Richard Tofel
Richard Tofel was the founding general manager of ProPublica from 2007-2012, and served as president from January 2013-September 2021.
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Richard Tofel was the founding general manager of ProPublica from 2007-2012, and served as president from January 2013-September 2021. In this role, he had responsibility for all of ProPublica’s non-journalism operations, including communications, legal, development, finance and budgeting, and human resources.
He was formerly the assistant publisher of The Wall Street Journal and, earlier, an assistant managing editor of the paper, vice president, corporate communications for Dow Jones & Company, and an assistant general counsel of Dow Jones. More recently, he served as vice president, general counsel and secretary of the Rockefeller Foundation, and earlier as president and chief operating officer of the International Freedom Center, a museum and cultural center that was planned for the World Trade Center site.
He is the author of “Not Shutting Up: A Year of Reflections on Journalism” (2020); “‘A Federal Offense of the Highest Order’: The True Story of How the Joint Chiefs Spied on Nixon, And How He Covered It Up” (2019); “Speaking Truth in Power: Lessons for Our Sorry Politics from Our Inspiring History” (2018); “Home Run Revolution: Babe Ruth in His Time, 1919-1920” (2015); “Non-Profit Journalism: Issues Around Impact” (2013); “Why American Newspapers Gave Away the Future” (2012); “Eight Weeks in Washington, 1861: Abraham Lincoln and the Hazards of Transition” (2011); “Restless Genius: Barney Kilgore, The Wall Street Journal, and the Invention of Modern Journalism” (2009); “Sounding the Trumpet: The Making of John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address” (2005); “Vanishing Point: The Disappearance of Judge Crater, and the New York He Left Behind” (2004); and “A Legend in the Making: The New York Yankees in 1939” (2002).
Why We Are Publishing the Tax Secrets of the .001%
We are disclosing the tax details of the richest Americans because we believe the public interest in an informed debate outweighs privacy considerations.
What ProPublica Is Doing About Diversity in 2020
Here is our annual report on the breakdown of our staff and how we’re working to create a more diverse news organization and inclusive journalism community.
“Our Goal Should Be to Crush the Curve”
A doctor-scholar who studied the 1976 mishandling of swine flu says the president is wrongly choosing between saving lives and saving the economy.
The Real Story About Trump’s Latest Attack on the Press
On Wednesday, President Trump filed a libel suit against the New York Times that should be readily dismissed. That hasn’t stopped him from threatening to file more lawsuits soon.
The Man Who Made ProPublica Possible
RIP, Herbert M. Sandler, 1931–2019
Tax Case Flips the Script for Democrats and the GOP. But What About for Jurists?
A lawsuit attacking last year’s tax cut will test whether judicial conservatives align with Republicans, who find themselves defending Congress’ power, or with the states’ rights doctrine at the heart of their legal thinking.
Welcome to Our Second Decade
Much has changed since ProPublica published its first story, but we remain committed to the power of fact-based journalism to spur change and right wrongs.
Trump Hits Populist Note in Inaugural Address
As promised, President Trump kept it short, and largely avoided lofty language.