ProPublica

Infobox Non-profit
Non-profit_name = ProPublica
Non-profit_
Non-profit_type = 501(c)(3)
founded_date =
founder =
location = Manhattan
origins =
key_people = Herbert Sandler, Chairman
Paul Steiger, Editor-in-Chief
Stephen Engelberg, Managing Editor
Richard Tofel, General Manager
area_served = United States
focus = Investigative Journalism
method = Sandler Family Supporting Foundation
revenue =
endowment =
num_volunteers =
num_employees = <50
num_members =
owner =
Non-profit_slogan = Journalism in the public interest
homepage = [http://www.propublica.org/ ProPublica.org]
dissolved =
footnotes =

ProPublica is an independent non-profit newsroom that produces investigative journalism in the public interest. ProPublica's investigations are conducted by its [http://www.propublica.org/about/staff/ staff of full-time investigative reporters] and the resulting stories are given away to news 'partners' for publication or broadcast. In some cases, reporters from both ProPublica and the news partners work together on a story. Recent news partners have included 60 Minutes, WNYC, the Albany Times Union, the New York Sun, Salon.com, MSN Money, Newsweek and Politico.

History

ProPublica is the brainchild of Herbert and Marion Sandler, the former chief executives of the Golden West Financial Corporation, who have committed $10 million a year to the project.cite news |first=Richard |last=Pérez-Peña |title=Group Plans to Provide Investigative Journalism |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/15/business/media/15publica.html |format= |work=New York Times |date=2007-10-15 |accessdate=2007-10-15] The Sandlers hired Paul Steiger, former managing editor of the Wall Street Journal, to create and run the organization.

The Sandler Family Supporting Foundation has previously made grants to Oceana, ACORN, Rocky Mountain Institute, Environmental Defense and the Tides Foundation. [cite web |url=http://www.activistcash.com/foundation.cfm/did/1622 |title=Sandler Family Supporting Foundation |accessdate=2007-10-15 |work=Activistcash.com |publisher=Center for Consumer Freedom]

Concerns about editorial bias

In the wake of the October 2007 announcement of ProPublica's launch, concerns were expressed about the ability of the organization to maintain an independent and non-partisan editorial stance toward the subjects it investigates. [ [http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=277600193568268 "Mr. Sandler's Media"] ] Slate senior writer Jack Shafer noted that Herb Sandler has given "hundreds of thousands of dollars" to Democratic party candidates over the years, as well as millions to left-leaning or progressive political advocacy organizations such as MoveOn and ACORN. [ [http://www.slate.com/id/2175942/ "Investigating Herb and Marion Sandler"] ]

On the question of editorial bias editor in chief Paul Steiger told PBS: " [C] oming into this, when I talked to Herb and Marion Sandler, one of my concerns was precisely this question of independence and nonpartisanship... My history has been doing 'down the middle' reporting. And so when I talked to Herb and Marion I said 'are you comfortable with that?' They said 'absolutely'. I said 'well suppose we did an expose of some of the left leaning organisations that you have supported or that are friendly to what you've supported in the past'. They said 'no problem'. And when we set up our organisational structure, the board of directors, on which I sit and which Herb is the chairman, does not know in advance what we're going to report on." [ [http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/media/jan-june08/mediamodel_06-24.html "ups Financing Independent Journalism"] ]

Board members

*Henry Louis Gates Jr.
*Alberto Ibarguen
*James A. Leach
*Rebecca Rimel

Investigations

* [http://www.propublica.org/feature/alhurra-middle-east-hearts-and-minds-622/ Lost in Translation: Alhurra—America’s Troubled Effort to Win Middle East Hearts and Minds] by Dafna Linzer with 60 Minutes ( [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/06/19/60minutes/main4196477.shtml video] )
* [http://www.propublica.org/feature/new-yorks-gas-rush-poses-environmental-threat-722/ New York’s Gas Rush Poses Environmental Threat] by Abrahm Lustgarten with WNYC ( [http://www.wnyc.org/news/articles/104157 transcript] | [http://www.wnyc.org/news/articles/104157 audio] ) and [http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=705332 Albany Times-Union] .
* [http://www.propublica.org/feature/natural-gas-drilling-watershed-806 Fractured Relations — New York City Sees Drilling as Threat to Its Water Supply] by Abrahm Lustgarten with [http://www.wnyc.org/news/articles/105281 WNYC] , [http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=709513 Albany Times-Union] , and [http://www.nysun.com/new-york/citys-drinking-water-feared-endangered-10b-cost/83288/ New York Sun] .
* [http://www.propublica.org/article/in-the-eye-of-the-storm-903/ In the Eye of the Storm] by Sheri Fink with [http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2008/09/03/gustav_hospitals/ Salon.com] .
* [http://www.propublica.org/feature/kbr-exec-plea-widens-probe-909/ U.S. Targets Overseas Bribery; KBR Exec's Plea Widens Probe] by T. Christian Miller with [http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing/Extra/bribery-scandal-rocks-big-oil.aspx MSN Money] and [http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/ Frontline] .
* [http://www.propublica.org/feature/acting-tough-when-cameras-leave-osha-penalties-wither-917/ Acting Tough: When Cameras Leave, OSHA Penalties Wither] by Robert Lewis with [http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2008/09/17/osha/ Salon.com] .
* [http://www.propublica.org/feature/palin-defended-bridge-to-nowhere-to-spinmeisters-924/ Palin Defended 'Bridge to Nowhere' to 'Spinmeisters'] by Marcus Stern with [http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0908/13818.html Politico] .
* [http://www.propublica.org/article/anatomy-of-a-bank-failure-922/ Anatomy of a Bank Failure] by Jake Bernstein with [http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing/Extra/anatomy-of-a-bank-collapse.aspx MSN Money] .

References

External links

* [http://www.propublica.org/ ProPublica official site]
* [http://www.slate.com/id/2175942/ What Do Herbert and Marion Sandler Want?] - "Slate" article
* [http://www.nieman.harvard.edu/reports/08-1NRspring/p30-steiger.html Going Online With Watchdog Journalism] - article by Paul Steiger
* [http://www.cjr.org/behind_the_news/outside_agitators.php?page=all CJR: Outside Agitators] - "Columbia Journalism Review" article
* [http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=706739&category=REXSMITH&BCCode=&newsdate=7/25/2008 ProPublica A Boost To Watchdogs] - "Albany Times Union" editorial