From inewsource reporters Chris Young and Ingrid Lobet, an investigation into how a buying binge of power plants led to a boost in electricity rates for San Diego residents, now among the highest in the nation. Deals were struck that may have also set the stage for ongoing criminal investigations. Inewsource is a San Diego based nonprofit news organization. [Reporting sponsored ...
By Rosalia Omungo NEW ORLEANS — It all began with a tweet from a lady working in an organization concerned about governance of water bodies such as rivers. On responding to the tweet, she informed me of the danger that was being posed to Lake Turkana in Kenya due to the construction of Gibe 111 dam in Ethiopia, urging me ...
Throughout the year, the Georgia News Lab has been responsible for stories that expose unethical practices in Georgia government. The Georgia News Lab is an innovative model for training diverse journalists from historically black universities. It combines classroom training with the real-world practice of journalism side-by-side with professionals at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC) and WSB-TV. The results are impressive: student reporting ...
Scott Reeder of Illinois News Network reports that taxpayers in Illinois are increasingly footing the bill for public sector union officials. It’s a policy called “release time” for public employees, who are paid up to $141,000, and is written into contracts to ensure labor peace. At least forty Illinois counties follow this practice. [Reporting sponsored by The Ethics and Excellence ...
From Mark Betancourt for The Nation, the story of the pain and suffering endured by terminally ill people who have no insurance. For the undocumented, no federal programs are available. Even those with legal resident status wait long hours in emergency rooms for pain medication; hospice care would provide relief, but it’s unaffordable without insurance. [Reporting supported by The Ethics ...
From City Limits, an investigation finds that weak laws and oversight, poor training and limited accountability affect much of the private-security industry in New York State. While pay has improved in recent years, many security workers still deal with low wages and training scams. Private security guards are everywhere in New York City, from construction sites to department stores, banks and homeless ...
From Steve Brenner for The Guardian, the story of the wide-ranging corruption scandal that almost scuttled the first Copa America football (soccer) tournament to be hosted outside of South America. [Reporting sponsored by The Reva and David Logan Foundation.] ...
From David Krajicek for The Crime Report, an investigation of long sentences that test the question: how much punishment is enough? Focusing on Aaron Johnson of Alabama, convicted after a fourth trial for a 1994 murder, Krajicek writes: “His story is an example of the enduring after-effects of the politicization of American justice through legislated sentencing mandates. A generation ago, ...
The Fund for Investigative Journalism is sending six training fellows to conferences and symposiums across the globe. Marianna Grigoryan, the editor-in-chief and an investigative reporter for MediaLab.am in Yereven, Armenia, recently attended the Logan Symposium in Berlin, which was organized by the Centre for Investigative Journalism (CIJ). Thoughts About Today and Tomorrow From the Logan CIJ Symposium By Marianna Grigoryan I ...
From Camila Osorio for The New Republic. Is it a new day in Colombia for the millions of peasants who were forcibly displaced from their land by paramilitaries or guerrilla groups during the past several decades? A land restitution law and peace process are in place, but for many, who have been threatened, and know of activists who were murdered, ...