4. In the spirit of journalistic transparency, “Reinventing Journalism” is
Robert J. Rosenthal’s account of assuming leadership of the Center for
Investigative Reporting and launching California Watch, its statewide
reporting team. This report was written at the request of the John S. and
James L. Knight Foundation with the aim of helping fellow journalism
organizations, particularly nonprofit startups, learn from CIR’s experiences.
Acknowledgements:
Support for this report was provided by the John S. and James L. Knight
Foundation. Christa Scharfenberg, Narda Zacchino and Mark Katches
provided invaluable feedback and editing support.Thanks to Nikki Frick for
copy editing and Kate Jessup for organizing the sidebars and for her research.
5. PART ONE were encouraged to be ambitious and ence in these newsrooms that, like
Sustaining take risks. We also believed we could
produce the best journalism in the
many others, were beginning an un-
precedented struggle for survival. But
Investigative
country. It was a supportive system I was deeply frustrated by a lack of
driven by stories, especially those vision, ambition and passion on the
that could make a difference. And it business side that was throttling cre-
Journalism was fun.
The newsroom cultures of that era
ativity and undermining the crucial
role that journalism, and especially
Means Finding nurtured young, talented journalists.
So many of them had worked their
investigative reporting, play in our
democracy.
a New Model way up from copyboy or clerk jobs,
through a system that rewarded hard
As an editor, the priority was on con-
tent – not profit.That was the respon-
work and talent. It was an environ- sibility of the business side. I never
I’m not sure I would have become ment where young journalists were had to worry about raising a dime.
the executive director of the Center taught by some of the most skilled Many conversations with publish-
for Investigative Reporting in January and experienced men and women ers or corporate officers focused on
2008 if I had really understood the in the business. The best editors gave money. I was never comfortable with
challenges ahead of me and had reporters room to flourish, guiding those discussions. Far too often, these
thought them out carefully; I had no and teaching along the way, and they conversations were about cutbacks
idea what I was getting into. held us to rigorous standards. aimed not at maintaining profit, but
increasing it at the expense of good
When CIR approached me, I was 59 I learned that the best editors, and the
journalism.
and unemployed. For the second time best newsrooms, cleared the way for
in six years, I had left, or been asked you to succeed – while lending all the Once, on a visit to the Miami corpo-
to leave, high-level editing positions support needed. This was vividly con- rate headquarters of Knight Ridder
at large metropolitan newspapers. veyed by one of my most influential (the owner of the Inquirer), I walked
Most recently, I had been managing and powerful mentors, Gene Roberts, into an office to find two executives
editor at the San Francisco Chronicle; then the editor of the Inquirer. He had dancing a jig. I stood there, embar-
before that, I was editor of The Phil- just told me he was going to name rassed, while they laughed and ex-
adelphia Inquirer. Nearly 40 years me foreign editor, my first editing plained that the share price had hit a
working in newsrooms left me with job. I asked him, “What do the best new high that day. They were about
solid core competencies. I knew a editors do?” to cash in some stock options.
good story, I was passionate and I got “Well,” he drawled, “they are like a That scene stuck with me and was a
great personal reward from enabling blocking back in football. They go crude reminder of the disconnect in
talented journalists do what they do through the line, knock somebody values between journalists and the
best. But many of these skills were not down, clear the way, and lie in the corporate office. There was nothing
very useful outside a newsroom. mud so the guy with the ball can step wrong with profit; those profits had
I could also look back, knowing that on their back and score.” supported the work of journalists,
I had been privileged to be involved including cost-intensive investigative
The image has stuck with me. The
with great journalists and important reporting, for decades. But the de-
most successful editors put their bets
journalism. As a 22-year-old, I was an mand for ever-increasing profit was
on people who can deliver for them.
editorial assistant at The New York the source of the difference between
When a reporter proved he or she
Times and was assigned to work on a creative, story-driven culture and a
could produce a great story, the re-
the Pentagon Papers team. At 25, as a numbers culture.
ward was to get to do the next one.
reporter at The Boston Globe, I was There was an adrenaline-filled ur- I relate that story because I see now
part of a newspaper-wide effort that gency that made newsrooms crackle. that every defeat and every success
won the Pulitzer Prize gold medal for Those staffs rarely worried about I’ve had, from the first day I walked
public service. who was financially sustaining the into a newsroom in 1969 as a summer
I later moved to the Inquirer, where I work. And they never imagined that intern to the day I exited as an editor
was a reporter and editor during that it might end. decades later, has informed my deci-
newspaper’s golden age. It was a de- sions. These experiences have provid-
At the Inquirer and the Chronicle, I
manding culture in which reporters ed the fuel to help me transform and
believed that I could make a differ-
CENTER FOR INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING : REINVENTING JOURNALISM : 1
6. grow CIR and to create California CIR had journalistic credibility, creases when we become engaged
Watch, our successful statewide re- and its board already had spent two in building something new instead
porting team. years looking for an executive direc- of feeling demoralized as institu-
tor who had vision and the ability tions we once valued so highly are
being destroyed by our own canni-
to lead. It is the oldest independent,
CIR, THE PETRI DISH balization.
nonprofit investigative reporting or-
Frustrated by the constraints of “cor- ganization in the country. But its fu- I have faith that new models of
porate media,” reporters Lowell Berg- ture was unclear. Taking this job was journalism are going to fly out of
man, Dan Noyes and David Weir this whirlpool of change and be
a great risk. But it also provided an
started CIR in 1977. Over three de- successful. Ten years ago, Google
opportunity to build an organiza-
cades, CIR’s fortunes had ebbed and wasn’t even in our vocabulary.
tion. I had a clear idea of where to Ditto Craigslist and Facebook and
flowed. It produced a great deal of go, but getting there was uncharted. MySpace and YouTube.
award-winning work, much of it in In the summer of 2007, before CIR
documentary films with partners like Journalism, as practiced at newspa-
approached me, Nieman Reports
PBS’ “Frontline” and “60 Minutes.” pers, is not dead. But journalists will
asked me to write a personal essay need to salvage what is essential,
I was aware of CIR’s history and had about the “future” of journalism.That figure out how to transform it to
worked with the organization on one process helped me focus my thoughts the new media, and become lead-
story at the Chronicle, but that was about what kind of newsroom I ers in this period of upheaval. It will
the extent of my knowledge. When hoped to build. I was also just begin- take men and women of vision and
I became executive director, the or- ning my work with the Chauncey deep pockets, whose primary cata-
ganization was at risk. The nonprofit Bailey Project, a collaboration of lyst is not profit.
investigative space is driven by values Bay Area journalism outlets. We had As journalists, we live in a time
that I have always had at my core, but joined efforts to try to solve the of crisis – offering the possibil-
its survival is perilous. What I soon murder of slain Oakland Post Editor ity of historic change – as we wit-
learned was that those of us who have Chauncey Bailey and to continue his ness a pillar of our democracy be-
work. The essay for Nieman Reports ing wounded and withering away.
taken on these new entrepreneurial
was published in the 2007 winter edi- Great urgency and risk taking is
and innovative roles in journalism called for to stem the collapse of
must evolve. For me, the evolution tion. In it, I wrote:
what newspapers have stood for
was into a role I never imagined play- in our country’s past. We have no
The crucial element determin-
ing – a publisher. ing success will be the strength other choice.
Before I joined CIR, I understood of emerging relationships among
that for the future models of jour- those whose money will support
the journalistic enterprise and those I didn’t realize that a few months
nalism to succeed, the “money side” after I wrote that essay, I would be
who create the product.
and the “creative side” would have given the opportunity to turn this vi-
to align. And in CIR’s case, that They will need to arrive at a sense
sion into reality. Linked in my mind
alignment had to reside within me. of shared values and passion about
what their journalistic enterprise
to these cultural values was the idea
is and the value it holds – not ex- that the new organization would be a
pressed in monetary terms alone.To multi-platform content creator, either
What I soon learned was use the term “news organization” through the expertise of its own staff
does not begin to describe the po- or through collaborations with other
that those of us who have tential opportunities I see ahead news organizations.
for these new ventures. “Publish-
taken on these new entre- ing” partnerships will be formed I used the image of a wheel’s spokes
preneurial and innovative and collaborations among news to explain this new model of story-
organizations – though these might telling. At the center of the wheel is
roles in journalism must look very different than we think of the story, and each spoke represents
them today – will be crucial. a different platform – most impor-
evolve. For me, the evolu- tantly, a different way of telling the
Creating these organizations – us-
tion was into a role I never ing a new DNA – will be easier story – with each platform comple-
than the slow transition we are menting the other. In this way, diverse
imagined playing – witnessing today with the “old audiences would get the story in the
a publisher. model” organizations. Energy in- platform or medium they were most
comfortable with.
CENTER FOR INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING : REINVENTING JOURNALISM : 2
7. small number of high-quality proj- fornia, in addition, is not only big-
ects annually, funding investigations ger than most countries, but is fertile
individually. Some people thought it ground for investigative reporting.
should remain that way. But the time
The process of creating what would
was right for change.
become California Watch took off
after that conversation. A little while
THE QUEST FOR FUNDS later, I had my first meeting with staff
How do you raise money? If there of the John S. and James L. Knight
was a useful guidebook, I never found Foundation. I laid out a similar menu
it. But what I did have was a passion and the multi-platform approach.
for journalism, a vision, the credibil- They also responded positively. They
ity of CIR’s 30-year history and sur- liked the idea about creating a jour-
vival instincts. My first focus had to nalistic organization in which using
At the center of our reporting and dis-
be on sustaining CIR. I knew how to technology, engaging the public and
tribution model is the story. The spokes
represent the multi-platform production craft stories – and stories were what sustaining the effort were central to
and distribution. most of the journalism funders were the mission.
comfortable financing. So I began by We were interested in engaging the
This way of working was different framing pitches around projects. public in reporting, an evolving con-
from how newsrooms traditionally
I spent several rainy February days in cept. We realized that it was worth
were organized. Creating an entity that
New York visiting major foundations exploring the question readers and
could produce this new kind of story-
with Christa Scharfenberg, our as- viewers often ask after an investiga-
telling, and also explaining it to poten-
sociate director, who had been with tion has been published:What can we
tial funders, was my first challenge.
CIR for five years and had been act- do now? We wanted to find a way to
My transformation from journalist/ ing executive director for the year build that into the journalism, even
editor to salesman/evangelical en- prior to my hiring. I explained the around the sensitive subjects that in-
trepreneur began immediately in the multi-platform approach we want- vestigative reporting explores.
winter of 2008, within weeks of join- ed to create and talked about a few How to manage and engage an audi-
ing CIR. I was basically starting from major projects, including work as- ence was something we would have
scratch with a staff of seven people sociated with Iraq and Afghanistan, to build into our planning. We want-
and a budget around $1.5 million. human rights, the environment, and ed to create new strategies to share
Much of that funding was dedicated state coverage of California. No one information, as well as explore new
to a documentary film project. There jumped out of his or her seat with distribution models. Social media
were no major funds in any pipeline. excitement. There were doubts and was exploding and offered some new
The nearly two-year-long search for challenging questions about the ne- pathways for public engagement and
an executive director had been frus- cessity of creating new models out of distribution. The ability of stories and
trating and disappointing.When I was small existing nonprofits. video to go viral presented a clear op-
hired, not all of the board members
Then, weeks after the New York trip, portunity. We wanted to create com-
supported my vision. The organiza-
we met with the James Irvine Foun- munities of interest around subjects
tion for many years had produced a
dation. The program officer listened and geography. And we wanted to
patiently to my multi-platform con- involve these communities to gather
cept and to our story ideas, and then information and help find solutions.
My transformation from she asked, “Can you do something At the same time that I was formulat-
journalist/editor to that’s focused on California? Our ing a state concept, former San Fran-
funding is focused on California.” cisco Chronicle staff writer Louis
salesman/evangelical Freedberg had gotten seed money
I was thrilled: A potential major
entrepreneur began funder was interested. Covering the from the Irvine Foundation and the
state, with a clear focus on investiga- William and Flora Hewlett Founda-
immediately in the winter tion to develop a similar program.
tive reporting, did not intimidate me.
of 2008, within weeks of I had been a statehouse reporter and Freedberg and I had several talks, and
ran newsrooms where state and state- while we had differing visions, there
joining CIR. house coverage were priorities. Cali- was reason to share our plans.We both
knew that funds were limited and that
CENTER FOR INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING : REINVENTING JOURNALISM : 3
8. it might be pointless to compete, es- THE CHAUNCEY BAILEY PROJECT “Informing Communities: Sustaining
pecially in increasingly dire economic The Chauncey Bailey Project began under Democracy in the Digital Age”
times. We decided that we would the leadership of Dori J. Maynard, presi- Knight Commission Report, 2009
pursue our plans separately, but leave dent and CEO of the Robert C. Maynard PRAISE AND PRESS COVERAGE >>
open the possibility of joining forces. Institute for Journalism Education in “Chauncey Bailey Project shows impact of
Oakland, and Sandy Close, executive editor
Around this time, a talented televi- investigative reporting”
of New America Media in San Francisco.
sion producer left CIR. Instead of re- Transcript of speech delivered by Eric New-
Robert Rosenthal coordinated the
placing her with another journalist, I ton, senior adviser to the president of the
investigation.
decided to hire someone who could Knight Foundation, at the annual conven-
The project was funded by the John S. and tion of Investigative Reporters and Editors,
help pay the bills. We needed to raise James L. Knight Foundation, the Society June 11, 2011
money. of Professional Journalists’ Sigma Delta
“Justice written in ink”
Chi Foundation, the UC Berkeley Graduate
Through a friend, I met someone The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer, June 18, 2011
School of Journalism, the George Washing-
with a strong fundraising résumé, “Q & A with Martin Reynolds: Oakland Tri-
ton Williams Fellowship, the National Asso-
including experience raising money ciation of Black Journalists, The Newspaper bune editor talks about The Chauncey
for journalism, a rare combination Guild and The California Endowment. Tech- Bailey Project”
given how few journalism-focused nical assistance was provided by Investiga- By Jane Kim, Columbia Journalism Review,
nonprofits there were at the time. In tive Reporters and Editors, Inc. May 14, 2009
what proved to be a crucial decision, CONTRIBUTING NEWS ORGANIZATIONS >> “Articles on Editor’s Killing Made
Cherilyn Parsons was hired as a part-
p Alameda Times-Star Bay a Difference”
time development director. It was
p Area Black Journalists Association By Tim Arango, The New York Times,
also a key step in my evolution from p Center for Investigative Reporting Feb. 22, 2009
editor to publisher. p Contra Costa Times AWARDS EARNED >>
In my past role as editor of a big p East County Times
McGill Medal for Journalistic Courage,
p The (Fremont) Argus
newsroom, I resented when editorial University of Georgia, 2010
p Hayward Daily Review
resources were cut while business Knight Award for Public Service and
p Investigative Reporters and Editors
budgets increased. But now, thinking p KGO Radio Investigative Journalism Award in the
more like a publisher than an editor, p KGO-TV ABC 7 Small Site Category,
I knew that replacing the departing p KQED Public Radio Online News Association, 2009
journalist with another reporter was p KTVU-TV Community Service Award, Bay Area
not an option. I needed someone p Maynard Institute for Journalism Black Journalists Association, 2009
who understood the world of foun- Education
New Media Online Project: News and
dations, their nuances and interests, p New America Media
Investigative Reporting, 150,000 +
and had a sensibility about our jour- p New Voices in Independent Journalism
circulation, National Association of Black
nalistic mission. With 15 years of ex- p The Oakland Tribune
Journalists, 2009
perience in fundraising, much of it p San Francisco Bay Guardian
p San Jose Mercury News Paul Tobenkin Memorial Award,
with journalism nonprofits and the Columbia University Graduate School
p San Mateo County Times
Annenberg School for Communica- of Journalism, 2009
p Society of Professional Journalists
tion & Journalism at the University Tri-Valley Herald
p Community Service Award, National
of Southern California, Parsons was p UC Berkeley Graduate School Association of Black Journalists, 2009
exactly what we needed. of Journalism Medium-sized newspapers (100,000 to
p Valley Times 250,000), Investigative Reporters and
LEARNING COLLABORATIVE SCHOLARLY AND INDUSTRY WHITE PAPERS >> Editors, 2009
DISTRIBUTION “Partners of Necessity: The Case for Col- Best Practices Award,
laboration in Local Investigative Reporting” National Association of Black Journalists,
In the spring of 2008, reporters on
Report by Sandy Rowe, Shorenstein Center 2008
the Chauncey Bailey Project were
Knight Fellow and former editor, of The Tom Renner Award,
stationed in our small office. News
Oregonian Investigative Reporters and Editors, 2008
organizations throughout the Bay
Area had teamed up to produce and “Re-Imagining Journalism: Local News for a James Madison Freedom of
distribute these stories. The success Networked World” Information Award,
of that collaborative project would 2011 policy paper by Michael R. Fancher, Society of Professional Journalists North-
former editor of The Seattle Times and ern California Chapter, 2008
serve as a model for building Cali-
co-convener of Journalism That Matters
fornia Watch, which was still in the
Pacific Northwest
planning stages. CENTER FOR INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING : REINVENTING JOURNALISM : 4
9. The Bailey Project’s model had gained PART TWO simultaneous modes: survival and
a great deal of positive attention. It
was clear that we had hit the tipping Diving into growth. In the mainstream journalism
world, the gutting of newsrooms was
the world
point – the point at which news or- accelerating and the global financial
ganizations with disparate skills and markets were beginning to destabilize.
expertise and shrinking resources
were better off working together. We
knew that we were doing great jour-
of fundraising I had no experience writing a propos-
al and never had been in a situation in
which there were multiple potential
nalism, which felt good, but the col-
laboration was necessary to keep the
investigation going; it was producing
brings many funders with differing mandates, pro-
grammatic interests, personalities and
stories that eventually led to convic-
tions and reforms in the Oakland
lessons idiosyncrasies. My experience with
budgets and planning documents
had been with publishers and corpo-
Police Department.
The Center for Investigative Report- rate executives. When I was editor of
With the Chauncey Bailey Project, we ing was poised to undergo a dramatic The Philadelphia Inquirer, the news-
learned that we could control distri- relaunch in the spring of 2008, tak- room had an array of resources that
bution through as many partner rela- ing us fully into the age of the In- seemed limitless compared with
tionships as we could manage – print, ternet and beyond, but if you visited where I now was.
television, radio, websites – and that our humble Berkeley office, it would And very important, by comparison,
traditional concerns about exclusivity, have been impossible to imagine the I was used to dealing with one direct
even with 15 or 20 organizations in- changes ahead. funding source, a publisher who ne-
volved, were less relevant if a story was
The CIR workplace was in what was gotiated with corporate bosses, occa-
strong and compelling. While most
once the loft of an old horse stable in sionally with me in the room. When
editors, including me, would have de-
a mixed-use neighborhood near the those meetings were over, you knew
manded exclusivity in the past, they
original Berkeley Bowl, a local land- where you stood. Still, as a journal-
now preferred to be part of something
mark.With no central heating system, ist, I was never trained for those kinds
big rather than be excluded.
it could be brutally hot or cold. The of negotiations. In that world, when
Every news organization involved in staff worked with scarves, fingerless revenue and profit numbers were
the Chauncey Bailey Project had the gloves and wool caps on cold days and met, there was relative tranquility. But
right to post each story on its web- in warm, blowing wind generated by when revenue and profits dropped,
site at the same time.What this meant industrial fans, their cables crisscross- nothing else mattered but making
was that if the embargo time was 10 ing the floor, in the warmer months. or adjusting the financial goals. That
p.m., a story went live then across all We were a struggling nonprofit with environment was filled with anxiety,
the news organizations. Television no frills. conflict, distrust and shortsighted so-
stations with 10 p.m. broadcasts re- lutions, all driven by the bottom line.
ported the story on air then. If their In the late spring, the staff began to
pull together the detailed plans for a Money-driven conversations were
broadcast was at 11 p.m., it was live
new California project, a plan to cre- never comfortable for me, but they
on their website earlier and aired on
ate a statewide investigative reporting were now the central and most crucial
TV later. For newspapers, it meant
team covering major issues like educa- element of my role in moving Cali-
web first, print in the morning. For
tion, the environment and health care. fornia Watch and CIR forward. Un-
radio, generally, it was websites first
The job of putting the funding pro- like the newspaper industry, however,
and broadcast at drive time in the
posals together fell to Associate Direc- dealing with foundations was never
morning. We could time the release
tor Christa Scharfenberg and Devel- about making a number; it was about
and coordinate it with many news
opment Officer Cherilyn Parsons. As convincing them that you could lead
organizations in different media. It
CIR’s executive director, I did a final an organization that could make a
sounds simple today, but in 2008, it
edit and review, but their knowledge difference, and, specifically, convinc-
was innovative. And it worked.
and experience in grant writing and ing them to invest in the California
The Chauncey Bailey Project’s sto- foundation interests were invaluable. project. A friend told me, “You are
ries saturated the Bay Area. It was a the product.” That it rested so heavily
tremendous, positive lesson, not only At the same time, we were trying to on me to sell the idea and vision
for the project, but for the profession keep CIR alive, funding other po- to potential funders was unsettling.
of journalism. The project shaped tential projects and managing exist-
where we were about to go next. ing editorial work. We were in two
… CENTER FOR INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING : REINVENTING JOURNALISM : 5
10. With foundations, I was soon to learn, and CIR’s future were as reliant on “You,” he said. “You need the support
you operated on their cycle and at their skills and persistence as anyone’s. around you to do what you can do.”
their pace. They have many suitors.
Around this time, in the spring of I did not realize it at the moment, but
They have internal dynamics, con-
2008, I had my first one-on-one con- he got the vision. As a businessman
flicts and staff changes that can alter
versations with philanthropists. The and entrepreneur, Hellman under-
your organization’s life, for better or
first step is getting in the door. Some- stood the concepts I was laying out,
worse. But as I was reminded again
times, the door can be opened by and he was thinking about how to
and again, the job of foundations is
chance or by contact made through support them, and me.
to give away money. My job was to
board members, friends or acquain-
present a strong organization and ar- I came out of the meeting with a
tances. Other times, the door never
gument for their investments. good feeling. I liked Hellman, and he
opens. There is no real training for
wanted to meet again. I had been told
There was a herky-jerky rhythm to this.You are selling your wits, person-
that “developing” an individual do-
the various foundation funding cycles ality, passion and vision; chemistry is
nor could be a lengthy process. It was
and board schedules, which left very essential.
about relationship building, and here
little time for me to do almost any-
A friend who had secured funding it was in practice.
thing else at CIR. “Face time” with
from George Soros for a business proj-
funders, which required the mun- Over the next few months, I met
ect years ago told me that in meet-
dane scheduling and confirming of with Hellman several times. He said
ing a potential grantee, Soros would
many meetings, was as essential as he would help and made a $100,000
know in a couple of minutes whether
understanding the interests of each gift from his family foundation. More
he would fund you. He said Soros
foundation. I traveled frequently to important, he offered to host a lun-
made those decisions with his gut.
meet with foundation staff members, cheon in his office for potential do-
Through another friend, I was able
which often involved three-day cross- nors, some of his friends and anyone
to meet San Francisco philanthropist
country trips with as many as five I wanted to invite. This was a big op-
and billionaire financier Warren Hell-
meetings a day. Getting in the door portunity. His advice to me was not
man.When I asked more experienced
was not always easy. The experience to talk about stories, but about the
fundraisers how I should prepare for
of Scharfenberg and Parsons was cru- new model.
that meeting, the consensus was “be
cial to opening doors. But the meet-
yourself.” On the morning of the luncheon,
ings were imperative to developing
a rapport with very busy program the Hearst Corp. announced that
I went to Hellman’s office. His clothes
officers. it might sell or close the San Fran-
were rumpled; his shoes were worn
cisco Chronicle. When I walked into
and comfortable-looking. He took off
I was a novice at this, but every step Hellman’s boardroom, he walked up
his sports jacket and, without looking,
was a new lesson. to me, grabbed my elbow, pulled me
tossed it in a heap on a corner chair.
aside, looked me in the eye and asked,
FACE TIME WITH A BILLIONAIRE I’d never met anyone with his wealth, “Should I buy the Chronicle?”
PHILANTHROPIST and I knew he had the capacity to be
I told him I didn’t think it would be a
The most effective face-to-face meet- a financial game changer for CIR. I
good investment.
ings occurred when I was able to con- immediately felt comfortable with
vey our vision and mission and relay him; I told him about my back- As he got more involved in seeing
my personal story as a journalist. Par- ground, we talked sports, and I even- how he could help stabilize San Fran-
sons had to be present at many of the tually launched into where I hoped cisco journalism, Hellman’s interest in
meetings to coordinate follow-up and to take CIR and the kinds of journal- CIR waned (though he did continue
draft the proposals. Juggling multiple ism we would do. I did not feel like his generous support for two more
foundation requests and proposals a salesman, though I suppose that’s years), and his focus went to funding
meant setting up a rigorous manage- what I was. his own startup project, The Bay Cit-
ment system for which Scharfenberg izen, a San Francisco online news site.
After a few minutes of my “vision
and Parsons had responsibility. They talk,” Hellman stopped me. I understood his thinking, and I
had my trust, and they had my back. greatly appreciated his support. Large
Very important for me, they pushed “We have to fund the mother,” he said.
individual gifts are a crucial pillar of
back, asked questions, understood our “The mother?” I responded. I had no the sustainability formula for CIR
mission and turned that vision into idea what he meant. and all successful nonprofits. I now
clear prose. The California project knew that I could make a positive im-
CENTER FOR INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING : REINVENTING JOURNALISM : 6
11. pression on individual philanthropists. the focus of our growth strategy. an important role in our democracy,
But I also had learned that building and that role had to evolve and be
As the financial crisis exploded, our
these relationships wouldn’t always supported going forward.
anxiety mounted, as did pressure on
translate into support that could pro-
newsrooms. Our primary argument The passion that pushed us at CIR
vide the type of financial resources
for the state project had been the was also born out of personal convic-
we needed to reach our vision.
precipitous decline in the number tions. My father had started the jour-
As the Hellman interlude unfolded of journalists covering Sacramento. nalism program at The City College
and unraveled, we also were work- By the fall of 2008, the number of of New York in the 1930s. He died
ing with many foundations, large and reporters in California’s capital had at age 95 in the spring of 2008, a few
small. It is important to have many been more than halved in five years. months after I started at CIR. As I
lines out and be ready to evolve and Every news organization in the state went though his files after his death, I
adjust your thinking and strategies. was undergoing dramatic cuts. And found a yellowed piece of paper with
when cutting is the focus, innovation two typewritten paragraphs:
For example, in initial conversations
is nearly impossible.
during the spring of 2008, we were “Why should freedom of speech and free-
talking about creating a “destination We had to think and act differently. dom of press be allowed? Why should
website” for the California project. And for me, the Chauncey Bailey government, which is doing what it be-
We were considering the idea of be- Project continued to be a guide. Dur- lieves to be right, allow itself to be criti-
ing the go-to site for in-depth Cali- ing this time, CIR board members cized? It would not allow opposition
fornia news, including our own in- were watching. They were not active- by lethal weapons. Ideas are much more
vestigations and aggregated content ly engaged in formulating a strategy fatal things than guns. Why should any
from around the state. or raising money, but they were 100 man be allowed to buy a printing press
and disseminate pernicious opinions cal-
But at the same time, the Chaunc-
culated to embarrass the government?”
ey Bailey Project demonstrated the
strength of collaborative reporting The collaborative model, -Nikolai Lenin, 1920
and distribution. We had created the publishing through many “The basis of our governments being the
consistent ability to reach large au- opinion of the people, the very first ob-
diences through many simultaneous partners simultaneously, ject should be to keep that right; and were
publishing and broadcast partners. It became central to the vi- it left to me to decide whether we should
would have been foolish to ignore have a government without newspapers,
that successful learning experience. sion for CIR and California or newspapers without a government, I
Through the project – which re- Watch. should not hesitate a moment to choose
vealed a shoddy police investigation the latter.” – Thomas Jefferson, 1787
and led to two murder convictions in
percent supportive of the concept
2011 – we saw that large audiences
and our efforts. By the end of 2008, We were in a different world from
could be reached through the multi-
though we had proposals under way, when those statements were made,
platform, multi-partner approach.
the future of CIR and the California but the words resonated with me and
That experience ultimately steered
project were very uncertain. still rang true.
us from the destination website idea.
The collaborative model, publishing The complexity of our collaborative, During this time, former San Francis-
through many partners simultane- multi-platform multimedia model co Chronicle reporter Louis Freed-
ously, became central to the vision for was going to be a challenge to cre- berg was having conversations the
CIR and California Watch. ate and manage. Adding to the chal- William and Flora Hewlett Founda-
lenge was the fact that we still had no tion regarding his own California ini-
NAILING DOWN FOUNDATION GRANTS guarantee of funding. But the conver- tiative, and I had been asked by the
Work with the program officers and gence of the collapse of legacy media, Irvine Foundation to consider work-
consultants with the John S. and the availability of talented yet frus- ing with him. He and I had talked
James L. Knight Foundation and the trated journalists, advances in tech- about this earlier and now decided to
James Irvine Foundation accelerated nology and interested funders created work together rather than compete
after the summer of 2008. In the fall, opportunity. for shrinking funds. Funders clearly
we received a planning grant from the prefer collaboration among poten-
The underpinning of that opportuni-
Irvine Foundation that supported more tial grantees – another lesson quickly
ty was a shared belief that journalists
staff, as the California project became learned.
and investigative reporting had played
CENTER FOR INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING : REINVENTING JOURNALISM : 7
12. The narrative for our proposal was longtime journalist and former UC diately from Milwaukee during his
taking shape as we honed key prin- Berkeley Graduate School of Journal- weekends and evenings to finalize
ciples. To develop and test this model, ism staff member Marcia Parker was staffing and budget.
the California project would: hired to help with the startup. Knight,
because of the chaos in the financial BUILDING THE TEAM
p Develop collaboration as a key
markets, deferred a decision until its
strategy for the news operations of Katches and Freedberg came from
June 2009 board meeting. We decid-
the future very different backgrounds, but they
ed to begin planning to launch the
shared the belief that there was an op-
p Implement multimedia distribution project, but not to actually launch it
portunity and need for a new kind of
as part of every story and test new or make further hires until we knew
journalism organization in California
digital technologies our full funding commitment.
that would serve the interests of the
p Develop innovative, replicable Knight was pushing us to be as in- state’s citizens. Each had envisioned
strategies that can generate novative as possible around distribu- his own model for how this organiza-
revenue from multimedia content tion, engagement and sustainability. tion might work.
and help sustain operations I agreed with those core strategies,
though I also believed our ability to
During the last quarter of 2008, we generate strong stories would be the
submitted the proposals to the Irvine, basis of our success and core compe-
... we announced that we
Hewlett and Knight foundations. The tency. I wanted to establish the proj- were hiring six reporters
total original budget for the first year ect’s journalistic credibility as quickly
of California Watch was nearly $1.5 as possible. That meant we needed
and two multimedia
million. That would have covered
14 positions and a portion of CIR’s
strong editorial leadership. As word producers. Nearly 700
spread of our good fortune with
core staff. We had been working very the Irvine and Hewlett foundations, journalists applied.
closely with program officers at all of journalists began contacting us.
the foundations. Each had its own an-
gle of interest in the project. Irvine’s Mark Katches, a Californian who had Katches, who started his career in the
mission is to expand “opportunity for been hired by the Milwaukee Jour- Bay Area and also worked in Sacra-
the people of California to participate nal Sentinel in 2006 to create and run mento and Southern California, was
in a vibrant, successful and inclusive an investigative reporting team, and I considered one of the best investiga-
society.” Thus, that foundation saw made contact shortly after the Irvine tive editors in the country. He had a
the decline of state reporting as a seri- grant was approved. He also sent me strong personality and was extremely
ous threat. We worked with the edu- a proposal that he had put together organized. Although he had a secure
cation program at Hewlett, which was on his own months before for an in- position in Milwaukee, coming off
seeking increased coverage of educa- vestigative reporting project based in a Pulitzer Prize win for his staff, his
tion issues. Knight is the single largest Sacramento. His thinking, derived family grew tired of the harsh Wis-
funder of journalism in the United from years of reporting and editing consin winters. He was ready to get
States, with a keen interest in high- in California and Sacramento, mainly back to his home state and be part of
quality journalism, new technologies for The Orange County Register, was building a new model of journalism.
and community engagement. remarkably similar to ours. He called
Freedberg, an anti-apartheid South
his plan California Watch and had
Each of the potential funders knew Africa native, had seen injustice first-
already bought the domain name –
of the others’ interest in the project, hand. He had a long career in Califor-
which he later transferred to CIR.
and they all conferred about our proj- nia journalism as well, most recently
ect.That allowed us to ensure that the Our leadership team met with Katch- at the Chronicle. He had left that
three proposals complemented each es, and he was a clear choice to run newspaper hoping to create a media
other and provided comprehensive the project if we secured funding. In “collaborative” in California. He had
and staggered support over the proj- June, the Knight Foundation awarded worked in the nonprofit journalism
ect’s first three years. CIR a two-year $1.3 million grant sector as a young man, including with
for California Watch, bringing the the legendary Sandy Close, executive
By the end of 2008, Irvine had agreed total funding for the project to $3.7 editor of Pacific News Service and its
to a $1.2 million grant over three years. million over three years. Katches was offspring – the ethnic media collab-
In March 2009, Hewlett matched Ir- hired with a start date of Aug. 1. But oratives New California Media and
vine. Freedberg began working with he began working with us imme- New America Media.
us as director of the project, and
CENTER FOR INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING : REINVENTING JOURNALISM : 8
13. In early July, we were ready to start journalists were interested in being PART THREE
hiring. While we had a large amount
of money, it had to stretch over three
part of building something new. Even
with our uncertain future, applicants California
Watch
years. The budget was tight, and we were willing to be part of what we all
needed to maximize it. We were set- saw as a noble experiment.
ting out to cover the largest state in
the country. Through journalism em-
ployment websites, we announced
Our new team would need the ability
to adapt to changes and opportuni-
ties in technology. I did not want a
Comes
that we were hiring six reporters and
two multimedia producers. Nearly
700 journalists applied. Marcia Parker
change-resistant culture wedded to
past practices. We needed to have a
to Life
flexible and nimble organization. We
managed the onslaught. As we be- As reporters and editors began to ar-
needed to be constantly looking out-
gan our early strategy sessions and rive from around the country in Au-
ward to the audience and our part-
thought about the qualities we were gust 2009, we had the energy, and the
ners’ needs.
seeking in new staff members, there chaos, of a startup.
was agreement that we would be cre- Katches came on the scene with the
ating a multi-platform, collaborative authority to shape the editorial team, In all my years as an editor at news-
news organization where everyone which would be reporting to him. He papers, I never had been involved in
had to think of himself or herself as a had the experience, credentials and a strategy that actually added staff.
potential entrepreneur in addition to reputation to build the unit. In the Suddenly, the Center for Investiga-
being a journalist. end, we hired the team we had envi- tive Reporting was exploding, and
sioned: from veteran California jour- so were the challenges and rewards
In conversations with senior staff, all of managing growth. As executive
nalists Lance Williams (San Francisco
of whom were involved in the inter- director, I preferred this scenario,
Chronicle) and Robert Salladay (Los
view process, we stressed the need to but I quickly learned that managing
Angeles Times); to younger reporters
be clear with applicants that this was a growth is as challenging as managing
Erica Perez (Milwaukee Journal Sen-
fragile, but great, opportunity to build cutbacks. Downsizing creates an en-
tinel), Christina Jewett (ProPublica),
something unique. We also empha- vironment of gloom and a sense of
Corey G. Johnson (The Fayetteville
sized that everyone would be part of failure in newsrooms. It is emotional-
Observer) and Chase Davis (Des
the evolution of the project, and they ly distressing for everyone, and it was
Moines Register); to multimedia pro-
had to be open to, and comfortable personally brutal for me. But when
ducers Mark Luckie (10,000 Words)
with, collaboration internally and ex- you are building and more than dou-
and Lisa Pickoff-White (freelancer);
ternally. We also were determined to bling your organization, the sudden
to data analyst Agustin Armendariz
hire a diverse team. addition of staff creates an exhilarat-
(The San Diego Union-Tribune).
The range of applicants was striking, ing but complicated brew. Issues and
In July 2010, California Watch was problems come flying at you from so
from multiple Pulitzer Prize winners
found by the American Society of many directions that decisions have to
from legacy newspapers to younger
News Editors to be one of the most be made quickly using both your gut
journalists who had worked only
diverse online newsrooms in the and your head.
for web-based news organizations.
country.
Katches, who had been on the board My role during this initial period was
of Investigative Reporters and Edi- We were poised to take off, but there to instill confidence and trust in the
tors and involved with its mentoring would be bumps and challenges ahead. new team and to somehow make sure
program, also had connections to a … the culture we were creating was as
network of young, talented and am- open and flexible as we envisioned.
bitious journalists. This may sound easy, but I knew how
There was an abundance of new unpredictable things could be, as with
multimedia journalists on our list and any team, when you factor in person-
strong computer-assisted reporting alities and egos.
applicants. We also were looking for While we were hiring and getting the
people who had multiple-platform new staff in place, Louis Freedberg,
storytelling skills and were comfort- who was part of the management staff
able users of social media and new of California Watch, traveled to vari-
technologies. It was clear that many ous parts of the state to discuss our
CENTER FOR INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING : REINVENTING JOURNALISM : 9
14. plans with editors and news directors Close’s New America Media (NAM)
and to assess their potential interest in had with ethnic media. Another les- CALIFORNIA WATCH LAUNCH
our stories. There was plenty of in- son we were putting into practice was PRESS COVERAGE >>
terest – mixed with skepticism about not to duplicate something that an-
“California Watch Says ‘Yes’ to
how our new model would fit in the other organization already did well.
Open, Networked Investigative
traditional journalism world – but no And NAM does what it does really
Reports”
commitments. well. NAM’s staff would translate our
PBS’ “MediaShift,” Dec. 17, 2009
stories, sometimes for a fee, and dis-
Through the Chauncey Bailey Proj- “Filling the Gap: California Watch,
tribute them to their network. They
ect, I had gotten to know key lead- a new investigative reporting
don’t do this for every story, and go-
ers at KQED. The influential public venture, is launching a beefed-up
ing forward, we can do a better job of
broadcasting radio station in the Bay online operation”
working with them on reporting. But
Area has statewide reach, as well as American Journalism Review,
the times we’ve worked together have
strong ties to National Public Radio. August/September, 2009
been successful.
We approached KQED’s manage-
“California Watch’s revenue model:
ment with an idea: Would they be All of this activity – the new deal-
Charge news outlets, target donors”
willing to partner and work full time making, the opportunities and growth
Nieman Journalism Lab, Nov. 17,
with California Watch? A proposal – was like a shot of adrenaline. Our
2009
was made that we split the salary and small loft was abuzz with energy. It
expenses for Michael Montgomery, was exciting and crowded. Everyone “California Watch’s Revenue Model”
a veteran radio producer who had a could hear each other’s phone calls; The Nonprofit Road, Nov. 17, 2009
history of working with both orga- “internal communications” literally “Public TV, Radio Stations to In-
nizations. We wanted him to have full meant calling across the room. When crease Local Investigative Coverage
access to our investigations. California consultant Marcia Parker pushed as Columbia Report Advised”
Watch and KQED would collabora- back her chair from her desk, she Poynter Online, Nov. 12, 2009
tively make the decisions on which hit the chair of our chief fundraiser, “Amid Newsroom Cutbacks Are ‘
stories to pursue. Cherilyn Parsons. The refrigerator Watchdogs’ Still Awake? And Can
was overflowing. Outsiders Fill the Gaps?”
We would not impose creative con-
Editor & Publisher, Oct. 29, 2009
trol over radio; our reporters and edi- LAUNCHING CALIFORNIA WATCH
tors would work together, and CIR
would have the opportunity to re- From the beginning, I knew we could story, which would be pegged to the
view final scripts to make sure that all not create two distinct cultures with- anniversary of Sept. 11, offered a solid
of our facts matched and that impor- in CIR – the national reporting desk, roadmap for testing our collaborative
tant interviews conducted for radio where we had a few projects under model. While Schulz could write the
could be woven into print versions of way, and California Watch – though it overall story for the state, he also had
stories. Montgomery would work out was challenging to integrate the two detailed data for almost any county or
of both our office and KQED’s, but entities. There had to be a symbiosis locality, which offered a great avenue
needed to be in KQED’s studios to between CIR and our potentially for partnering with media outlets
record his work. (Current newspaper formidable baby. throughout California to localize the
covered the collaboration.) What better way to do this than larger investigation.
The partnership with KQED was through our inaugural California Now we had to figure out distri-
a tremendous opportunity for us to Watch story? G.W. Schulz, a CIR bution. Would editors be open to a
consistently work with a highly re- staff member, had been working on ready-made, unique 9/11 anniversary
spected media partner and reach a a project on state-level homeland story? Would they demand exclusiv-
statewide broadcast audience in the security activities and spending. He ity? Would we charge for the story?
millions. (KQED syndicates its “Cali- had gathered extensive information We decided we would establish a fee
fornia Report” to every public radio and data on every state. As a way to if a newspaper wanted to publish our
station in the state.) quickly launch California Watch, even work. If we worked together with
as the new staff was settling in, we a news outlet from inception, we
We also wanted to reach beyond the decided to break out a story focused would not charge.
state’s English-speaking residents. on California, looking at waste and
We knew we could not develop the abuse within the multimillion-dollar As we began to notify potential part-
relationships or stature that Sandy homeland security grant system. This ners in late August, I thought we
CENTER FOR INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING : REINVENTING JOURNALISM : 10
15. would be fortunate if we got two to We began making as many calls as we in Los Angeles translated the story
four news organizations to sign on. could, describing California Watch into Spanish, published the story and
Freedberg, Parker, California Watch and CIR to editors.We explained that allowed us to distribute their transla-
Editorial Director Mark Katches and we had a story in which they might tion to other Spanish-language out-
I divided up news organizations in be interested, describing how it could lets, an arrangement we have contin-
the state on the basis of personal rela- be localized, letting them know that ued. We did not charge any of these
tionships. Between us, we knew many we were offering it to others around key partners in exchange for their
of those we would call or e-mail. We the state, possibly even other media contributions to the project.
needed distribution. So what if some- in their market, telling them we were
Coordinating the release was a lo-
one said they would not or could not charging (cringe), and describing
gistical feat. The embargo was set to
pay? Did distribution trump revenue? timing and plans for release.
the time of the KGO-TV evening
There was internal disagreement
broadcast, with all news outlets free
about this. Some felt we should es-
to post to their sites and then publish
tablish market value. Others felt we
should try to reach the broadest audi- Schulz’s story ran on the or broadcast on their own schedule.
No one complained. In fact, the only
ence possible, which would mean ne- front page of about two criticism was from some news organi-
gotiating lower prices if news outlets
dozen newspapers, reach- zations asking why they hadn’t been
balked. We would ask that the story
part of it. We were stunned. News or-
be published on websites as well, with ing more than 1.8 million ganizations wanted to be part of this.
links back to our site for supporting
stories or data. subscribers, and on televi- What was surprising to us was how
sion, radio, news websites the need for exclusivity, once so sac-
Several factors helped us succeed in
rosanct throughout print as well as
this initial distribution challenge. Per-
sonal relationships mattered. We each
and in ethnic media outlets broadcast, fell by the wayside. Our
new model was being widely ac-
could get editors to respond to us throughout the state. cepted and, better yet, adopted. Audi-
nearly all of the time, and CIR had
ences were so fragmented that news
credibility and a positive reputation
organizations would rather share a
within editing circles for accurate, We had no idea if this would work,
good, unique story than not have it
credible reporting. As we all came but it did. Schulz’s story ran on the
and cede it to their competition. And
from traditional news organizations, front page of about two dozen news-
in this era of shrinking revenues, most
we were sensitive to the needs and is- papers, reaching more than 1.8 mil-
media could not afford to finance the
sues of these newsrooms whose edi- lion subscribers, and on television,
depth of reporting CIR and Cali-
tors we were contacting. We wanted radio, news websites and in ethnic
fornia Watch wanted to do. That first
to make this process as easy as possible media outlets throughout the state.
for our clients. The process was time
We produced the print story at three
consuming but crucial.
different lengths and edited custom
Freedberg, Katches and I had dif- versions for several news organiza- CALIFORNIA WATCH IN 2010
fering comfort levels with the “sales tions. In San Francisco, KGO-TV SELECTED PRESS COVERAGE >>
pitch.” We established a rough pric- produced a 5-minute piece based on “California Watch Editorial Director:
ing structure that was flexible when our reporting and featuring our re- Exclusives No Longer That Important”
it came to pushback. The pricing porter; they were even able to con- Mediabistro, July 28, 2010
was based on circulation of newspa- duct a key interview that we were “California Watch Launches Site to
pers and ranged from $50 to $350 for unable to get, which helped strength- Track Gov Candidates’ Statements”
the story. (We have since increased en the entire investigation. Mediabistro, June 21, 2010
our fees significantly.) News web-
The Marin Independent Journal as- “The New Investigators”
sites would get the story for free, as
signed one of its photographers to the Columbia Journalism Review,
would other nonprofits and KQED.
story and then allowed us to distrib- May/June 2010
With hindsight, the amount of back
ute those photos to all of our part- “Can newspaper muckraking carry
and forth and our anxiety over “the
ners. Through our partnership with on in nonprofits?”
sales pitch” was comical, given the
New America Media, the story was Associated Press, Jan. 17, 2010
relatively small amounts of money we
translated and distributed in Chinese,
were seeking. But it was outside of
Vietnamese and Korean. La Opinion
our journalistic comfort zone.
CENTER FOR INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING : REINVENTING JOURNALISM : 11
16. story taught us a great deal about not freelancers had more than 35 inves- there was so much more we wanted
being afraid to try new things and to tigations under way. With help from to be able to do with each story –
take risks. Our clients – news orga- consultant Susan Mernit, we also but there was only so much our staff
nizations – and their content users launched the California Watch web- could do. Some skills were lacking.
would let us know what worked. site. It featured close to 20 searchable We had no photographer or graphic
databases and daily blogging by our artist on our team, for instance.
REACHING WIDER AUDIENCES reporters and editors. We also es-
The effort to think with about visuals,
As thrilled as we were with the reach tablished an aggressive social media
multimedia and audio involved a cul-
of our first story, it also gave us a look strategy. Our model was to continue
tural re-education for some of our
at one of our primary challenges go- to distribute through others, but we
reporters. We needed to shed the
ing into the future: how to engage wanted our site to showcase our work
traditional media practice of keep-
and capture our audiences. By pub- and not be dormant between investi-
ing stories “secret” from all but top
lishing through dozens of other out- gative stories.
editors before publication. Instead, we
lets, we had limited knowledge about, We were in a period of relative fund- wanted everyone to embrace a rou-
or access to, our readers, viewers and ing stability, and we moved in January tine of presenting stories-in-progress
listeners. Moving forward, our stories to a larger office in Berkeley, with the to a group of colleagues who could
often would be the most read and modern conveniences of heating and help build interactive graphics, video,
e-mailed on other news sites, amass- air conditioning, sufficient bandwidth radio and animation. The broader
ing hundreds of reader comments to keep our computers from crash- team would not only ask questions,
and tens of thousands of page views. ing, and a desk for everyone. Our new but also think of ways to take the facts
The blessing and curse of our wide home is less expensive than San Fran- and data and use them to tell the sto-
and nonexclusive distribution net- cisco office space, which we also con- ry in their specialty. This was vital to
work is that it takes full advantage of sidered, and is close to UC Berkeley producing multi-faceted stories across
the web and new media: Our stories and its Graduate School of Journal- various platforms so that each ele-
travel, so they reach huge audiences, ism. Our proximity to the journalism ment could be in process simultane-
but it is extremely difficult to quan- school has enabled some of us to teach ously as we headed to a release date.
tify, capture and engage those people or guest lecture there – and to find
when they essentially “belong to” It was much easier to create and shape
ways to collaborate with students.
other outlets. We’ve become more this model from the beginning than
sophisticated in tracking the reach of While signing a five-year lease at our it would have been to transform an
our content. But we still need to get new location gave us a lower rate, entrenched legacy newsroom, where
better at it so that we can accurately there was also an element of risk; change was typically met with resis-
measure our audience. Knowing who there is no certainty of funding that tance. In this new model, any ques-
our readers, viewers and listeners are far into the future. It was a roll of the tion was a good question, and staff
helps us engage with our audience dice. More and more, I was learning members had to be reminded and en-
directly. It’s also an important metric that there’s a lot of crapshooting in couraged to take risks and think dif-
for our funders. the decision making of a nonprofit ferently about storytelling and reach-
leader. Yet, without taking risks, you ing disparate audiences.
The distribution of our first story ex- cannot grow.
ceeded our wildest expectations. We More and more of my time was in-
followed up with two more packages As we adjusted to our new workspace, volved in fundraising and internal
in the fall of 2009 – one in November our team’s personalities, strengths issues mainly related to managing
on the failure of a program to reduce and weaknesses became clearer. We personalities, egos and the conflicts
class sizes in K-12 schools and anoth- focused on stories and creating the that did arise, as they would in any
er in December on the an influen- model and, most important, a culture growing workplace. I felt fortunate
tial campaign donor. We also opened in which multiple platforms and skills that I had management experience
our four-person Sacramento bureau, were at the table from the beginning in dealing with personnel issues in
based in KQED’s capital office. Sac- of a project. But our gaps were evi- my past roles, albeit in much larger
ramento veteran Bob Salladay works dent. Every newspaper editor has had organizations. In a smaller work-
as CIR’s senior editor there with re- the experience of having a deeply re- place, such issues are magnified
porters Corey G. Johnson, Christina ported story come to a close when and must be dealt with swiftly
Jewett and Chase Davis. someone asks, “Where are the photos or they can become poisonous.
and graphics?” Despite our all-out at-
By January 2010, our investigative tempt to cover our multimedia bases,
reporters and a stable of outstanding
CENTER FOR INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING : REINVENTING JOURNALISM : 12
