ABSTRACT
As newsrooms cut thousands of journalists during the global financial crisis, Amy Dominguez-Arms became increasingly concerned about the diminishing capacity of commercial media to undertake serious journalism. As director of the James Irvine Foundation’s California Democracy program, she viewed the media’s demise in the context of her program’s aim of improving political decisions by making them more open, transparent, inclusive, and accountable. Dominguez-Arms met several senior media executives who shared her concerns but were unable to offer any solutions. A colleague suggested she talk to Robert Rosenthal, then appointed as executive director of the Center for Investigative Reporting. Rosenthal’s reputation as a journalist and editor drew her attention immediately. Philanthropic foundation program directors operate in a manner that is not dissimilar to that of journalists: they develop contacts, research the field, and are drawn to those with high industry reputations.
