Reveal · The Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX

Exploding Pintos, Imploding Politics: Celebrating 50 Years of Fearless Journalism

March 18, 2026·27 min·2 clips

Ford calculated it was cheaper to pay victims than fix the exploding Pintos, a scandal Mother Jones exposed.

This episode of Reveal's "More to the Story" features host Al Letson interviewing Monica Bauerlein, CEO of the Center for Investigative Reporting, to mark the 50th anniversary of Mother Jones magazine. Bauerlein has led Mother Jones since 2015 and oversaw its merger with the Center for Investigative Reporting, which produces Reveal. The founders, including Adam Hochschild and Paul Jacobs, launched Mother Jones in 1974 as a nonprofit to challenge corporate power and cover social movements neglected by mainstream media. Bauerlein draws direct parallels between the magazine's founding era—marked by Vietnam, Watergate, and activism—and today's climate of distrust and social upheaval. She compares Richard Nixon's covert pressure on the press to Donald Trump's overt attacks, noting Trump uniquely uses his own platform to discredit other media. Landmark investigations cited include exposing Ford's cost-benefit analysis regarding fatal Pinto explosions and a joint project with CIR on banned pesticides being exported and re-imported. Mother Jones also early on challenged tobacco industry lies, despite losing lucrative ad revenue, and published David Korn's 2012 report on Mitt Romney's "47%" remarks. An undercover reporter worked for four months in a private prison for another investigation, while a recent project, "40 Acres and a Lie," detailed broken land promises to freed slaves. The magazine's name was chosen almost by accident after a "New Dimensions" trademark conflict, with founders hoping "Mother Jones" would intrigue readers. Bauerlein joined after writing a blunt letter criticizing the magazine for becoming stale, leading to a features editor role focused on early digital expansion. She explains the merger was a response to journalism's economic precarity, combining CIR's audio reach with Mother Jones' digital and print strengths. Bauerlein argues the collapse of advertising-based models has eliminated over 340,000 newspaper jobs since the late 1990s. She believes bridging media divides means focusing on shared public distrust of corruption rather than political identity, serving those who feel "on the outside." Investigative work is costly, with one prison story costing $300,000 but generating only $5,000 in ad revenue from millions of readers. Legal expenses are a major burden, as governments increasingly force lawsuits to comply with FOIA requests. The tone is conversational and reflective, blending historical narrative with practical discussion of journalism's business and mission. Listeners interested in media history, nonprofit journalism models, and investigative storytelling will appreciate this episode. Those seeking a highly topical news investigation or disagreeing with the outlet's perspective might find it less engaging.

As heard by us

A measured look at Mother Jones, its roots, and the newsroom built to push back on power.

Reveal looks back at Mother Jones by starting in a small San Francisco office above a fast food restaurant, where the magazine set out to be nonprofit, accountable to its community, and still good-looking enough to want to read.

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Why you'd press play

A newsroom origin story about how a nonprofit magazine set out to be accountable to its community, and stayed sharp for 50 years.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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