What Reveal does

Reveal is the investigative journalism platform of The Center for Investigative Reporting (CIR), a U.S. nonprofit news organization founded in 2013 and headquartered in Emeryville, California, with staff distributed nationwide. The organization produces the weekly Reveal radio show and podcast, the More To The Story interview podcast, long-form investigative articles on its website (revealnews.org), a free weekly newsletter, and documentary films including The Grab and Victim/Suspect. Content is distributed through a co-production partnership with PRX to more than 500 public radio stations, alongside Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and active social channels, reaching over 1 million listeners weekly. The organization has been a Pulitzer Prize finalist in four years (2025, 2020, 2019, 2018) and has won multiple Peabody, duPont, George Polk, Murrow, Gerald Loeb, and Third Coast awards.

The business model is nonprofit and listener-supported: approximately 70% of annual revenue comes from a base of more than 250,000 individual donors and subscribers (suggested monthly donation of $15), with the remainder from foundation grants (Reva and David Logan Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, Jonathan Logan Family Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Park Foundation, Schmidt Family Foundation, Hellman Foundation), corporate sponsors (Progressive, Odoo), and advertising. The underlying technology stack is conventional for digital publishing, with Newspack as the content management system and in-house audio production capabilities including sound design, engineering, and composition; there is no disclosed proprietary AI/ML capability, API platform, or app product. Editorial leadership includes host Al Letson, Executive Producer Brett Myers, Executive Editor James West, COO Maria Feldman, and General Counsel D. Victoria Baranetsky, supported by award-winning sound designers Fernando Arruda and Jim Briggs.

Name

Reveal

Legal name

The Center for Investigative Reporting

Website

https://revealnews.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Reveal is a nonprofit investigative journalism organization producing a weekly radio show, podcast, long-form articles, and documentary films, reaching over 1 million weekly listeners via 500+ public radio stations and digital platforms, funded primarily by 250,000+ individual donors, foundation grants, and advertising.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Investigative Journalism

NAICS

Radio Broadcasting Stations (516110), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (516210), Television Broadcasting Stations (516120), Periodical Publishers (513120)

SIC

Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832), Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Public/Nonprofit Radio Networks (NPR-style) (MPABABAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

True Crime Documentaries (MPADADAN), National Public Radio Networks & Member Stations (NPR-style) (MPABADAB)

Keywords

• Investigative journalism
• Nonprofit news media
• Public radio podcast
• Documentary film production
• Newsletter publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Emeryville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Subscriptions: Seventy percent of annual revenue comes from individual donations and subscriptions. The organization has built one of the largest networks of individual supporters outside public broadcasting with more than 250,000 subscribers and donors.
2. Foundation Grants: Foundation funding from organizations including Reva and David Logan Foundation, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Jonathan Logan Family Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Park Foundation, The Schmidt Family Foundation, and Hellman Foundation.
3. Advertising Income: The remaining revenue comes from advertising income, representing the diversified business model that ensures continued success despite publishing industry challenges.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Reveal is a nonprofit, independent investigative radio show and podcast produced by The Center for Investigative Reporting. It produces original long-form investigative journalism in audio, written article, newsletter, and documentary film formats, covering social justice, criminal justice, environment, immigration, voting, and democracy. Content is distributed weekly to 1 million+ listeners across 500+ U.S. public radio stations, podcast platforms, YouTube, and the revealnews.org website.

Product overview

Reveal is a nonprofit, independent media organization producing investigative journalism content. The organization operates as a platform-plus-products model centered around its flagship Reveal podcast/radio show (the primary investigative program distributed across 500+ public radio stations), supplemented by the More To The Story interview podcast, long-form investigative articles, a weekly newsletter subscription, and documentary film/TV productions. All content focuses on social justice, racial equity, criminal justice reform, environmental issues, and democratic accountability. The organization is listener-supported and produced by the Center for Investigative Reporting, which also produces Mother Jones magazine.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• More To The Story: An interview podcast featuring conversations with prominent writers and journalists

Products and services

• Reveal Podcast A nonprofit, independent, weekly investigative radio show and podcast heard by more than 1 million people each week across more than 500 public radio stations in the United States. The program produces in-depth investigative journalism covering social justice, racial issues, democracy, and public safety topics.
• More To The Story An interview podcast published every Wednesday, featuring conversations with journalists, historians, authors, and public figures discussing pressing social and political issues. Part of the Reveal podcast family produced by The Center for Investigative Reporting.
• Reveal Investigative Articles Long-form investigative journalism articles published on the Reveal website covering topics including workers' rights, reproductive rights, criminal justice, housing, environment, immigration, and voting.
• Reveal Newsletter A free weekly email newsletter that delivers the latest investigations and podcast episodes from Reveal's newsroom directly to subscribers' inboxes.
• Reveal TV/Film Productions Documentary films and TV productions produced by Reveal, including "The Grab" (an investigative journalism film about water and land rights) and "Victim/Suspect" (a documentary on sexual assault investigations).

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• The TracecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2024The Trace is an investigative newsroom covering gun violence. Reveal partnered with The Trace and CBS News on an investigation revealing that more than 52,000 former police guns had resurfaced in crimes between 2006 and 2022. This investigation prompted multiple law enforcement agencies to change their gun resale policies.
• CBS News & StationscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2024Reveal partnered with CBS News & Stations and The Trace on the gun trafficking investigation. CBS News contributed investigative journalism resources and reporting to the collaborative project examining former police guns resold into civilian hands.
• PRX (Public Radio Exchange)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPRX serves as Reveal's co-production and distribution partner for public radio broadcast. The organization is described as 'a co-production of the Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX.'

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Mother Jones: Mother Jones is a nonprofit investigative magazine produced by the same parent organization (Center for Investigative Reporting) as Reveal. It is directly comparable as a sister publication sharing resources, fundraising, and audience with Reveal.
• ProPublica: ProPublica is the leading U.S. nonprofit investigative newsroom, funded primarily by individual donations and foundations, producing long-form journalism distributed online and via partner outlets. It is the most direct comparable to Reveal in mission, funding model, and audience.
• The Markup: The Markup is a nonprofit investigative newsroom covering technology and its societal impact, supported by donations and foundations. It shares Reveal's donor-supported investigative model, though focused on tech accountability rather than public-interest topics broadly.
• Type Investigations: Type Investigations is a nonprofit investigative newsroom and reporting incubator that partners with major outlets on long-form investigations. It is comparable to Reveal in mission and nonprofit structure, though smaller and focused on collaborative reporting.
• The Intercept: The Intercept is a nonprofit newsroom producing investigative journalism on national security, politics, and civil liberties, supported by donations. Comparable in donor-funded investigative mission and digital-first distribution, though with a more activist editorial posture.
• The Marshall Project: The Marshall Project is a nonprofit newsroom focused on criminal justice reporting, donor-supported and producing both written journalism and podcasts. Comparable in donor model and podcast-driven investigative focus, though narrower in topical scope.
• This American Life: This American Life is a weekly public radio show and podcast distributed through PRX to hundreds of stations, with narrative storytelling and investigative segments. Closely comparable to Reveal in radio show format, PRX distribution, and weekly episode cadence.
• Center for Public Integrity: Center for Public Integrity is a nonprofit investigative news organization producing national and international accountability journalism, funded by foundations and donors. It is highly comparable in editorial mission, nonprofit funding structure, and award-winning investigative output.

Broad incumbents

• NPR (National Public Radio): NPR is the largest U.S. public radio network, with member stations, donor funding, and a mix of news and cultural programming. It is comparable as a broader public-radio incumbent that sets distribution standards Reveal relies on.
• PRX (Public Radio Exchange): PRX is a public radio distribution and production company that co-produces and distributes Reveal to 500+ stations. It is comparable as a public-radio distribution incumbent and Reveal's most important commercial partner.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/reveal
• YouTubeyoutube.com/reveal
• Facebookfacebook.com/ThisIsReveal
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/center-for-investigative-reporting
• Instagraminstagram.com/revealnews

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Reveal