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Lois Beckett

Lois Beckett is a ProPublica reporter covering politics, big data and information privacy issues.

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.

Under the Gun

Now, You Can't Ban Guns at the Public Pool

In a decades-long campaign to deny cities the power to regulate guns, even the smallest local rules are now coming under attack.

by Lois Beckett,

Under the Gun

Kansas Gov. Insists it’s OK to Ignore Federal Gun Laws

Gov. Brownback tells Attorney General Holder to respect the “sovereign will” of Kansas, which passed a law that makes enforcing federal gun laws a crime. Gov. Brownback tells Attorney General Holder to respect the “sovereign will” of Kansas, which passed a law that makes enforcing federal gun laws a crime.

by Lois Beckett,

Under the Gun

Nullification: How States Are Making It a Felony to Enforce Federal Gun Laws

The NRA has remained quiet while legislation to nullify federal gun laws has been introduced in dozens of states.

by Lois Beckett,

Buying Your Vote

Senator Pushes for Investigation of ‘False Statements’ by Dark Money Groups

If the IRS is not well-suited to investigate these “plain vanilla criminal cases,” the U.S. Department of Justice should, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse said.

by Lois Beckett,

Buying Your Vote

Voter Information Wars: Will the GOP Team Up With Wal-Mart’s Data Specialist?

The 2012 Obama campaign set the bar for the use of voter data. The Republicans aren't interested in being beaten again.

by Lois Beckett,

America’s Most Outrageous Teacher Cheating Scandals

Many states still fail to follow up on evidence of teacher cheating. Here’s our rundown of the long history of such cheating.

by Lois Beckett,

Redistricting

Five Ways Courts Say Texas Discriminated Against Black and Latino Voters

Separate federal panels struck down two Texas voting provisions. We look at examples of discrimination they found.

by Lois Beckett and Suevon Lee,

Democrats: We Won’t Sell Voter Data for Commercial Use

The leader of a Democratic data-selling group says that Democrats really never intended to sell the party’s deep collection of voter information to for-profit companies.

by Lois Beckett,

Will Democrats Sell Your Political Opinions to Credit Card Companies?

State Democratic parties formed a cooperative to sell their voter data. Now they’re looking for commercial customers.

by Lois Beckett,

Buying Your Vote

Four Graphs That Show How Democrats Predict Your Political Beliefs

Little pieces of data about individual voters add up to a powerful big picture for state Democratic parties

by Lois Beckett,