Christine Willmsen is the managing editor of WBUR's investigations team.
In 2019, Willmsen began working at WBUR as the team's senior investigative editor-reporter. The investigative unit produces in-depth stories on multiple platforms that are unique, relevant and impactful.
Prior to WBUR, Willmsen worked at the Seattle Times for 16 years, writing investigative stories about social injustice, government malfeasance, environmental issues and criminal justice.
She was named a Pulitzer Prize finalist in the investigative, public service and breaking news categories and was on the reporting team that won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for breaking news. Other national awards she has won include Scripps Howard Public Service Award, Society of Professional Journalists’ Sigma Delta Chi Award and Investigative Reporters and Editors Award.
She received a Nieman Fellowship from Harvard University in 2015 and an honorary Doctor of Letters from her alma mater, Simpson College.
During her free time, she enjoys cooking and everything outdoors.
Recently published
My mother’s jewelry, a tree and a new Christmas tradition
When Christine Willmsen’s mother died, her strongest memories were about their troubled relationship. This year, though, her mother’s jewelry — and a small tree — led the way to a...
State opens investigation into Boston's ballot shortages on Election Day
A day after some polling stations in Boston ran out of ballots, Secretary of State William Galvin launched an investigation into the city's handling of the 2024 Election, his office...
Backlog of maintenance and renovation is causing state-subsidized housing to sit empty
WBUR's Christine Willmsen explains that the biggest reason state-subsidized units are vacant is a backlog of maintenance and renovation, which public housing authorities say it’s hard to complete because they're...
Mass. has a huge waitlist for state-funded housing. So why are 2,300 units vacant?
As Massachusetts grapples with a housing crisis, 184,000 people have applied for a home in the state's public housing system. Yet, units sit vacant for years because of the state's...
Bans on outside police chief candidates raise civil rights concerns, officials say
After a WBUR and ProPublica investigation of Revere's policy that requires the city to hire a police chief internally, U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins and Sens. Ed Markey and Elisabeth Warren...
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No outsiders need apply: Why Revere settled for a police chief accused of harassment
Restrictions on hiring police chiefs from outside their departments are common in Massachusetts. In Revere, the mayor wanted the option to look for a top cop externally to clean up...
Company overseeing Boston garage demolition has faced lawsuits from other injured workers
Peter Monsini, who died in a tragic accident at a Boston construction site Saturday, was not the first worker to be seriously injured on a JDC Demolition Co. worksite.
Boston police bought spy tech with a pot of money hidden from the public
Boston police used a "slush fund" to pay for a surveillance device that can grab cell phone data from suspects — and also from other phones nearby. The department says...
Thousands Of Affordable Housing Tenants At Risk
Senior Investigative Editor-Reporter Christine Willmsen joins us to talk about investment firms trying to profit off of affordable housing properties, putting thousands of tenants at risk.
Investors Mine For Profits In Affordable Housing, Leaving Thousands Of Tenants At Risk
A Boston nonprofit is battling in court with an investor that wants to sell off low-income housing for profit. It's a story that's playing out across the country.