ProPublica announced today that Henri Cauvin will join its staff as a senior editor.
Cauvin comes to ProPublica from The New York Times, where he has been an editor on the Metro Desk since 2013. He edited the Murder in the 4-0 series, a project that examined each murder in a Bronx police precinct in 2016 to understand how and why murder still persists in a handful of New York City neighborhoods. He also edited an investigation about so-called “testilying” by New York City police officers and led the paper’s work on the killing of Eric Garner, whose death at the hands of police became one of the one of rallying points in the Black Lives Matter movement.
Most recently, Cauvin oversaw the Times’ investigation into New York City marijuana arrests, which used data to show that racial disparities in marijuana arrests persisted even when you compare neighborhoods that make similar numbers of marijuana complaints to police. The work prompted swift action from the mayor, the police commissioner and some district attorneys, and has helped push the city toward decriminalization. Cauvin has also led collaborations with other news organizations, working with ProPublica on a story about flaws in DNA testing in criminal investigations and with The Marshall Project on a story about withholding key evidence in criminal prosecutions.
Before joining the Times as an editor, Cauvin worked at the Washington Post for 10 years, first as a reporter covering courts and social services, and later as an editor working on local politics, transportation and development. Prior to The Post, he was a correspondent in Johannesburg for the Times. He spent his early days as a reporter for the New York Daily News and The Miami Herald.
“As a veteran metro reporter and foreign correspondent, Henri has deep experience that will help make our newsroom even stronger,” said Robin Fields, ProPublica managing editor. “We are thrilled to bring his creative, insightful leadership to our team.”
“I’m thrilled to be joining a newsroom that is so fiercely committed to the public interest,” said Cauvin. “And I can’t wait to start working with the talented journalists who have made ProPublica a potent force for accountability.”
