Debbie Cenziper
I write about national issues, from housing to health care, and the agencies most responsible for the welfare of Americans.
Have a Tip for a Story?
I welcome tips from anyone familiar with the FDA and issues involving drug safety, medical device safety and health care.
What I Cover
I am interested in issues related to the Food and Drug Administration and spent 2023 investigating the massive recall of breathing machines by Philips Respironics. I have also written extensively about affordable housing programs. I’ve helped lead international projects and was one of the lead reporters at The Washington Post on the award-winning “Pandora Papers” investigation, a 2021 report about the secret movement of wealth around the world. In 2022, while at ProPublica, I co-authored “Shadow Diplomats,” an investigation about troubled volunteer diplomats that has spurred reforms in nine countries.
My Background
I am a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter and nonfiction author who spent more than a decade at the Post. Over 30 years, my stories have changed laws, prompted congressional and FBI investigations, and helped secure more funding for affordable housing, mental health care and public schools. I’ve won dozens of journalism awards, including the Pulitzer Prize for local reporting about corrupt affordable housing developers in Miami. I am the author of “Citizen 865: The Hunt for Hitler’s Hidden Soldiers in America” and “Love Wins: The Lovers and Lawyers Who Fought the Landmark Case for Marriage Equality,” named one of the most notable books of the year by the Post. I am also a professor at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
How We Investigated the Recall of Millions of Philips Breathing Machines
An international team of reporters reviewed thousands of records and interviewed insiders to expose what went wrong in the global corporation.
Help ProPublica and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Investigate the Recall of Philips Respironics Breathing Machines
If you’ve reported a death or injury or struggled to get a device replaced, we’d like to hear about your experience with the company.
These Documents Reveal Abuses and Breakdowns in Rogue System of Global Diplomacy
Nine documents show how journalists built the first comprehensive account of wrongdoing by volunteer diplomats known as honorary consuls.
Nazi Germany Used Honorary Consuls to Advance Agenda Globally, Records Show
A ProPublica-ICIJ investigation into shadow diplomats identified about 20 honorary consuls suspected of supporting the Third Reich through espionage and other activities.
Shadow Diplomats Have Posed a Threat for Decades. The World’s Governments Looked the Other Way.
The U.S. State Department trusts foreign governments to nominate reputable honorary consuls, despite global accounts of wrongdoing.
The Global Threat of Rogue Diplomacy
How honorary consuls leverage perks, wield political power amid reports of wrongdoing.
Governments Call for Reforms to Centuries-Old Honorary Consul System
Authorities launch probes and propose overhauls following ProPublica and ICIJ’s global “Shadow Diplomats” investigation.
Agents of Influence: How Russia Deploys an Army of Shadow Diplomats
Under Vladimir Putin, Russia has appointed dozens of honorary consuls. Many have spread pro-Kremlin sentiment around the world.
The Global Threat of Rogue Diplomacy
Honorary consuls are meant to foster ties between countries. But criminals and others accused of exploiting the position have infiltrated their ranks.
Consul Cases: Details of Troubled Diplomats Around the World
ProPublica and ICIJ identified at least 500 current or former honorary consuls publicly accused of wrongdoing or embroiled in controversy. Here are snapshots of some of those cases.