Merger of Mother Jones, The Center for Investigative Reporting Is Official
The merger of two of the country’s most storied and trusted investigative news organizations, Mother Jones and The Center for Investigative Reporting (CIR), took effect Feb. 1, forming a news outlet that reaches millions of people each month through in-depth reporting across social media, websites, video, radio, podcast, and print.
“This is a moment of tremendous urgency for journalism and for democracy,” said Monika Bauerlein, CEO of the newly merged organization. “By merging, we can shine a light into more dark corners, and reach more people with investigative reporting on the issues that matter most.”
The integrated newsroom will continue to produce Mother Jones’ magazine and website, the Reveal radio show and podcast, and documentary films, such as The Grab, which investigates efforts to control the planet’s supply of food and water.
Leadership of the organization includes Bauerlein; Clara Jeffery, Editor-in-Chief; Reveal host Al Letson; and Robert J. Rosenthal, CEO emeritus. The organization currently reaches an audience of 10 million per month, including 3.5 million across digital platforms, 1.8 million on radio and podcasts, and nearly 500,000 print or newsletter subscribers.
Mother Jones was founded in 1976, and CIR in 1977, and they have frequently produced joint reporting projects over the years, including an investigation last year about how the nation’s largest chain of psychiatric hospitals harms foster kids; a report in 2022 about national efforts to restrict people’s ability to vote; and an investigation in 2021 about labor abuses at sugarcane plantations in the Dominican Republic.
The organization is headquartered in San Francisco, and operates additional offices in New York City and Washington, D.C.