Copy. Paste. Legislate.

The winner of the 2020 Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting was “Copy. Paste. Legislate” by the staffs of The Arizona Republic, USA TODAY, and the Center for Public Integrity. The collaborative reporting team conducted unprecedented computer analysis of legislation in all 50 states to reveal 10,000 bills that were copied nearly word-for-word from text written by industry groups, lobbyists and political activists, often to benefit big business at consumers’ expense. Two tools built as part of the project are helping citizens and local reporters track these copycat bills in their own communities.

Read more about the story behind the investigation in this piece by The Journalist’s Resource.

The Senators’ Sons

Los Angeles Times exposed how some U.S. Senators’ abuse of special interest groups accrue hundreds of thousands of dollars for family members acting as lobbyists and consultants.

Profiting from Public Service

Gannett New Jersey Newspapers shed light on the abuse of power by some New Jersey Legislators for the benefit of their family and friends.

Democracy and the Problem of Free Speech

Campaign of the Century: Upton Sinclair’s Race for Governor of California and the Birth of Media Politics