June 23, 2005 | Read Time: 5 minutes
For Charles Lewis, investigating corruption is a passion and telling the truth a religion. For 15 years, as founder and executive director of the Center for Public Integrity, he has pursued this mission as well as, if not better than, anybody else.
When he stepped away from the job last winter, he left behind an extraordinary legacy of courageous investigative journalism and a strong, growing institution that is one of the top watchdog organizations in the country.
Fortunately, he did not leave his work behind altogether. He has started the Fund for Independence in Journalism, a nonprofit organization whose purpose is to raise an endowment to assure the long-term financial stability of the center. And he will continue to devote some time to writing about politics and America’s public institutions.
At a time when so many nonprofit groups have grown weak, timid, and ineffective, Charles Lewis’s leadership offers a model for how charitable organizations can truly make a difference. And his efforts to ensure that he had a strong succession plan in place should also garner attention from nonprofit groups nationwide as they prepare for the tidal wave of retiring baby boomers.
A former investigative reporter at ABC News and a producer for CBS’s 60 Minutes, Mr. Lewis became disturbed by the scandals and corruption that swept over Washington in the late 1980s, undermining the pillars of democracy and the sense of public service, developments that were not well covered by the news media. As he put it, “They weren’t being investigated and explained. The media may not have been asleep, but it was certainly turning a blind eye to some serious problems.”
From what began as a one-person operation in the basement of Mr. Lewis’s home in Northern Virginia, the Center for Public Integrity has grown to become a $5-million organization with 35 full-time staff members, as well as numerous interns who conduct research, a strong board of directors, and a cupboard full of awards, including two National Book Awards, the prestigious George Polk Award, and 30 other prizes.
It has taken on most of the “big guns” in Washington, including the White House, Congress, and the Pentagon, as well as state governments and courts. Mr. Lewis and his researchers have also investigated abuses by corporate America, lobbyists, and tobacco cartels. Few large institutions have escaped the center’s scrutiny.
In its brief history the center has issued more than 300 investigative reports, produced 14 books, and been cited in some 10,000 news articles. Not content to focus solely on domestic issues, the center also has established a network of almost 100 investigative reporters in 48 countries to uncover and publicize wrongdoing abroad.
What is surprising is that so much of the inspiration and writing for the center’s research projects have come from Mr. Lewis himself.
The high level of focus and energy that has enabled him not only to write profusely but also to manage the organization, hire top-notch reporters and researchers, motivate his board of directors, and establish a huge network of reporters nationally and internationally has apparently rubbed off on his colleagues at the center, a high-energy, talented staff that is respected by peers and feared by those who are the subject of their investigations.
The scope of the center’s investigative reach is impressive. Among its first studies were analyses of the revolving doors between White House trade officials and international lobbyists and the cozy relationships between employees of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Superfund and future employers.
The center then focused its attention on military restrictions imposed on the news media and the lobbying that took place around the health-care legislation proposed by the Clinton administration. The Buying of the President in 1996 created a stir by looking at the relationship between presidential candidates and the donors who supported their campaigns. It was quickly followed by “Fat Cat Hotel: How Democratic High-Rollers Are Rewarded With Overnight Stays at the White House,” which documented White House visits by 75 Democratic campaign donors.
The Buying of the Congress about big money in Congressional campaigns and Animal Underworld, a look at the black market for rare animal species, added stature to the center’s reputation. So has the center’s weekly online newsletter, which issues reports about corrupt practices domestically and internationally.
The organization’s nonpartisan approach provides a large measure of credibility to its work.
In a real sense, Charles Lewis and the center have served as an important conscience of our society, which today finds itself beset by a lack of integrity, ethical behavior, and moral leadership.
The nonprofit world historically has played a significant role in providing a check on government corruption, corporate malpractices, and tainted public service. In recent years, however, many nonprofit organizations have lost the capacity, leadership, and zeal required for this mission. Their recent timidity in speaking out about important issues has contributed to the social and economic malaise of the country.
The Center for Public Integrity and Charles Lewis have formed one of the few oases in this vast nonprofit desert, challenging power, corruption, and incompetence. Their never-relenting campaign for public accountability and good government is a call that nonprofit groups need to follow.
Mr. Lewis could have walked away from his center with kudos and plenty of recognition. Instead, he carefully worked to assure the center had a smooth transition and a mechanism to stabilize the organization’s future. The process he and the board set in place has resulted in the selection of an outstanding successor, Roberta Baskin, a highly respected investigative journalist.
Charles Lewis has left a distinctive mark on the field of investigative journalism. His center remains a model watchdog organization. And, unlike so many nonprofit directors, he built an organization of quality and strength that would long outlast his tenure. Now that is real leadership.
Pablo Eisenberg, a regular contributor to these pages, is senior fellow at the Georgetown University Public Policy Institute. His e-mail address is pseisenberg@erols.com
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