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Jack Gillum

Jack Gillum was a reporter at ProPublica based in Washington, D.C., covering technology and privacy.

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Jack Gillum was previously a reporter at ProPublica based in Washington, D.C., covering technology and privacy.

Gillum came to ProPublica from The Washington Post, where he was part of the investigative team that dug into mismanaged taxpayer funds and troubled relief efforts in Puerto Rico. Prior to the Post, Gillum was an investigative reporter at The Associated Press, where he broke stories on the existence and location of Hillary Clinton’s private email server, as well as a U.S.-backed “Cuban Twitter” program that secretly mined data for political purposes. At the AP, he also covered two presidential races and the world of campaign finance.

Gillum began his career as a business reporter and database specialist at the Arizona Daily Star in Tucson, his hometown. He is a graduate of Columbia University's graduate school of journalism and Santa Clara University in California.

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ProPublica’s Electionland: The State of Election Day 2020

In a historic election shaped by a pandemic, mail-in voting and misinformation, election officials are scrambling to adapt. Here’s what ProPublica’s national reporters are seeing across the country. This post will be updated throughout the day.

by Caroline Chen, Jack Gillum, Derek Willis, Isaac Arnsdorf, Maryam Jameel, Jessica Huseman and Ryan McCarthy,

Foreign Hackers Cripple Texas County’s Email System, Raising Election Security Concerns

The malware attack, which sent fake email replies to voters and businesses, spotlights an overlooked vulnerability in counties that don’t follow best practices for computer security.

by Jack Gillum, Jessica Huseman, Jeff Kao and Derek Willis,

Coronavirus

Hundreds of Thousands of Nursing Home Residents May Not Be Able to Vote in November Because of the Pandemic

Renowned inventor Walter Hutchins has voted in every presidential election since 1952. This year, as many states stopped sending teams to help seniors vote, his nursing home was on coronavirus lockdown and his streak was in jeopardy.

by Ryan McCarthy and Jack Gillum,

The Pandemic Economy

Different Names, Same Address: How Big Businesses Got Government Loans Meant for Small Businesses

ProPublica found at least 15 large companies that received over half a billion dollars in PPP loans using the same technique: Getting multiple loans sent to smaller entities they own.

by Paul Kiel and Jack Gillum,

Trump Friends and Family Cleared for Millions in Small Business Bailout

Beneficiaries of the PPP included a lettuce farming venture backed by Trump’s son, Kushner companies, and a dentist who golfs with the president. The figures were released after a lawsuit by several news organizations, including ProPublica.

by Jack Gillum, Isaac Arnsdorf, Jake Pearson and Mike Spies,

Law Enforcement Files Discredit Brian Kemp’s Accusation That Democrats Tried to Hack the Georgia Election

Kemp’s explosive allegation, just days before the closely contested 2018 election, drew wide attention. But newly released documents show that there was no such hack.

by Mark Niesse, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and Jack Gillum, ProPublica,

Coronavirus

There’s Been a Spike in People Dying at Home in Several Cities. That Suggests Coronavirus Deaths Are Higher Than Reported.

Coronavirus death counts are based on positive tests and driven by hospital deaths. But data from major metropolitan areas shows a spike in at-home deaths, prompting one expert to say current numbers were just “the tip of the iceberg.”

by Jack Gillum, Lisa Song and Jeff Kao,

Coronavirus

In a 10-Day Span, ICE Flew This Detainee Across the Country — Nine Times

Even as the Trump administration discouraged the public from flying, Sirous Asgari was shuttled from Louisiana to Texas, New Jersey and back on chartered flights full of migrants. He still hasn’t been deported.

by Yeganeh Torbati, Dara Lind and Jack Gillum,

Coronavirus

Even After Trump Declared a National Emergency, Some Talk Radio Hosts Weren’t Convinced

In the last two weeks, several of the most-listened-to conservative hosts were telling millions of listeners that they should ignore the “hype” and that the coronavirus is no worse than the seasonal flu.

by Jack Gillum and Derek Willis,

Some Election-Related Websites Still Run on Vulnerable Software Older Than Many High Schoolers

Our analysis found that websites in dozens of towns and counties voting on Super Tuesday have security weaknesses. Richmond, Va., still uses software from 2003.

by Jack Gillum,