The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) is a nonprofit corporation that serves as the steward of the American people’s investment in public media and provides leadership to the public media system. CPB's Office of Inspector General (OIG) is an independent organization within CPB that supports public media by promoting accountability in and providing oversight of CPB operations and the initiatives CPB funds. OIG conducts independent audits, investigates complaints, and makes recommendations on how CPB and its initiatives could be conducted more effectively and efficiently, and how to avoid fraud, waste, and abuse.
Our Mission
OIG’s mission is to promote the efficiency, effectiveness, and integrity of CPB initiatives and operations, including the stations CPB serves.
Who We Are
OIG is a team of auditors and other professionals who independently evaluate CPB operations and the initiatives it funds. As required by the Inspector General Act, the Inspector General is selected by the CPB Board of Directors and reports to the Board and to Congress.
Our Core Values
- Integrity — All OIG’s work must be fair, balanced, and credible.
- Excellence — OIG does its best in all activities and follows professional standards.
- Collaboration — OIG seeks and values input from each other and all stakeholders.
Our Goals
- Provide timely and quality products that benefit CPB initiatives and operations.
- Promote effective working relationships with Congress, the CPB Board, management, and stakeholders and increase the visibility of OIG in the public media community.
- Promote excellence in OIG.
What we do
- Conduct independent audits and investigations.
- Review and comment on relevant legislation.
- Make recommendations on how CPB and its operations and initiatives could be conducted more efficiently and on how to prevent and detect fraud, waste, and abuse.
- Maintain a hotline to receive complaints from the public and CPB employees.
- Investigate complaints regarding possible wrongdoing, wastefulness, abuse, and fraud.
OIG’s audit process generally includes:
- OIG notifies the audit subject and CPB management of its intent to conduct a review.
- OIG has an entrance conference with the audit subject to discuss the objectives, scope, and timing of the audit.
- The OIG auditor conducts fieldwork, which includes inspecting, analyzing, and verifying records and using interviews, questionnaires, and physical inspections to obtain additional information.
- OIG analyzes the information it collected and writes preliminary observations, which it sends to the audit subject and CPB management.
- The audit subject responds orally or in writing to the preliminary observations.
- OIG considers the audit subject’s response and issues a draft audit report to the audit subject and CPB management.
- CPB management and the audit subject review and comment on the draft audit.
- OIG holds an exit conference with the subject of the audit.
- OIG issues a final audit report, including audit results, applicable findings, recommendations, and, generally, any written response provided by the audit subject.
- CPB management evaluates the report and recommendations and issues its determination, which resolves the audit findings and recommendations. It is in this determination that CPB management decides what, if any, action the audit subject will have to take. These actions may involve refunding money to CPB, reallocating CPB funds to another project, submitting revised reports to CPB, restructuring how the audit subject handles CPB funds, or paying a penalty to CPB.
OIG audits follow generally accepted government auditing standards (GAGAS) prescribed by the Comptroller General of the United States. Reviews and evaluations follow the standards or requirements of applicable OIG Manual chapters and Quality Standards issued by the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency.
OIG has the authority to investigate CPB initiatives and operations for issues of fraud, waste, and abuse. OIG criminal investigations can include allegations of bribery, conflicts of interest, false statements, audit obstruction, destruction of records, or receipt of illegal gratuities. If the Inspector General has reasonable grounds to believe a federal criminal law has been violated, he/she must report it to the Attorney General. The Inspector General can also investigate allegations of civil fraud and administrative misconduct.
The Inspector General must keep the CPB Board of Directors and Congress informed of fraud and other serious problems, abuses, or deficiencies in initiatives and operations administered or financed by CPB.