Investigate This

It’s old news that major media conglomerates have been trimming their reporting and research staff. Good media advocates know that reporters need reliable help with research and new information.

What’s new is the announcement of a well-funded media company that plans to deliver investigative news segments to major media outlets. Pro Publica, a non profit group headed by former Wall Street Journal editor Paul Steiger, plans to conduct its own investigative news reports and push these news products into major media outlets, as well as its own web site. The articles will be provided free of charge to media outlets, will be produced by a few dozen fulltime reporters, and will be supported entirely by philanthropy. This relatively large staff will make Pro Publica one of the best funded investigative reporting organizations in the country. The intent is to “uncover misdeeds in government, business and organizations”.

The Chronicle of Philanthropy reported that “the move reflects a growing concern within the foundation world about cutbacks in investigative reporting and other public-interest journalism as traditional newspapers shrink their staffs in an effort to remain economically competitive in the Internet era”.

Media professionals widely praised the effort, including investigative journalist Richard Behar (Time, Forbes, Fortune) who said “Most major magazines and newspapers have cut back dramatically on the little investigative reporting they were doing even 10 years ago…[Editors] expect that award-winning pieces can be knocked out within a week or two of reporting…Anyone who cares about great journalism better hope that Paul succeeds.”

Predictably, Fox News criticized the announcement. Brit Hume said that Pro Publica was “not a politically neutral operation” and pointed to the major funders, who have “been longtime critics of President Bush” and “are major Democratic political donors, who have all their campaign contributions to Democrats in 2006.”

The major funders are California billionaires Herbert and Marion Sandler, contributing $10 million annually. Other funders include the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Atlantic Philanthropies and the JEHT Foundation.