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WBUR and ProPublica Announce Joint Investigative Reporting Endeavor

WBUR has formed a partnership with ProPublica for a new investigative reporting initiative. Funding from the James M. and Cathleen D. Stone Foundation and Paul and Ann Sagan will support the hiring of an investigative reporter who will work with both WBUR and ProPublica on stories throughout New England. ProPublica just won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting.

“We are so grateful to Jim and Cathy Stone and to Paul and Ann Sagan for their very generous gifts,” said WBUR CEO Margaret Low.

“The Stones and Sagans understood that WBUR and ProPublica would be a powerful pairing and their gift will allow us to double down on our commitment to investigative journalism. ProPublica is in a class by itself and the team’s investigative muscle and national reach will help amplify the work of WBUR, the preeminent, most trusted and beloved source of local news in Boston and beyond.”

The investigations team will be based at WBUR, located in Boston. Investigative reporting is the gold standard of journalistic enterprises, and it is essential to the role of high-quality news in a democratic society. It exposes wrongdoing and holds those in power accountable to serve the greater good. The expanded team will aim to make a difference through reporting that reverberates beyond Massachusetts.

Cathy Stone serves on the board of WBUR. Jim Stone and Paul Sagan serve on the board of ProPublica where Sagan also serves as Board Chairman.

A free, fearless, and inquiring press is essential to maintaining a democratic society

Cathy and Jim Stone

“We are thrilled to be partnering with Paul and Ann Sagan to help bring together two outstanding news organizations at this critical time in our nation’s history. WBUR and ProPublica are two shining examples of the power of excellent journalism. Together, they will help ensure our government and other institutions are held to account,” said Cathy and Jim Stone.

The new position will be filled through a hiring process jointly conducted by WBUR and ProPublica. The reporter will join the WBUR Investigations team and will work closely with the editorial team at ProPublica.

WBUR Investigations launched in November 2018 with the hiring of Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Christine Willmsen as investigations editor and reporter. WBUR set a goal of producing radio and online series that shines a light on wrongdoing in the New England area.

The investigations team also includes Beth Healy, a former Boston Globe reporter for the Spotlight team. In March 2020, WBUR produced its first investigative series, “Dying on the Sheriff’s Watch,” uncovering how poor medical care in Massachusetts county jails led to suffering and deaths.


For more information about WBUR Investigations, please visit wbur.org/investigations.

WBUR Investigations is a key initiative of The Campaign for WBUR. To date, WBUR has raised $32.7 of its $40 million goal.

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