Neil Bedi
Neil Bedi reported on the federal government for ProPublica in Washington, D.C.
Neil Bedi reported on the federal government for ProPublica in Washington, D.C.
Previously, he was a reporter for the Tampa Bay Times in St. Petersburg, Florida, where he worked on stories about patient safety, worker safety, criminal justice, government inaction and more. In 2021, he won the Pulitzer Prize for local reporting with Kathleen McGrory for their investigation into a sheriff's predictive policing initiative that targeted families and profiled schoolchildren. The U.S. Department of Education opened an investigation into the sheriff's use of student data and more than 30 national and state organizations formed a coalition to oppose the initiative.
Bedi and McGrory's 2018 reporting on an alarming death rate at a Johns Hopkins pediatric heart surgery center won the George Polk Award and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting. In response to the stories, the CEO and the chief heart surgeon resigned, and the hospital paid nearly $43 million to families.
Bedi has also been honored as a two-time finalist for the Livingston Award for Young Journalists, and a winner of the Scripps Howard Award, the IRE Award, the Taylor Family Award for Fairness in Journalism and the National Headliner Award for Journalistic Innovation. Before becoming a journalist, Bedi was a software developer. He studied computer science at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Engineering.
How the VA Fails Veterans on Mental Health
A ProPublica analysis of 313 studies conducted by the agency’s inspector general in recent years shows repeated failures in behavioral care. The breakdowns have had fatal consequences.
by Kathleen McGrory and Neil Bedi,
Three Days of Tragedy: How a VA Clinic’s Inability to Help Veterans in Crisis Destroyed Two Families
Two veterans sought psychiatric care at a VA clinic in Chico, California. They were bounced between virtual providers and struggled to get support in the threadbare system. A staffer worried, “We are going to kill someone.” Then tragedy struck.
by Kathleen McGrory and Neil Bedi, ProPublica, photography by Loren Elliott for ProPublica,
The Federal Government Plans to Reform “Star” Workplace Safety Program That Reduced Inspections at Some Manufacturers
After ProPublica raised questions about the rigor of inspections at Star Program facilities that used asbestos but received limited unannounced OSHA visits, regulators are seeking input about how to reform it.
by Kathleen McGrory and Neil Bedi,
Major Chemical Company Changes Tune on Asbestos, No Longer Opposes EPA Ban
In a letter to the EPA, Olin Corp., one of the few U.S. manufacturers still using asbestos, signaled newfound support for a federal ban on the deadly mineral and said it could halt imports as soon as this week.
by Kathleen McGrory and Neil Bedi,
Lawmakers Have Renewed the Effort to Ban Asbestos
They said ProPublica’s recent reporting on unsafe conditions in factories that use asbestos underscores the need for action.
by Neil Bedi and Kathleen McGrory,
EPA Asks for More Public Input on Asbestos After ProPublica and Others Reveal New Information
In an unusual move, the EPA opened a new public comment period on its proposed asbestos ban to get input regarding new information, including ProPublica findings that workers were “swimming” in the deadly substance.
by Kathleen McGrory and Neil Bedi,
Why the U.S. Is Losing the Fight to Ban Toxic Chemicals
From a powerful chemical industry that helped write the toxic substances law to an underfunded EPA lacking in resolve, the flaws in the American chemical regulatory apparatus run deep.
by Neil Bedi, Sharon Lerner and Kathleen McGrory,
Public Health Leaders Question Whether Asbestos Facilities Should Be Exempt From Surprise Inspections
The American Public Health Association raised concerns that plants “game the system” to hide asbestos problems and called for scrutiny from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
by Kathleen McGrory and Neil Bedi,
Workers Across America Break Their Silence on Decades of Asbestos Exposure
New accounts from workers contrast sharply with what chemical giants have said on the record about worker safety at their facilities.
by Kathleen McGrory and Neil Bedi, photography by Rich-Joseph Facun, special to ProPublica,
Lawmakers and Public Health Advocates Call for Congress to Finally Ban Asbestos
A law blocking the use of asbestos, a potent carcinogen, would be harder to overturn than a similar ban being considered by the EPA, advocates say.
by Neil Bedi and Kathleen McGrory,