last      = Bice |first     = Daniel
 |title     = Integrity washout finds niche dredging muck in court race |publisher = [[Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]] |date      = March 28, 2007 |url       = http://milwaukee-journal-sentinel.vlex.com/vid/integrity-washout-niche-dredging-muck-74398525|archive-url = https://archive.today/20130209010056/http://milwaukee-journal-sentinel.vlex.com/vid/integrity-washout-niche-dredging-muck-74398525
|url-status  = dead|archive-date = February 9, 2013}}</ref> In March 2007, he told the ''[[Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel]]'' that the center's official version "is not accurate in telling the full story of why I left the center," but did not elaborate.

Baskin led the organization until May 24, 2006.<ref name=CPIAnnualReport2005 />

Baskin was followed by Wendell Rawls Jr., who was named the center's interim executive director.<ref name="WendellRawlsInterim">{{cite news | title = Takings Initiatives Accountability Project ... About This Project
 | publisher = [[CPI]] | date = September 1, 2006 | url = https://www.publicintegrity.org/2006/09/01/9031/about-project}}</ref> Rawls had previously worked as the center's managing director — being named to that post by Baskin on December 19, 2005. He joined CPI in August 2005.<ref name="WendellRawlsPRN">{{cite news |title        = Pulitzer Winner Rawls Named Managing Director of the Center for Public Integrity |publisher    = [[PR Newswire]] |date         = December 19, 2005 |url          = http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pulitzer-winner-rawls-named-managing-director-of-the-center-for-public-integrity-55591362.html
 |access-date  = 2017-01-22 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20170202030231/http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pulitzer-winner-rawls-named-managing-director-of-the-center-for-public-integrity-55591362.html |archive-date = 2017-02-02 |url-status     = dead}}</ref>

===2007–2023===
In 2007, Rawls was succeeded by [[William Buzenberg]], a vice president at [[American Public Media]]/[[Minnesota Public Radio]].<ref>{{cite news |  title=Alumni News Archives: Fall 2006 | publisher=[[University of Michigan]] | date=Fall 2006 | access-date=June 12, 2012 | url=http://www.mjfellows.org/alumni/geniuses_fall2006.html| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110809021337/http://www.mjfellows.org/alumni/geniuses_fall2006.html | archive-date=August 9, 2011 }}</ref> Buzenberg was first interviewed for the position in 2004 during the hiring process that ultimately led to the selection of his predecessor, Roberta Baskin.<ref name="AJR-Buzenberg"/>

According to a report by Lewis, "the number of full-time staff was reduced by one-third" in early 2007.<ref name="growing importance"/> By December 2007, the number of full-time staff had dropped to 25, down from a high of 40.<ref name="AJR-Buzenberg"/> At the time, Buzenberg said "It's a great, great place, but I will not mislead you... [Lewis] quite frankly left the center in great shape financially, but when you have a visionary who leaves, how do you continue? 'With difficulty' is the answer."<ref name="AJR-Buzenberg"/>

Baskin publicly disputed Buzenberg's claims in a letter to the ''[[American Journalism Review]]'' where she wrote, "contrary to the statement from current Executive Director Bill Buzenberg, the center was not left 'in great shape financially' by my predecessor. Much of the money raised during the year prior to my tenure was used to offset [[cost overrun|budget overruns]] on several previous projects. I replaced our director of development and made fundraising my number one priority, much as Buzenberg has done. As a rookie fundraiser, I take pride in the fact that I was able to raise millions of dollars."<ref name="Baskin-AJR-Letter"/>

In 2008, Lewis reflected on the transition period following his resignation and said, "I regret what happened to my staff and the condition of the Center. It's no secret it had a less than enviable few years. But that's one of the reasons I thought it was important to leave. I had founded it and run it for 15 years, and at some point the founder does have to leave the building...I don't regret it, I think it was important that I left, but I do feel badly about the hardship it brought to people I think the world of."<ref name = "Lewis-Glaser Interview">{{cite web |first=Mark |last=Glaser |url=https://www.pbs.org/mediashift/2008/06/charles-lewis-tries-to-solve----not-bemoan----state-of-investigative-journalism170.html |title=Charles Lewis Tries to Solve -- Not Bemoan -- State of Investigative Journalism |work=[[PBS]] |date=June 18, 2008 |access-date=June 12, 2012 |archive-date=August 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210810171914/http://mediashift.org/2008/06/charles-lewis-tries-to-solve----not-bemoan----state-of-investigative-journalism170.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In 2010, ''[[The Huffington Post]]'' Investigative Fund merged into the CPI, and eight ''Huffington Post'' journalists moved to CPI.<ref name="NYT_blog_2011">{{cite web | url=http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/03/center-for-public-integrity-to-start-new-site-for-investigative-journalism/ | title=Center for Public Integrity to Start New Site for Investigative Journalism | work=The New York Times| date=April 3, 2011 | access-date=November 27, 2015 | author=Vega, Tanzina | author-link=Tanzina Vega}}</ref>

In 2011, CPI eliminated 10 staff positions in order to compensate for a $2 million budget shortfall. Buzenberg and other senior staffers also took salary cuts. CPI board chairman Bruce Finzen said the budget would be "reduced between $2 million and $3 million, more like $2.5 million. The budget for next year will be in the 6 to 7 million range."

In April 2011, with support from the [[John S. and James L. Knight Foundation|Knight Foundation]], CPI launched iWatchnews.org as its main investigative reporting website.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.knightfoundation.org/blogs/knightblog/2011/4/21/center-public-integrity-launches-new-investigative-reporting-site/|title=Center for Public Integrity launches new investigative reporting site|publisher=[[John S. and James L. Knight Foundation]]|date=April 12, 2012|access-date=June 12, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140913103624/http://knightfoundation.org/blogs/knightblog/2011/4/21/center-public-integrity-launches-new-investigative-reporting-site/|archive-date=September 13, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> In August 2012, CPI stopped using iWatchnews.org and returned to its original domain.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/iWatch|title=iWatchnews|publisher=Twitter|date=August 14, 2012|access-date=June 19, 2013}}</ref>

Buzenberg stepped down from CPI at the end of 2014, at which time [[Peter Bale]] was named CEO.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Ehley|first1=Brianna|title=Former CNN International's Peter Bale to Lead the Center for Public Integrity|url=http://www.adweek.com/fishbowldc/former-cnn-internationals-peter-bale-to-lead-the-center-for-public-integrity/136458|access-date=March 24, 2015|work=FishBowlDC|publisher=AdWeek|date=December 2, 2014}}</ref> In November 2016, Bale resigned from the center to "pursue other international media opportunities" and John Dunbar assumed the role of chief executive officer.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.publicintegrity.org/2016/11/15/20470/change-leadership-center-public-integrity|title=Change of leadership at the Center for Public Integrity|date=November 15, 2016|website=Center for Public Integrity|access-date=December 21, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161222001528/https://www.publicintegrity.org/2016/11/15/20470/change-leadership-center-public-integrity|archive-date=December 22, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 2019, [[Susan Smith Richardson]] was named chief executive officer, becoming the first African-American CEO in the center's history.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.niemanlab.org/2019/04/as-the-new-ceo-of-the-center-for-public-integrity-susan-richardson-wants-to-serve-communities-far-beyond-washington/|title=As the new CEO of the Center for Public Integrity, Susan Smith Richardson wants to serve communities far beyond Washington|last=Owen|first=Laura Hazard|date=April 4, 2019|website=Nieman Lab|access-date=April 4, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cjr.org/united_states_project/susan-smith-richardson-chicago-center-for-public-integrity.php|title=Susan Smith Richardson to head Center for Public Integrity|last=McCormick|first=Andrew|date=April 4, 2018|website=Columbia Journalism Review|language=en|access-date=April 4, 2019}}</ref>

===2024–2025===

In February 2024, CEO Paul Cheung resigned. The board also acted to eliminate the position of editor-in-chief, a post that had been held by Matt DeRienzo.<ref name="2024NYT">{{cite news |last1=Mullin |first1=Benjamin |title=Center for Public Integrity Weighs Merger or Shutdown Amid Dire Financial Straits |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/28/business/media/center-for-public-integrity-financial-problems.html |access-date=March 1, 2024 |work=New York Times |date=February 28, 2024}}</ref>

CPI had a revenue goal of $6 million for 2023, and fell about $2.5 million short of that. According to the ''[[New York Times]]'', this shortfall created a situation of financial peril that threatened "to extinguish a newsroom of about 30 journalists that has watchdogged powerful institutions for decades."<ref name="2024NYT"/> Due to the organization's financial difficulties, CPI considered merging with a competitor or shutting down.<ref name="2024NYT"/> 

In March 2024, CPI laid off 11 newsroom employees.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tobitt |first=Charlotte |date=2024-03-12 |title=News media job cuts 2024 tracked: At least 980 redundancies in January and 615 in February |url=https://pressgazette.co.uk/publishers/journalism-job-cuts-2024/ |access-date=2024-03-15 |website=Press Gazette |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Schuman |first1=Daniel |author-link1=Daniel Schuman |title=Open-Government Nonprofits Are Dying Off Just When They're Needed Most |url=https://www.thebulwark.com/p/open-government-nonprofits-are-dying-off-just-when-needed-most |work=[[The Bulwark (website)|The Bulwark]] |date=16 December 2024}}</ref> That same month, [[Richard Tofel]], the former president of [[ProPublica]], wrote a [[Substack]] piece entitled "What Went Wrong at the Center for Public Integrity?" in which he discussed "what seems likely to be the end, one way or another, of CPI." Tofel identified considerable turnover at the top of the organization, cultural shortcomings of its board of directors, and strategic missteps as the three major factors which led to the organization's demise.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Tofel |first1=Richard J. |title=What Went Wrong at the Center for Public Integrity? |url=https://dicktofel.substack.com/p/what-went-wrong-at-the-center-for |publisher=Substack |access-date=25 March 2025 |date=21 March 2024}}</ref> In May 2024, a mass layoff saw almost all CPI workers lose their jobs.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Lewis |first1=Katherine Reynolds |title=The reality of layoffs, beyond the national numbers |url=https://www.cjr.org/business_of_news/reality-layoffs-behind-national-jobs-numbers-reynolds-lewis.php |access-date=25 March 2025 |work=Columbia Journalism Review |date=October 14, 2024 |language=en}}</ref>

CPI's last major piece was co-published in June 2024 and the organization had no staff by November 2024. In March 2025, CPI announced it had officially ceased operations and was in talks to give its archive to the [[Project on Government Oversight]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chan |first=Sewell |title=Center for Public Integrity Is Shutting Down |url=https://www.cjr.org/news/center-for-public-integrity-shutting-down.php |access-date=2025-04-01 |website=Columbia Journalism Review |language=en}}</ref>