A Letter From Charles Lewis

"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be."

- Thomas Jefferson

Our democratic traditions of openness, freedom of information, and public accountability are facing historic challenges. To compound matters, many of our media corporations are actually reducing their commitment to journalism. Today "real facts" - and, therefore, truth itself - are increasingly elusive.

Meanwhile, our government has sought new levels of evasion and secrecy. They've even bamboozled their own citizens with tax-funded, counterfeit news distributed to federally-licensed television stations, who have broadcast them - compliantly and uncritically - to millions of unwitting viewers.

Remaining un-spun in the Age of Spin takes more than competent and dedicated professional journalists. Meticulous information-gathering takes time and money -- finite resources that many news organizations are frequently unable or unwilling to spend.

And another ominous threat to truth is litigation. Unwelcome journalism can be subjected to years of costly libel litigation. Any reporter or publication can be coerced or silenced and future reporting can be chilled. Any uncomfortable story can be killed or discredited, not because it is incorrect, but because of the power of those implicated.

Multi-million dollar, multi-year legal manipulation can cripple a news organization's ability to obtain liability insurance, or even to mount a vigorous defense. Such litigation is an effective tool of censorship for anyone with the wealth and will to use the courts to deter public scrutiny.

We believe that it is time to protect, defend and foster independent, high quality investigative journalism. The Fund for Independence in Journalism, a 509 (a)(3) nonprofit, tax exempt charity, was created to do just that - by providing an endowment for support, public education and legal defense of the largest nonprofit, investigative reporting organization in the world, the Center for Public Integrity.

Since 1989 the Center has published roughly 300 investigative reports and 14 books, including the New York Times best seller The Buying of the President 2004. It has been honored 36 times by PEN USA, Investigative Reporters and Editors, the Society of Professional Journalists and others and won the prestigious George Polk Award in 2004 for posting all the major U.S. contracts in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. The Center's International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) is the world's first working network of 92 leading investigative reporters in 48 countries.

Serious journalism, public interest, energy and sometimes outrage - all happening together and at once - have often brought out the best in our leaders. Indeed, independent, investigative journalism about the uses and abuses of power have positively influenced the course of U.S. history on many momentous occasions.

It is very much in the interest of every citizen today to protect and ensure the long-term financial viability of vital, non-commercial, "watchdog" institutions such as the Center for Public Integrity. The importance of shoring up such organizations extends far beyond journalism itself, deep into the fabric of our system of government and our society itself.