Archive
Trashed: Inside the Deadly World of Private Garbage Collection
Waste removal is one of the most dangerous jobs in the country. On the darkened streets of New York City, it’s a race for survival.
I’ve Sent Out 1,018 Open Records Requests, and This Is What I’ve Learned
A little honey goes a long way, but it helps to know the law, too.
Baltimore Prosecutor Admits He Was Wrong to Block Request to Alter Alford Plea
A ProPublica story last month pointed out that the prosecutor had given up his right to veto changes to the unusual plea deal. Demetrius Smith, who was wrongfully convicted of murder when he agreed to the deal, will get a new hearing.
How Harvey Hurt Houston, in 10 Maps
The city got two “100-year” storms in the two years before Harvey made landfall. All three storms flooded thousands of houses, many outside of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s flood plains.
Legal Footnote: You Have to Look Hard to See the Supreme Court Correct Its Mistakes
When the justices err, care is taken not to call attention to the mishaps. Some think that’s its own mistake.
The 2017 Year in Visual and Interactive Storytelling
Highlights from a year of ambitious visual storytelling, data journalism and interactive presentations at ProPublica.
Taking Care to Get a Mississippi Scandal Right
People in the state took a chance that I would resist stereotypes and report an important truth about the crisis in mental health resources.
Long Story Short
An annotated history of the 30-year fight over a single polluted Air Force base.
Trump Justice Department Pushes for Citizenship Question on Census, Alarming Experts
“This is a recipe for sabotaging the census,” said one. The administration’s stated reason for the controversial move: protecting civil rights.
Reporting Recipe: Investigating Your Police Department’s Handling of Hate Crime Reports
We found inconsistencies in how local law enforcement agencies across the country report hate crimes to the federal government. Here’s how you can use the data to report local stories.
How a Local Bureaucrat Made Millions Amid the Rush to Build a Border Fence
The feds faced a deadline to finish the first version of a border wall. Godfrey Garza Jr. of Hildalgo County, Texas, made it happen, and made himself a small fortune along the way. Other than Garza, no one seems too happy about that.
Calculating the Work Behind Our Work
Verifying 4,969 names. Driving 1,493 miles for interviews. Fact-checking 291 facts for one story … twice. Here are some hidden costs of our reporting.
What Does Facebook Consider Hate Speech?
Our analysis shows that Facebook’s content reviewers often make different calls on whether to allow or delete items with similar content. See the inconsistencies.
Facebook’s Uneven Enforcement of Hate Speech Rules Allows Vile Posts to Stay Up
We asked Facebook about its handling of 49 posts that might be deemed offensive. The company acknowledged that its content reviewers had made the wrong call on 22 of them.
Want to Lower Health Care Costs? Stop Wasting Our Money.
This year ProPublica documented the many ways waste is baked into our health care system, from destroying perfectly good medication to junking brand new supplies. Eliminating the waste could insure millions of Americans.
War at Home
Unexploded ordnance. Open burns of munitions. Poisoned aquifers. Of all the military’s environmental hazards, the explosive compound RDX may be the greatest threat to America’s health.
Who Would Pay $26,000 to Work in a Chicken Plant?
Chicken plants have recruited thousands of foreign workers in recent years through a little-known program to fill jobs they say Americans won’t do.
‘What Are We Going to Do About Tyler?’
Tyler Haire was locked up at 16. A Mississippi judge ordered that he undergo a mental exam. What happened next is a statewide scandal.
Doing Less With Less: Mental Health Care in Mississippi
A national recession. Years of state budgets cuts. It’s no surprise requests mental health resources for prisoners are routinely rejected.
