CHARITY ACCOUNTABILITY

Investigative Reporters and Editors, Inc. The IRE Journal, Jul/Aug 2004 by Stephens, Joe

The Conservancy's counteroffensive went into high gear after newspaper publication began. The charity's executives delivered a 16-page rebuttal to each member of Congress. They bought full-page ads in the Post. They conducted focus groups and sent damage-control letters to the organization's membership. They posted tens of thousands of words in response to the articles on the Conservancy Web site. Finally, they hired a public relations company and a law firm, both renowned for their political clout, in an attempt to head off Capitol Hill scrutiny.

Despite all those efforts, response to the articles was swift and decisive. Within days, Congress launched a sweeping investigation, which continues today, and demanded thousands of internal documents from the Conservancy. One congressman read from the articles on the floor of the House. The Senate is weighing reforms that would outlaw practices described in the articles. The Internal Revenue Service has moved a team of examiners into the Conservancy's worldwide office for an audit of uncommon scope at a charity.

In the wake of the reaction, Conservancy executives reversed course. The nonprofit's directors banned virtually every practice questioned in the articles and enacted sweeping reforms spanning 18 categories. No longer would the Conservancy drill for oil, lend executives money or sell undeveloped land to its own trustees as home sites. The organization also announced a broad restructuring of its governing board to strengthen accountability and oversight. Meanwhile, the national trade association for conservation organizations launched an ethics push and began "radically" revising its national standards. Ethics became the focus of a national conference attended last fall by 1,600 conservationists.

We've also received hundreds of letters and e-mails from readers - such as this one, from Robert Lamborn:

"I've been an unthinking, unquestioning member of the Conservancy for several years. I just want to let you know that your recent series of articles is exactly what journalism is supposed to be. It wakes up the complacent public, causes changes (for the good) within the organization, brings the truth to the light of day and raises everyone's level of consciousness. Your reporting has affected the way I think about all organizations, their leadership and contacts - not just the Conservancy. Bravo."

BY JOE STEPHENS

THE WASHINGTON POST

Joe Stephens is a projects reporter for the investigative unit at The Washington Post. "Big Green" the series he co-wrote with David Ottaway, won a recemt IRE Award, the Edward J. Meeman Award for environmental reporting from the Scripps Howard Foundation and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting.