The problem | Our mission | Our expertise | Our values | Our impact | Our team | Job openings

The problem

As the country has reached historic disparities in wealth and across a range of other measurements of well-being, Public Integrity is focusing its investigative reporting on inequality, a problem ingrained in the culture and economy of the U.S. since its founding.  

Our mission

Public Integrity seeks to counter the corrosive effects of inequality by holding powerful interests accountable and equipping the public with knowledge to drive change. We are an independent, nonpartisan and nonprofit news organization dedicated to investigating systems and circumstances that contribute to inequality in our country.

Our expertise

Our reporters excel at investigating the systems and circumstances that contribute to inequality in labor, housing, health care, education and access to democracy. We also expose the far reaching implications of a history of unequal power, by examining disparities in environmental and criminal justice, transportation, technology and access to financial tools.

Our values

  • Depth: We strive to provide a definitive look at the issues we tackle, examining the context and history of inequitable systems and evaluating solutions.
  • Collaboration: We broaden the reach of our investigations by partnering with national and local news organizations, especially in underserved communities. We understand that audiences turn to trusted sources of information in their own communities, beyond journalists, and we work with these influencers to ensure more people have access to our work.
  • Equitable access: We believe access to information is key to equity. Our journalism is free to all. Our work is supported by philanthropy, sponsorships and individual donations.  
  • Tenacity: Whether it’s online harassment, trolling of our journalists or threat of lawsuits aimed at silencing our investigations, we do not bow down to external pressure and will continue to expose inequities that have harmed marginalized communities.
  • A culture of belonging: We acknowledge journalism’s role in upholding inequality and mainstream media’s historical failure to provide fair and accurate coverage about marginalized communities. We pursue diverse voices on our staff and in our stories and strive for greater transparency.

Our impact

We are proud to say our work has a real, positive impact in the communities we write about. Over the years, our reporting has led to hundreds of law and policy changes, has forced federal and state governments to release information critical to the public interest, has held corporations to account for abuses of power, and has been recognized with the Pulitzer Prize and numerous other awards. Here’s a peek at some of the accolades we’ve received in 2021: 

Our team

Our newsroom includes award-winning reporters, editors and data journalists with diverse backgrounds and lived experiences. It Includes alumni of ProPublica, the Center for Investigative Reporting, Baltimore Sun, Seattle Times, San Antonio Express-News, the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Education Week, Vox and the Chicago Reporter. 

Public Integrity went from 85% white and majority men in 2016 to now majority journalists of color and women. Across the organization, at least 10% of our team identify as LGBTQI+, and at least 10% identify as having some kind of disability.

Job openings

The Center for Public Integrity is committed to hiring employees from diverse backgrounds. People of color, women, LGBTQ people and people with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.

We have no current job postings, but would love to hear from you if you’re interested in our work and encourage you to follow our latest journalism by signing up for our weekly newsletter.