Change of leadership at the Center for Public Integrity

Introduction

The Board of Directors of the Center for Public Integrity today announced the resignation of the Center’s Chief Executive Officer, Peter Bale.

Mr. Bale, previously vice president and general manager of digital operations at CNN International, had been based in London for the three years prior to his move stateside. He is resigning to pursue other international media opportunities.

Bale’s tenure at the Center, the global nonprofit investigative journalism organization, began January, 2015, soon after the Center had won its first Pulitzer Prize for an investigative series called “Breathless and Burdened”. His second year at the Center was highlighted by important investigations into opioid addiction and links to drug company lobbying (“Politics of Pain”) and “Science for Sale”, an investigation into the dangerous consequences of corporate-funded research in academic scientific papers. The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, a division of the Center for Public Integrity, coordinated and published its 2016 block-buster international expose called Panama Papers also under Bale’s leadership.

“The Center is a powerhouse of much-needed investigative journalism in the United States with its focus on money and politics. Its work has never been more widely read or published by partners across the US media landscape, particularly in this remarkable election year,” said Bale. “I admire the staff of the Center and appreciate the chance to work with the board and the philanthropic groups which back this vital journalism.”

Scott Siegler, co-chairman of the Board of Directors, said: “Peter has begun the digital transformation of the Center in a most challenging journalistic environment. We are very grateful to him for his strength and vision. He brought international experience and a digital mindset to the Center and we wish him well in his future endeavors.”

The Board of Directors has appointed John Dunbar, the Center’s politics chief and deputy executive editor to succeed Bale as Chief Executive Officer. Dunbar has won numerous journalism accolades including a George Polk award. He is a nonprofit veteran who has also proved to be an able fundraiser.

Said Dunbar: “I believe in the Center and I am deeply honored to be asked to take the helm. I can assure our readers, our staff, our publishing partners and our funders that we will continue to produce outstanding investigative journalism. This is an excellent time to be in the nonprofit journalism business. The best is truly yet to come.”