April 3, 2025
Katey Rusch and Casey Smith Win 2025 Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting
Katey Rusch and Casey Smith are the winners of the 2025 Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting for their two-part series “Right to Remain Secret,” published by The San Francisco Chronicle in collaboration with the UC Berkeley Investigative Reporting Program. Shorenstein Center Director Nancy Gibbs unveiled the winner of the prize live at the Goldsmith Awards Ceremony on April 3rd in the JFK Jr. Forum at Harvard Kennedy School.
“Right to Remain Secret” exposed how multiple police agencies in California used secretive legal settlements to mask the misconduct of officers. Rusch and Smith’s investigation began after an interview with a former Banning, California police chief who had reportedly dismissed officers for serious misconduct, only to have their records effectively scrubbed – allowing officers to seek employment elsewhere without disclosing prior allegations.
Rusch and Smith submitted over a thousand public records requests across the state, which revealed more than 300 such “clean-record agreements.” Many settlements contained strict confidentiality terms and financial penalties for disclosure, complicating the release of records. Their digging also exposed the misuse of the California disability pension system, with some agreements promising officers a tax-free disability retirement under suspect circumstances.
The series has sparked significant impact. Public outcry has driven California legislators to consider banning these agreements, while the California Public Employees’ Retirement System is investigating pension cases highlighted by the series for possible revocation. Multiple officers have lost their positions or face further scrutiny, and the ACLU of Southern California added the elimination of these agreements to its legislative agenda. Media outlets and experts have lauded the investigation, recognizing its groundbreaking revelations into the shielded operations within law enforcement systems.
Watch the 2025 Goldsmith Awards Ceremony