List date(s) this work was published or aired.
Oct-11
Provide a brief synopsis of the story or stories, including any significant findings.
“The Big Business of Breast Cancer” is a powerful, exhaustively reported expose that tackles an uncomfortable, even blasphemous truth about breast cancer fundraising: it’s become a massive racket, overrun by scammers and profiteers. MC Features Director Lea Goldman (and veteran business journalist) Lea Goldman spent three months analyzing the tax returns from hundreds of breast cancer non-profits to uncover all too frequent instances of conflicts of interest, wastefulness, even malfeasance. Goldman also investigated dozens of companies marketing pink products and found that, despite claims to the contrary, many weren’t donating a cent to breast cancer research or awareness. “The Big Business of Breast Cancer” was published just in time for October’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month, when consumers are inundated with pink paraphernalia and donation solicitations.
Explain types of documents, data or Internet resources used. Were FOI or public records act requests required? How did this affect the work?
The bulk of the reporting required examining tax returns of the nation’s 1400 IRS-recognized breast cancer nonprofits. Goldman also trained a team of junior editors at Marie Claire in how to read 990s in order to facilitate the work, which still took months. This was a massive undertaking, especially for a magazine that doesn’t specialize in business reporting. But there’s a lesson to be learned from that: anyone should be able to read these documents and do appropriate due diligence. This kind of reporting isn’t the exclusive domain of business newspapers and magazines.
Explain types of human sources used.
Goldman interviewed non-profits experts and tax attorneys to evaluate appropriate uses of donor funds. Much of the activity she looked at–non-profit boards stacked with family members; gifts-in-kind schemes–aren’t illegal, but they are unethical. Navigating all this fuzzy accounting required talking to seasoned pros in the nonprofit world. Goldman also spoke with sources within the New York Attorney General’s office to get a heads-up on pending investigations relevant to her story. And she also confronted the presidents and founders of various non-profits with questionable business practices.
Results:
“The Big Business of Breast Cancer” clearly resonated with readers, consumers and legislators, and earned national media attention. (Among the many news outlets that covered it: NBC News, Fox News, the New York Daily News, Houston Chronicle, Dallas Morning News, Jezebel, the Daily Beast). The Non-Profit Quarterly called it a “stunning article”, and the Better Business Bureau cited it in a consumer warning on its website. Following publication of our story, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman launched an investigation of companies who promise that proceeds of pink products will go to breast cancer causes; the story also prompted several national charities, including Pink Ribbon International and the Breast Cancer Society, to clarify where their donations actually go. Our story has resulted in greater transparency and accountability among breast cancer groups, and has educated readers about how to make smart, effective donations.
Follow-up (if any). Have you run a correction or clarification on the report or has anyone come forward to challenge its accuracy? If so, please explain.
No one has challenged any of the reporting in the story.
Advice to other journalists planning a similar story or project.
Reporters shouldn’t shy away from topics that are unfamiliar terrain for their magazines. While Marie Claire has always been a bulwark of serious journalism, it has never run a piece quite so financially detailed as this one. It challenged our readers think critically about their donations, which isn’t necessarily a comfortable subject for a woman’s magazine.