Lois Beckett has been a reporter for ProPublica since 2011. She covers the intersection of data, technology and politics, with a current focus on gun violence and gun policy. Her Essence Magazine story on PTSD caused by gun violence, âBlack Americaâs Invisible Crisis,â won a 2015 Deadline Award for public service and a NABJ Salute to Excellence Award in investigative journalism. Previously, she covered the ways politicians use data to target votersâlooking at online ad targeting and the data broker industry. She is a frequent guest on nationally syndicated TV and radio programs, including CNN Newsroom, NPRâs On Point, KQEDâs Forum and WAMUâs Kojo Nnamdi Show, and also speaks about her reporting at conferences, most recently at the World Forum for Democracy in Strasbourg. With Olga Pierce and Jeff Larson, she won the 2011 Livingston Award for National Reporting, which honors outstanding achievement by journalists under the age of 35. She was also a finalist for a 2012 Livingston Award. Before joining ProPublica, she covered innovation in the news industry for the SF Weekly and the Nieman Journalism Lab.
Lois Beckett
How Mitt Romney Followed Me Around the Internet
Romney's campaign is using the same ad targeting tactics as airlines and shoe stores.
How Microsoft and Yahoo Are Selling Politicians Access to You
The personal information you gave Microsoft or Yahoo may be used to target you with online ads.
Three Things We Don’t Know About Obama’s Massive Voter Database
President's Obama campaign is collecting detailed data about its supporters. The campaign just won't talk about it.
How to Win Facebook Friends and Influence People
A new anti-foreclosure ad campaign on Facebook targets employees of Freddie Mac and JPMorgan Chase.
Reverse-Engineering Obama’s Message Machine
How different are a campaign's emails to different voters? President Obama's re-election campaign tried at least six different messages sent on behalf of campaign deputy manager Julianna Smoot in an email blast last week.
Message Machine: Reverse Engineering an Obama Email Campaign
Campaigns are increasingly tailoring their messages -- and their funding requests -- using massive databases of personal information about potential voters. Here are six variations of a Thursday night message from the Obama campaign, based on emails submitted by 190 recipients across the country.
What Do Republican Presidential Candidates Say on Foreclosure Crisis? Not Much.
Our guide to how the candidates say they would approach the housing crisis — when they speak about it at all.
Homeowners Who Negotiate Debt Relief Could Soon Face Massive Tax Bill
If Congress doesn't renew a key 2007 law, people who get a principal reduction on their mortgages or short-sell their homes could be forced to pay taxes on their "gain."
New Arrests in Murdoch Bribery Scandal Raise Question of U.S. Charges
The U.S. bans companies from bribing foreign officials. As a U.K. bribery investigation expands, will News Corp. ultimately face charges here?
Colorado Redistricting Had Inside Help
Hired guns paid by anonymous donors played pivotal role as hopes of bi-partisan deal slipped away.
By the Numbers: Life and Death at Foxconn
A look at working conditions at the manufacturing giant that produces nearly half of the world's consumer electronics.
Obama’s Gerrymander
President Obama may have propelled his political career forward by gerrymandering a Chicago district to include rich supporters.
Actual Winner Unclear in Supreme Court’s Ruling on Texas Redistricting
Court rejects minority-friendly map, orders federal judges to give more weight to Texas' original plan drawn by GOP-controlled legislature.
Will the Supreme Court Strike Down Part of the Voting Rights Act?
The court's ruling on a Texas redistricting case could transform the nation's approach to minority voting rights -- and determine which party controls Congress.
Answering Your Questions on Our California Redistricting Story
We answer your questions about our California redistricting story.
California Republicans Call for Official Investigation of Dems’ Redistricting Tactics
Early reactions to ProPublica’s report on the ways California Democrats manipulated the state’s citizen redistricting commission split along partisan lines.
Perry More Generous With Pardons Than Romney
Mitt Romney has boasted about granting no pardons as Massachusetts governor from 2003-07, while Texas Gov. Rick Perry has pardoned 178 people in his nearly 11 years in office.
Emails Suggest Ohio’s New Republican-Friendly Maps Save the GOP ‘Millions’
A rare inside look at how political parties use redistricting to cement partisan control — often at the expense of voters.
Racial Disparity in Presidential Pardons: What Can Be Done?
ProPublica found that whites are almost four times as likely as minorities to be pardoned. To break the pattern of bias, experts say, would require reconsidering the subjective factors used to judge applicants.
