Agnel Philip
I’m a data reporter at ProPublica.
Need to Get in Touch?
I welcome any tips regarding interesting datasets or issues you believe haven’t gotten enough coverage.
What I Cover
I dig deep into datasets to document and uncover waste, fraud, abuse and harm. I’ve covered a wide range of topics, from child welfare to flight tracking to water quality, using publicly available, internal and sometimes self-created databases. I am especially passionate about covering issues affecting local communities, as I did on projects about the decadeslong failure of the state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands to return Native Hawaiians to ancestral lands and about the practice of jailing those awaiting treatment for mental illness in Mississippi.
My Background
Prior to joining ProPublica, I was a data reporter on the investigations team at The Arizona Republic, where I investigated tribal casinos, pedestrian safety and consumer issues. I have two degrees in journalism and economics from Arizona State University.
We Reported on Corporate Tax Breaks in the Rust Belt. Now Officials Want Tougher Enforcement.
Ohio officials are calling for stricter regulation of corporate tax breaks after a Business Journal and ProPublica investigation found half the projects that received tax abatements in Youngstown since the 1990s failed to deliver the jobs promised.
Local Reporting Network
These Companies Got Millions in Tax Breaks to Bring Jobs to Youngstown. They Created Next to None.
When the American steel industry collapsed, few places were hit as hard as Youngstown, Ohio. Desperate for investment, officials awarded millions in property tax breaks to companies promising new jobs. But those efforts have largely failed to deliver.
Local Reporting Network
Why a Struggling Rust Belt City Pinned Its Revival on a Self-Chilling Beverage Can
Welcome to Youngstown, Ohio, home of Chill-Can, the self-chilling beverage container you’ve probably never heard of. Officials have gambled millions of dollars and demolished a neighborhood for the product. Not one job has been created yet.
Local Reporting Network
As Coronavirus Cases Rise, Members of Some Ultra-Orthodox Jewish Communities Continue to Congregate
On Wednesday afternoon in New York City, a large group of men moved prayers outside, but huddled together in spite of public health directives.
A Little-Known State Law Says Felons Must Carry a Special ID or Go to Jail
Alabama is the only state where people with multiple felony convictions are required to register with law enforcement and carry special ID cards, legal experts say. When felons are caught without them, they can be arrested and fined or jailed.
Local Reporting Network
This Judge Is Married to the Sheriff. Ethics Complaints Have Piled Up.
Magistrate Angel Underwood was suspended after conflicts involving her husband, the sheriff. But she wasn’t required to disclose that before her reappointment this year. She’s still on the bench, and complaints say her conflicts have continued.
Local Reporting Network
He Defended the Confederate Flag and Insulted Immigrants. Now He’s a Judge.
Former state Rep. Mike Pitts made anti-immigrant and racially charged remarks seemingly at odds with South Carolina’s judicial code. He sailed through an appointment process as a magistrate nominee with little scrutiny and no debate.
Local Reporting Network
These Judges Can Have Less Training Than Barbers but Still Decide Thousands of Cases Each Year
South Carolina’s system for magistrate judges is unlike any state in the country, creating fertile ground for incompetence and corruption.
Local Reporting Network