Reveal Exploding Pintos, Imploding Politics: Celebrating 50 Years of Fearless Journalism
Mar 18, 2026
Monica Bauerlein, longtime leader at Mother Jones and now CEO of the Center for Investigative Reporting, reflects on the magazine’s 1970s origins. She revisits landmark investigations like the Ford Pinto and tobacco reporting. She contrasts past and present political pressures and explains the nonprofit digital transition and the merger with CIR.
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The 1970s Echoes Today's Politics
- Bauerlein says today's political moment mirrors the 1970s with distrust of government and rising social movements.
- She finds hope in history: past collective action during similar crises produced tangible change.
How The Pinto Story Put Mother Jones On The Map
- Mother Jones' early big scoops included the Ford Pinto expose and early tobacco industry investigations.
- The Pinto story revealed Ford calculated it was cheaper to pay wrongful-death claims than fix exploding fuel tanks, putting the magazine on the map.
How The Pinto Story Put Mother Jones On The Map
- Mother Jones' early big scoops included the Ford Pinto expose and early tobacco industry investigations.
- The Pinto story revealed Ford calculated it was cheaper to pay wrongful-death claims than fix exploding fuel tanks, putting the magazine on the map.