Exposing the Flaws

The Sentinel ran a yearlong series investigating what went wrong with the Florida vote in 2000, how many votes might have been lost, and how the system could be repaired for the future.

Politicians Don’t Pander: Political Manipulation and the Loss of Democratic Responsiveness

This book asks us to reexamine whether our government really responds to the broad public or to the narrower interests and values of certain groups.

The Money Trail

The “Money Trail” series is about the influence of corporate contributions on politics.

Rich Media, Poor Democracy: Communication Politics in Dubious Times

Robert McChesney maintains that the major beneficiaries of the so-called Information Age are no more than a handful of enormous corporations, and that this concentrated corporate control is disastrous for any notion of participatory democracy.

President Clinton and the Monica Lewinsky Scandal

Newsweek reporter Michael Isikoff’s stories and inquiries played a major role in shaping developments on the road toward impeachment. Isikoff was the first journalist to learn of the liaison between President Clinton and former White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

Dirty Votes: The Race for Miami Mayor

Revealed corruption in Miami’s city administration, exposing the irregularities of the city’s electoral contest in 1998, such as buying votes and falsifying votes of deceased persons and of criminals.

Inside Tibet: A Country Tortured

Account of the flight of 15 Buddhist monks from Tibet through the Himalayas.

Investigation into Chicago City Hall Ethics Abuses

The Chicago Sun-Times reports that lawyer and Chicago Alderman Edward Burke, chairman of the city council’s Finance Committee, was paid at least $189,000 in fees while helping developer Joseph Beale, who got a $1.2 million subsidy and other aid from City Hall. Investigative reporters Chuck Neubauer and Charles Nicodemus wrote in their November 15 story that the total paid to Burke may have exceeded $300,000, and that Burke’s wife, Anne, a state appellate judge, also received at least $17,000 from the developer. They also reported that Burke’s lobbying efforts on Beale’s behalf included writing a letter to a state official on city stationery.

Abuse of Campaign Finance Laws

Duffy, Novak and Weisskopf labored at the nexus of big money and politics. This required them to pore for days at a time over cartons of Federal Election Commission and court documents, to wheedle information from reluctant sources a sentence at a time. Their persistence paid off in three dozen pathbreaking stories on campaign finance in 1997, many of which were picked up and credited by major newspapers and TV news shows.

Illegal Democratic Campaign Contributions

The team of reporters from the Los Angeles Times uncovered large contributions to the Democratic party by influential Asian donors. Subsequent to the reportage, the Democrats returned nearly $1.2 million in donations and sparked a nationwide debate on campaign finance reform.