Stephen Engelberg

Editor-in-Chief

Photo of Stephen Engelberg

Stephen Engelberg was the founding managing editor of ProPublica from 2008–2012, and became editor-in-chief on January 1, 2013. He came to ProPublica from The Oregonian in Portland, where he had been a managing editor since 2002. Before joining The Oregonian, Mr. Engelberg worked for The New York Times for 18 years, including stints in Washington, D.C., and Warsaw, Poland, as well as in New York. He is a member of the Pulitzer Prize Board.

Mr. Engelberg’s work since 1996 has focused largely on the editing of investigative projects. He started the Times’s investigative unit in 2000. Projects he supervised at the Times on Mexican corruption (published in 1997) and the rise of Al Qaeda (published beginning in January 2001) were awarded the Pulitzer Prize. During his years at The Oregonian, the paper won the Pulitzer for breaking news and was a finalist for its investigative work on methamphetamines and charities intended to help the disabled. He is the co-author of “Germs: Biological Weapons and America’s Secret War” (2001).

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RIP, Marion O. Sandler

The Kind of Journalism That Demands Action

Several steps could solve the racial disparity in presidential pardons that our joint project with The Washington Post has exposed -- starting with a requirement that any member of Congress who writes on behalf of a pardon applicant disclose campaign donations.

Government Settles Case Brought by First Anthrax Victim for $2.5 Million

Justice Department concedes no liability in deal with family of Robert Stevens, averting a trial that could have brought to light secrets about U.S. bio-defense efforts.

Raising Cain: When Is a Scoop Ready to be Published?

One thing missing from Politico's scoop on Herman Cain’s alleged sexual harassment: the underlying facts.

Secret Reports: With Security Spotty, Many Had Access to Anthrax

The Army laboratory identified by prosecutors as the source of the anthrax that killed five people in the fall of 2001 was rife with such security gaps that the deadly spores could have easily been smuggled out of the facility, outside investigators found.

Despite Evidence of FBI Bungling, New Probe Into Anthrax Killings Unlikely

In response to a joint investigation by PBS' Frontline, McClatchy and ProPublica, Iowa Sen. Charles Grassley and two congressman said that it is unlikely that the FBI will reopen its investigation into the anthrax cases.

Did Bruce Ivins Hide Attack Anthrax From the FBI?

FBI and Justice Department investigators say the Army microbiologist submitted a deceptive sample of anthrax to cover up his role as perpetrator of the 2001 anthrax letter attacks. But records found by PBS Frontline, McClatchy and ProPublica show Ivins made available three other samples of his spores, each of which matched those used in the letters.

Was FBI's Science Good Enough to ID Anthrax Killer?

Federal prosecutors say sound science connected U.S. Army scientist Bruce Ivins to the anthrax letter attacks in 2001. But a former FBI official involved in the case now says more research was needed to make the scientific evidence strong enough to be used in court.

New Evidence Adds Doubt to FBI’s Case Against Anthrax Suspect

The FBI still insists it had the right man in Bruce Ivins, an Army biologist who committed suicide in 2008 before being charged with the mailings that killed five people. But an in-depth look by ProPublica, PBS and McClatchy found new evidence challenging the government’s claims.

Grassley Challenges DOJ, FBI on Anthrax Case

Senior Republican asks Attorney General and FBI Director to explain why civil lawyers initially filed court papers questioning a key aspect of case against Army researcher.

Judge Allows Feds to Revise Filing in Anthrax Case

The Justice Department initially asserted flatly that Army researcher Bruce Ivins, whom the FBI accused of manufacturing the anthrax, lacked the specialized equipment needed to produce the deadly powder at a U.S. bio-weapons lab.

Second Thoughts on Sex and Politics

The resignation of Oregon Congressman David Wu provides a compelling argument for why news organizations should aggressively pursue allegations of inappropriate sexual conduct—even old ones.

Judge Says U.S. Must Show Good Cause to Revise Anthrax Filing

In an order issued Monday, U.S. District Judge Daniel Hurley of West Palm Beach, Fla., said the government must "show good cause" before he will allow it to change the original filing, which lawyers for the department’s Civil Division made in an eight-year-old case brought against the government by the family of one of the five victims.

Government Anthrax Flip-Flop Could Boost Victims’ Lawsuit

Conflicting court filings and a retraction could undermine the Department of Justice’s credibility in a $50 million wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of photographer Robert Stevens, first victim to die in the 2001 anthrax letter attacks.

Justice Department Retracts Court Filings That Undercut FBI's Anthrax Case

The unusual seven-page correction, hurriedly filed in federal court in Florida, does not erase testimony from government scientists who challenged the FBI's finding that Bruce Ivins mailed anthrax-filled letters that killed five people in 2001.

Justice Department Filing Casts Doubt on Guilt of Bruce Ivins, Accused in Anthrax Case

The Justice Department has called into question a key pillar of the FBI's case against Bruce Ivins, the Army scientist accused of mailing the anthrax-laced letters that killed five people and terrorized Congress a decade ago.

In the Phone Hacking Scandal, Remember Watergate

From this side of the Atlantic, the British phone hacking scandal seems more about a failure of British law enforcement than of the press to police itself.

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