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Marian Wang

Marian Wang was a reporter for ProPublica, covering education and college debt.

Marian Wang was a reporter for ProPublica, covering education and college debt. She joined ProPublica in 2010, first blogging about a variety of accountability issues. Her later stories focused on how rising college costs and the complexity of the student loan system affect students and their families. Prior to coming to ProPublica, she worked at Mother Jones magazine in San Francisco and freelanced for a number of Chicago-based publications, including The Chicago Reporter, an investigative magazine focused on issues of race and poverty.

Despite Internal Concerns About Rig Safety, Transocean Says It’s Shielded By Contract

Documents show Transocean knew of safety problems aboard its Gulf rigs before the Deepwater Horizon blast, but does its contract protect it from liability?

Texas City Workers: Chemicals Spewed From Broken Pipe 'Like Water From a Fire Hydrant'

Dispersant Hearing Focuses on Agencies’ Flimsy Approval Process

A Senate panel examines why no one besides the manufacturers of dispersants had tested the products before BP was allowed to dump them into the Gulf. The EPA says it is reforming its approval process for such chemicals.

For-Profit Colleges Encouraged Fraud And Used Deceptive Marketing, Watchdog Says

An undercover investigation by a government watchdog uncovers unsavory recruiting practices at several for-profit colleges.

Read the Ethics Findings for Rep. Maxine Waters

An independent ethics panel found that Rep. Maxine Waters of California may have improperly stepped in on behalf of a bank in which her husband, Sidney Williams, had a financial stake.

New Flow Rate Estimates Match an Earlier, Unpublicized Number Used by BP

New flow rate estimates make the Gulf oil spill the largest unintentional spill in history. The new estimates also match a number BP cited to the Coast Guard in early July.

After Further Testing, EPA Says Use of Dispersants Was 'Wise Decision'

Testing shows dispersant and oil, in combination, are moderately toxic, and on par with the toxicity of oil alone. The EPA says the use of the dispersants was a "wise decision."

Two Million Gallons Later, BP's Dispersant Exemptions Are (Finally) Questioned

BP got many exemptions and spread two million gallons of dispersants in the Gulf. So why are we surprised that the oil is "disappearing"? And why were so many exemptions granted?

ProPublica's New Tumblr: Officials Say the Darndest Things

Officials say the darndest things, and we're writing them down.

BP Keeps Up Its Negligence Denials Despite Texas Officials' Insistence

BP expands its explanation of a lawyer's "negligence" comment, but Texas officials stand by their account.