Dick, after a decade of being a journalism program officer (first at Ford and now at the Jonathan Logan Family Foundation - two ends of the size and process spectrums) I recognize all the symptoms you rightly describe, not only at CPI (I have been pitched for support by four of those CEOs and had a front-row seat at the CPI/ICIJ divorce) but at way too many other nonprofit orgs. Without exception, while not the only problem, a weak board is ALWAYS one of the big problems. Funders need to look closely under the organization’s hood and, when feasible, offer to fund capacity, board development, strategic plans… whatever can help make an otherwise promising organization more stable and successful. At the risk of public obsequiousness, I recommend your book, Elements of Nonprofit News, all the time, both to funders and to newsrooms. Your road map works. A shame that CPI and others may not have taken it to heart.
This analysis is thoughtful, thorough, smart, and instructive. “We do an often excellent job in our business of scrutinizing the activities of others. The fate of the Center for Public Integrity should remind us that we need to be equally rigorous in holding ourselves to account.” Amen.
As an alum, this rings true -- including organizational leaders begging the Board, more than once, to see the writing on the wall when leaders did not want to lead, or indeed, did not want the job the signed up for.
You mention the Pulitzers - but this was a newsroom that repeatedly won high quality awards (both alone and with partners) and drove real change (though often only realized years after the fact). It also trained an unbelievable number of young journalists in data journalism tools and best practices and, as always, to follow the money (including in its own walls). The larger journalism ecosystem is incalculably better for their existence and drive. https://archive.publicintegrity.org/about/awards/
It's unfortunate, unavoidable, and I truly hope the industry overall can learn from this tragedy as we seek to build better news organizations and newsrooms.
Dick, after a decade of being a journalism program officer (first at Ford and now at the Jonathan Logan Family Foundation - two ends of the size and process spectrums) I recognize all the symptoms you rightly describe, not only at CPI (I have been pitched for support by four of those CEOs and had a front-row seat at the CPI/ICIJ divorce) but at way too many other nonprofit orgs. Without exception, while not the only problem, a weak board is ALWAYS one of the big problems. Funders need to look closely under the organization’s hood and, when feasible, offer to fund capacity, board development, strategic plans… whatever can help make an otherwise promising organization more stable and successful. At the risk of public obsequiousness, I recommend your book, Elements of Nonprofit News, all the time, both to funders and to newsrooms. Your road map works. A shame that CPI and others may not have taken it to heart.
As a relatively new startup in the throes of discussions about building a strong board, this was so enlightening and educational. Thank you!
This analysis is thoughtful, thorough, smart, and instructive. “We do an often excellent job in our business of scrutinizing the activities of others. The fate of the Center for Public Integrity should remind us that we need to be equally rigorous in holding ourselves to account.” Amen.
As an alum, this rings true -- including organizational leaders begging the Board, more than once, to see the writing on the wall when leaders did not want to lead, or indeed, did not want the job the signed up for.
You mention the Pulitzers - but this was a newsroom that repeatedly won high quality awards (both alone and with partners) and drove real change (though often only realized years after the fact). It also trained an unbelievable number of young journalists in data journalism tools and best practices and, as always, to follow the money (including in its own walls). The larger journalism ecosystem is incalculably better for their existence and drive. https://archive.publicintegrity.org/about/awards/
It's unfortunate, unavoidable, and I truly hope the industry overall can learn from this tragedy as we seek to build better news organizations and newsrooms.
FloorCharts, as a fellow alum, we need to make sure that this important institutional history is preserved...
Sobering, and sad.
Thanks for this revealing, balanced, important post. Accountability matters.