Jesse Eisinger
Jesse Eisinger is a senior editor and reporter at ProPublica. In April 2011, he and a colleague won the Pulitzer Prize for national reporting for a series of stories on questionable Wall Street practices that helped make the financial crisis the worst since the Great Depression.
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Jesse Eisinger is a senior editor and reporter at ProPublica. He is the author of the “The Chickenshit Club: Why the Justice Department Fails to Prosecute Executives.”
In April 2011, he and a colleague won the Pulitzer Prize for national reporting for a series of stories on questionable Wall Street practices that helped make the financial crisis the worst since the Great Depression. He was the lead reporter on the “Secret IRS Files” series that exposed the tax avoidance strategies of the ultrawealthy. The series won several prizes, including the Selden Ring in 2022. He also won the 2015 Gerald Loeb Award for commentary.
He was the editor on the “Friends of the Court” series, which revealed how a small group of politically influential billionaires wooed justices with lavish gifts and travel; it won the Pulitzer Prize for public service in 2024.
He serves on the advisory board of the University of California, Berkeley’s Financial Fraud Institute. And he was a consultant on season 3 of the HBO series “Succession.”
His work has appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, NewYorker.com, The Washington Post, The Baffler and The American Prospect and on NPR and “This American Life.” Before joining ProPublica, he was the Wall Street editor of Conde Nast Portfolio and a columnist for The Wall Street Journal, covering markets and finance.
He lives in Brooklyn with his wife, the journalist Sarah Ellison, and their daughters.
Why Haven’t Bankers Been Punished? Just Read These Insider SEC Emails
Right after the financial crisis, an SEC lawyer fought a lonely struggle to get his agency to crackdown harder on Goldman bankers. He lost.
How Mark Zuckerberg’s Altruism Helps Himself
Zuckerberg set up a limited liability company, which has reaped enormous benefits as public relations coup and will help minimize his tax bill.
The Whistleblower’s Tale: How An Accountant Took on Halliburton
In 2005, Tony Menendez blew the whistle on Halliburton’s accounting practices. The fight cost him nine years of his life.
No, the Banks Aren’t Losing
Yes, there has been some progress in making the financial system safer. But financial reform was so weak, it may not last.
The Trouble With Disclosure: It Doesn't Work
Disclosure and transparency have become the answer to every vexing regulatory problem, but sunlight is not always the most effective disinfectant.
Rent to Own: Wall Street’s Latest Housing Trick
As the Obama administration moves to expand housing credit, “rent to own’ schemes are one illustration of why a continuing federal role in housing is vital to protect consumers from exploitative products.
Obama Stands At Crossroads On Financial Reform
With Republicans moving to dismantle Dodd-Frank, some are urging Obama administration to push hard for a significant overhaul of the financial system.
Senator Demands Answers on Red Cross' Finances
Prompted by an investigation by ProPublica and NPR, Sen. Charles Grassley asks the charity to explain how it has used donations from the public.
How Fear Of Occupy Wall Street Undermined the Red Cross' Sandy Relief Effort
Red Cross responders say there was a ban on working with the widely praised Occupy Sandy relief group because it was seen as politically unpalatable.