Kirsten Berg
I cover the federal government and related national and international issues.
Have a Tip for a Story?
I’m interested in tips about records across federal agencies. I take confidentiality seriously and welcome ideas via secure email, Signal or postal mail.
What I Cover
I’ve contributed to investigations on a range of topics, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s hobbled response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the rise and ramifications of Chinese transnational repression and organized crime, and the federal judiciary’s repeated failures to provide ethical oversight for its judges.
My Background
My collaborations with colleagues at ProPublica have received numerous honors, including the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service, a Selden Ring Award, an Investigative Reporters and Editors Award and medal, and recognition as a finalist for the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service.
Prior to joining ProPublica, I was an editor at Future Tense, the deputy director of the New America Fellows program and a reporter at the New England Center for Investigative Reporting. I was also once an intern at ProPublica.
“I Don’t Trust the People Above Me”: Riot Squad Cops Open Up About Disastrous Response to Capitol Insurrection
Interviews with 19 current and former officers show how failures of leadership and communication put hundreds of Capitol cops at risk and allowed rioters to get dangerously close to members of Congress.
What Parler Saw During the Attack on the Capitol
ProPublica sifted through thousands of videos taken by Parler users to create an immersive, first-person view of the Capitol riot.
“No One Took Us Seriously”: Black Cops Warned About Racist Capitol Police Officers for Years
Allegations of racism against the Capitol Police are nothing new: Over 250 Black cops have sued the department since 2001. Some of those former officers now say it’s no surprise white nationalists were able to storm the building.
Inside the Trump Administration’s Decision to Leave the World Health Organization
Despite Trump’s declared exit from the WHO, officials continued working toward reforms and to prevent withdrawal. This week, they were told they must justify any cooperation with the WHO on the grounds of national security and public health safety.
The Secret, Absurd World of Coronavirus Mask Traders and Middlemen Trying To Get Rich Off Government Money
The federal government and states have fueled an unregulated, chaotic market for masks ruled by oddballs, ganjapreneurs and a shadowy network of investors.
We’re Making Public Records Requests to Help Us Cover the Coronavirus. Tell Us What We Should Be Asking For.
Are you an expert, government employee or someone who regularly interacts with government agencies? We’re looking for those in the know to tell us what kinds of public records we should be asking for. Help us find the records that will shed light on the crisis and hold those in power to account.
Under Trump, LGBTQ Progress Is Being Reversed in Plain Sight
Donald Trump promised he would fight for LGBTQ people. Instead, his administration has systematically undone recent gains in their rights and protections. Here are 31 examples.
How Mike Pence’s Office Meddled in Foreign Aid to Reroute Money to Favored Christian Groups
Officials at USAID warned that favoring Christian groups in Iraq could be unconstitutional and inflame religious tensions. When one colleague lost her job, they said she had been “Penced.”
Living Apart: How the Government Betrayed a Landmark Civil Rights Law
The authors of the 1968 Fair Housing Act wanted to reverse decades of government-fostered segregation. But presidents from both parties declined to enforce a law that stirred vehement opposition.
In Race For Better Cell Service, Men Who Climb Towers Pay With Their Lives
Corporate giants have outsourced the dangerous work of building and maintaining communications towers to tiny subcontracting companies. Over the last nine years, nearly 100 workers have died, 50 of them on cell sites.