Charles Lewis (journalist)
Encyclopedia
Charles Lewis is an investigative journalist based in Washington D.C. since 1977. Charles Lewis founded the Center for Public Integrity
and three other nonprofit organizations and is currently the executive editor of the Investigative Reporting Workshop at the American University School of Communication in D.C. He left a successful career as an investigative producer for ABC News and the CBS news program 60 Minutes
and in 1989 began the Center for Public Integrity, a non-partisan group which reports on political and government workings, from his home, growing it to a full time staff of 40 people. When commenting on his move away from prime-time journalism, Lewis expressed his frustration that the most important issues of the day were not being reported.
The Center published roughly 300 investigative reports, including 14 books, (including The Buying of the President 2004, Lewis's fifth and last co-authored book with the Center and a New York Times bestseller) from 1989 through 2004, and was honored more than 30 times by national journalism association. In 1996 the New Yorker called the Center "the center for campaign scoops." That year Lewis and the Center published Fat Cat Hotel, a report which first revealed that the Clinton administration had been rewarding major donors with White House stays in the "Lincoln Bedroom." In 2003, weeks before the U.S. invasion of Iraq, the Center posted secret draft "Patriot II" legislation, and in October posted all of the known U.S. contracts in Iraq and Afghanistan. The report, Windfalls of War first identified that Halliburton had received the most money from those contracts, and won the George Polk Award. In 2008, Lewis created, directed and co-authored "The Iraq War Card," a 380,000-word chronology and analysis of the pre-war public rhetoric by leading members of the Bush administration, which identified 935 "false statements" about the national security threat posed by Saddam Hussein's Iraq.
Since 1992 Lewis has traveled and spoken publicly in 24 countries. In late 1997 he began the Center for Public Integrity's International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, the world's first working network of 100 premiere reporters in 50 countries, producing content across borders, which made the Center's website the "first global website devoted to international exposés." Lewis has given interviews for various publications and appeared in the 2003 documentary Orwell Rolls in His Grave
and the 2005 documentary Why We Fight
. He has commented on the dismal state of U.S. political reporting which was and is woefully understaffed across the board. He also discussed the difficulties facing media in trying keeping the public informed when television, newspaper and radio outlets are owned almost entirely by a few major corporations such as General Electric
, Disney
, Rupert Murdoch's
News Corporation
.
In 2005, Lewis co-founded Global Integrity
, an independent, nonprofit organization utilizing journalists and social scientists to track governance and corruption trends around the world.
Lewis was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship
in 1998. In 2004, PEN USA, a literary organization, awarded its First Amendment Award to him, as "an individual who has demonstrated exceptional courage in defending freedom of expression in the United States by displaying a selfless commitment to the privileges bestowed by the First Amendment." In 2009, The Encyclopedia of Journalism cited Lewis as "one of the 30 most notable investigative reporters in the U.S. since World War I." He was a Ferris Professor at Princeton University in 2005, a Shorenstein Fellow at Harvard University in the spring of 2006, and is currently a tenured professor of journalism at American University in Washington, D.C.
In the spring of 2008, Lewis, along with fellow American University professor Wendell Cochran, founded the Investigative Reporting Workshop
, a project of American University School of Communication
.
A professional journalism center, the Workshop conducts significant, multimedia investigative journalism projects on a national and international scale and has collaborated with many major media outlets, such as MSNBC, FRONTLINE, and McClatchy Newspapers. Lewis is currently Executive Editor of the Workshop.
Lewis has appeared on NBC
’s The Today Show
and Nightly News; ABC
's World News Tonight
, Good Morning America
, 20/20 and Nightline
; CBS
' 60 Minutes
, Evening News
and Morning News; CNN
; C-SPAN
; The Daily Show
; and numerous other TV and radio programs. He appears regularly on Democracy Now!
Lewis was a featured speaker at the 2003 National Conference for Media Reform
.
Lewis is married to Pamela Gilbert
(born October 3, 1958), former executive director of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission who works for a Washington law firm. She has previously served as an advocate for U.S. PIRG and Public Citizen
.
Center for Public Integrity
The Center for Public Integrity is a nonprofit organization dedicated to producing original, responsible investigative journalism on issues of public concern. The Center is non-partisan and non-advocacy and committed to transparent and comprehensive reporting both in the United States and around...
and three other nonprofit organizations and is currently the executive editor of the Investigative Reporting Workshop at the American University School of Communication in D.C. He left a successful career as an investigative producer for ABC News and the CBS news program 60 Minutes
60 Minutes
60 Minutes is an American television news magazine, which has run on CBS since 1968. The program was created by producer Don Hewitt who set it apart by using a unique style of reporter-centered investigation....
and in 1989 began the Center for Public Integrity, a non-partisan group which reports on political and government workings, from his home, growing it to a full time staff of 40 people. When commenting on his move away from prime-time journalism, Lewis expressed his frustration that the most important issues of the day were not being reported.
The Center published roughly 300 investigative reports, including 14 books, (including The Buying of the President 2004, Lewis's fifth and last co-authored book with the Center and a New York Times bestseller) from 1989 through 2004, and was honored more than 30 times by national journalism association. In 1996 the New Yorker called the Center "the center for campaign scoops." That year Lewis and the Center published Fat Cat Hotel, a report which first revealed that the Clinton administration had been rewarding major donors with White House stays in the "Lincoln Bedroom." In 2003, weeks before the U.S. invasion of Iraq, the Center posted secret draft "Patriot II" legislation, and in October posted all of the known U.S. contracts in Iraq and Afghanistan. The report, Windfalls of War first identified that Halliburton had received the most money from those contracts, and won the George Polk Award. In 2008, Lewis created, directed and co-authored "The Iraq War Card," a 380,000-word chronology and analysis of the pre-war public rhetoric by leading members of the Bush administration, which identified 935 "false statements" about the national security threat posed by Saddam Hussein's Iraq.
Since 1992 Lewis has traveled and spoken publicly in 24 countries. In late 1997 he began the Center for Public Integrity's International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, the world's first working network of 100 premiere reporters in 50 countries, producing content across borders, which made the Center's website the "first global website devoted to international exposés." Lewis has given interviews for various publications and appeared in the 2003 documentary Orwell Rolls in His Grave
Orwell Rolls in His Grave
Orwell Rolls in His Grave is a 2003 documentary film written and directed by Robert Kane Pappas. Covered topics include the Telecommunications Act of 1996, concentration of media ownership, political corruption, Federal Communications Commission , the controversy over the US presidential election...
and the 2005 documentary Why We Fight
Why We Fight
Why We Fight is a series of seven war information training films commissioned by the United States government during World War II whose purpose was to show American soldiers the reason for U.S. involvement in the war. Later on they were also shown to the general U.S...
. He has commented on the dismal state of U.S. political reporting which was and is woefully understaffed across the board. He also discussed the difficulties facing media in trying keeping the public informed when television, newspaper and radio outlets are owned almost entirely by a few major corporations such as General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
, Disney
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
, Rupert Murdoch's
Rupert Murdoch
Keith Rupert Murdoch, AC, KSG is an Australian-American business magnate. He is the founder and Chairman and CEO of , the world's second-largest media conglomerate....
News Corporation
News Corporation
News Corporation or News Corp. is an American multinational media conglomerate. It is the world's second-largest media conglomerate as of 2011 in terms of revenue, and the world's third largest in entertainment as of 2009, although the BBC remains the world's largest broadcaster...
.
In 2005, Lewis co-founded Global Integrity
Global Integrity
Global Integrity is an independent, nonprofit organization tracking governance and corruption trends around the world using local teams of researchers and journalists to monitor openness and accountability...
, an independent, nonprofit organization utilizing journalists and social scientists to track governance and corruption trends around the world.
Lewis was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship
MacArthur Fellows Program
The MacArthur Fellows Program or MacArthur Fellowship is an award given by the John D. and Catherine T...
in 1998. In 2004, PEN USA, a literary organization, awarded its First Amendment Award to him, as "an individual who has demonstrated exceptional courage in defending freedom of expression in the United States by displaying a selfless commitment to the privileges bestowed by the First Amendment." In 2009, The Encyclopedia of Journalism cited Lewis as "one of the 30 most notable investigative reporters in the U.S. since World War I." He was a Ferris Professor at Princeton University in 2005, a Shorenstein Fellow at Harvard University in the spring of 2006, and is currently a tenured professor of journalism at American University in Washington, D.C.
American University
American University is a private, Methodist, liberal arts, and research university in Washington, D.C. The university was chartered by an Act of Congress on December 5, 1892 as "The American University", which was approved by President Benjamin Harrison on February 24, 1893...
In the spring of 2008, Lewis, along with fellow American University professor Wendell Cochran, founded the Investigative Reporting Workshop
Investigative Reporting Workshop
The Investigative Reporting Workshop, a project of the American University School of Communication, is an incubator and laboratory for in-depth, multimedia watchdog reporting...
, a project of American University School of Communication
American University School of Communication
The School of Communication at American University is highly regarded for its faculty, facilities, and high professional standards by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications...
.
A professional journalism center, the Workshop conducts significant, multimedia investigative journalism projects on a national and international scale and has collaborated with many major media outlets, such as MSNBC, FRONTLINE, and McClatchy Newspapers. Lewis is currently Executive Editor of the Workshop.
Lewis has appeared on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
’s The Today Show
The Today Show
Today is an iconic American morning news and talk show airing every morning on NBC. Debuting on January 14, 1952, it was the first of its genre on American television and in the world. The show is also the fourth-longest running American television series...
and Nightly News; ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's World News Tonight
World News Tonight
World News Tonight may refer to:* ABC World News, the daily evening program of ABC News, formally known as World News Tonight from 1978 to 2006* World News Tonight , a former Sky News program...
, Good Morning America
Good Morning America
Good Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...
, 20/20 and Nightline
Nightline
Nightline, or ABC News Nightline is a late-night news program broadcast by ABC in the United States, and has a franchised formula to other networks and stations elsewhere in the world. It airs weeknights, usually for 31 minutes. Created by Roone Arledge, the program featured Ted Koppel as its main...
; CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
' 60 Minutes
60 Minutes
60 Minutes is an American television news magazine, which has run on CBS since 1968. The program was created by producer Don Hewitt who set it apart by using a unique style of reporter-centered investigation....
, Evening News
Evening News
Evening News may refer to:In television news:*CBS Evening News, an American news broadcast*ITV Evening News, a UK news broadcast*JNN Evening News, a Japanese news broadcastIn newspapers:...
and Morning News; CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
; C-SPAN
C-SPAN
C-SPAN , an acronym for Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network, is an American cable television network that offers coverage of federal government proceedings and other public affairs programming via its three television channels , one radio station and a group of websites that provide streaming...
; The Daily Show
The Daily Show
The Daily Show , is an American late night satirical television program airing each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central. The half-hour long show premiered on July 21, 1996, and was hosted by Craig Kilborn until December 1998...
; and numerous other TV and radio programs. He appears regularly on Democracy Now!
Democracy Now!
Democracy Now! and its staff have received several journalism awards, including the Gracie Award from American Women in Radio & Television; the George Polk Award for its 1998 radio documentary Drilling and Killing: Chevron and Nigeria's Oil Dictatorship, on the Chevron Corporation and the deaths of...
Lewis was a featured speaker at the 2003 National Conference for Media Reform
National Conference for Media Reform
The National Conference for Media Reform is the largest conference devoted to media, technology and democracy in the United States...
.
Lewis is married to Pamela Gilbert
Pamela Gilbert
Pamela Beth Gilbert is an American lawyer and has been partner of the law firm Cuneo Gilbert & LaDuca, LLP since 2003, where she heads the firm's lobbying practice...
(born October 3, 1958), former executive director of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission who works for a Washington law firm. She has previously served as an advocate for U.S. PIRG and Public Citizen
Public Citizen
Public Citizen is a non-profit, consumer rights advocacy group based in Washington, D.C., United States, with a branch in Austin, Texas. Public Citizen was founded by Ralph Nader in 1971, headed for 26 years by Joan Claybrook, and is now headed by Robert Weissman.-Lobbying Efforts:Public Citizen...
.
External links
- Charles Lewis homepage
- Charles Lewis, Founder Bio at The Center for Public IntegrityCenter for Public IntegrityThe Center for Public Integrity is a nonprofit organization dedicated to producing original, responsible investigative journalism on issues of public concern. The Center is non-partisan and non-advocacy and committed to transparent and comprehensive reporting both in the United States and around...
- Charles Lewis Bio at Investigative Reporting WorkshopInvestigative Reporting WorkshopThe Investigative Reporting Workshop, a project of the American University School of Communication, is an incubator and laboratory for in-depth, multimedia watchdog reporting...