Archive
Immigration Officials Use Secretive Gang Databases to Deny Migrant Asylum Claims
The information in the databases comes from foreign police and militaries, and it is being used to detain migrants and separate them from their children. Legal experts and human rights advocates say they were not told about the databases and question their reliability.
ProPublica Is Expanding Its Local Reporting Network to Youngstown, Ohio
Youngstown is losing its only daily newspaper, but there’s no shortage of investigative stories worthy of coverage. ProPublica will fund one investigative reporter at an Ohio news organization for a year.
New York Is Investigating Whether Facebook Lets Advertisers Discriminate
The state’s Department of Financial Services will look into allegations, first exposed by ProPublica, that advertisers can exclude users by race, gender, age and other characteristics that are protected under federal law.
How Chicago, a Hospital and Private Companies Make Money Off the Poor
Three stories about debt, bankruptcy and the institutions that perpetuate them.
Nonprofit Christian Hospital Suspends Debt Collection Lawsuits Amid Furor Over Suing Its Own Employees
Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare is reevaluating its policy after an MLK50-ProPublica investigation found that it had filed 8,300 lawsuits in the past five years, including against many of its own employees.
Meet the Data Institute Class of 2019
We’re thrilled to announce the 12 outstanding journalists who will be joining us for the Data Institute this year.
Digital Jail: How Electronic Monitoring Drives Defendants Into Debt
Ankle bracelets are promoted as a humane alternative to jail. But private companies charge defendants hundreds of dollars a month to wear the surveillance devices. If people can’t pay, they may end up behind bars.
Chicago Can’t Hold Impounded Vehicles After Drivers File for Bankruptcy, Court Says
A federal appeals court said the city’s aggressive legal strategy, aimed at discouraging motorists with unpaid ticket debt from filing under Chapter 13, violated the basic protections of bankruptcy, and the city was doing so mostly to generate revenue.
Civil Rights Groups Have Been Warning Facebook About Hate Speech In Secret Groups For Years
Facebook says its rules prohibit hate in secret groups, but it won’t discuss how it moderated the offensive Border Patrol posts — if it did anything at all.
En un grupo secreto en Facebook, agentes de la Patrulla Fronteriza se burlan de inmigrantes muertos y publican memes sexistas
En este grupo creado hace tres años y con aproximadamente 9,500 miembros, se compartieron comentarios despectivos sobre las legisladores latinas que planearon visitar un polémico centro de detención en Texas, llamándolas “escorias” y “putas”.
Meet the Congressman Defending Questionable Tax Breaks for a Company Connected to His Rich Brother
After multiple issues have surfaced with Holtec International’s New Jersey tax break application, Rep. Donald Norcross, its biggest congressional supporter (and the brother of a Holtec board member) is playing defense.
Investigation of Secret Border Patrol Group Launched as New Degrading Facebook Posts Surface
A ProPublica story revealing demeaning posts directed at Latina lawmakers prompted widespread revulsion. Immigration officials said such comments violate the agency’s code of conduct and promised that violators will be held accountable.
Millionaire CEO of Nonprofit Hospital That Sues the Poor Promises Review of Policies
Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare promised a policy review after an investigation by MLK50 and ProPublica found it had sued 8,300 patients — including its own employees — over medical debt. Its CEO has not responded to our questions.
Inside the Secret Border Patrol Facebook Group Where Agents Joke About Migrant Deaths and Post Sexist Memes
The three-year-old group, which has roughly 9,500 members, shared derogatory comments about Latina lawmakers who plan to visit a controversial Texas detention facility on Monday, calling them “scum buckets” and “hoes.”
Have You Been Sued by a Hospital, Doctor or Other Memphis Institution? Tell Us About It.
ProPublica and MLK50 are spending the year investigating the institutions that profit from people who are poor in Memphis. Share your story with us.
“Dire” Law Enforcement Crisis in Rural Alaska Prompts Emergency Declaration, New Federal Funding
The announcement comes a month after U.S. Attorney General William P. Barr visited the state to hear concerns about a lack of police in rural communities. The Anchorage Daily News and ProPublica reported that one in three Alaska communities lacks local law enforcement.
The Sheriff Lost Reelection. Then the Spending Spree Began.
Sheriff Blake Turman says that after he beat then-Sheriff Dennis Meeks at the polls, he found that thousands of dollars worth of military equipment was missing and public funds were wasted. Meeks’ response: “He’s full of shit.”
