The Washington Post launched an effort to tally every fatal shooting in the U.S. by an on-duty police officer in 2015. Their database chronicled shootings in real time, using news reports and other public sources – compiling a record more extensive than that of the FBI, which spurred the agency to take action to enact better federal recordkeeping. The FBI’s new approach will reflect that of the Post’s, capturing shootings and other violent incidents in real time and logging many of the same details. The Post‘s coverage also was cited by two senators when they introduced legislation in June to force states to report officer-involved shootings to the FBI.
Failure Factories
The Tampa Bay Times exposed how the Pinellas County School Board abandoned integration, then deprived black schools in poor neighborhoods of resources until they were awash in violence and academic failure, making Pinellas County the most concentrated site of academic failure in the state of Florida. As a result of the series, officials enacted reforms including increased funding, improved teacher training, and the converting of three of the affected schools into magnets. The Florida Department of Education opened an investigation into the district’s use of federal Title I dollars to ensure that money is spent properly.
Beware the Fine Print
The New York Times investigated clauses in numerous consumer and employee contracts and reported that they deprive Americans of their ability to sue, insulating companies whose business practices are deceitful or illegal. The Times revealed how a coalition of credit card companies and retailers enshrined class-action bans in contracts. They also reported that some companies require disputes be settled according to biblical principles or by company-related arbitrators. Bills have since been introduced in Congress to exempt secular disputes from religious arbitration; to prevent nursing homes from requiring arbitration in residents’ contracts; and to bar for-profit schools from using arbitration clauses in enrollment agreements.
Exxon: The Road Not Taken
InsideClimate News reported that Exxon conducted cutting-edge climate research decades ago, and then, without revealing to shareholders and the broader public what it knew about the effects of climate change, worked to manufacture doubt about the scientific consensus that its own research had confirmed. As a result of the reporting, New York’s attorney general has launched a probe of Exxon. Other lawmakers around the country and environmental leaders have also urged the Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission to conduct investigations of Exxon.
The Counted
The Guardian documented the number of people killed by police in the U.S., telling the stories of who they were, and establishing the hidden trends in how they died, through a database, special reports, and multimedia. The investigation’s final tally for 2015 of 1,134 deaths was two and a half times greater than the last annual total recorded by the FBI. After the publication of “The Counted,” the FBI announced at the end of 2015 that it would overhaul its system of counting killings by police. The Department of Justice also began testing a new program for recording arrest-related deaths, drawing on Guardian data.
Seafood from Slaves
The Associated Press uncovered extensive use of slave labor in the Thai seafood industry, which supplies major U.S. supermarkets, restaurants, and food suppliers, such as Wal-Mart, Kroger, Sysco, Nestle, Whole Foods and Red Lobster. The investigation led to the freeing of more than 2,000 enslaved fishermen from Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and Laos, the jailing of perpetrators, congressional hearings and the proposal of new laws. The U.S. State Department used the series as part of its decision to give Thailand the lowest rating for human trafficking and has discussed the findings during diplomatic talks.
“‘Seafood from Slaves’ is investigative journalism at its best,” said Thomas E. Patterson, the Shorenstein Center’s interim director. “The story was extraordinarily difficult to uncover and its impact on people’s lives and public policy will last far into the future.”
Medicare Unmasked
The Wall Street Journal uncovered Medicare abuses that cost U.S. taxpayers $60 billion. Using 9.2 million newly-disclosed billing records, the Journal uncovered bogus, unnecessary, and harmful practices. After pieces in the series were published, the federal agency overseeing Medicare rejected industry proposals to cover additional high-cost tests for drugs rarely abused by seniors; triggered the departure of a high-profile laboratory CEO; and led some cancer patients to stop using a dangerous drug lucrative for and widely prescribed by doctors.
The Echo Chamber
Reuters examined the U.S. Supreme Court’s docket to scrutinize its most secretive process – how the justices select which cases they will hear. What Reuters found is changing how people view the concept of equal access to justice in the U.S. A small group of lawyers and their clients – typically the nation’s largest corporations – have secured a special entry point to the court, giving them a disproportionate chance to influence the law.
The Red Cross’ Secret Disaster
ProPublica and NPR found that the Red Cross had put public relations ahead of relief services and had been serially misleading about its use of donations. The series showed how the charity had failed to deliver basic aid after several recent major disasters, including Superstorm Sandy, leaving victims in distress, even though it had received a deluge of support from Americans eager to help. After the series ran, the Red Cross had to withdraw its claims about its spending and Iowa Senator Charles Grassley initiated an investigation.
Till Death Do Us Part
The Post and Courier’s five-part series examined South Carolina’s ranking as one of the deadliest states in the nation for women at the hands of men. The series revealed that more than 300 women were killed by their husband or boyfriend in a decade, while the state’s leaders did little to stem the violence. The series showed a state awash in guns, saddled with ineffective laws and lacking in resources for victims of domestic violence. The investigation spurred national discussion, pressured state legislators into drafting and fast-tracking domestic violence reform laws, and led to the appointment of a statewide taskforce.
