Investigative Reporting Program

08/20/2021

An investigation by the Los Angeles Times and Berkeley Journalism's Investigative Reporting Program found that errors, misjudgments and bureaucratic conflict within the child welfare system blocked multiple opportunities to protect a young boy. The heart-wrenching details were reported by the LA Times' Matt Hamilton and the IRP's Garrett Therolf and Daniel Lempres ('21).

Noah Cuatro's life and tragic death offer a sobering window into how race, cultural sensitivity and trust collided inside the agency.

07/26/2021

We continue our coverage of 'Aging in America' with this story by
one of our summer interns, Zachary Fletcher ('22), about a new wave of climate activism among older adults. His reporting is made possible by a grant from The SCAN Foundation.

The state’s aging population is disproportionately impacted by climate change. What they’re doing about it.

07/26/2021

The latest from our 'Chronicling Covid' project: Berkeley Journalism alum Sarah Hoenicke Flores ('19) reports for The New York Times on how Covid restrictions have affected doula care. Photos by Stephanie Penn ('21).

Monday: Lawmakers were working to address maternal health disparities by expanding access to doula care. Then the pandemic struck.

07/19/2021

In this story for Inside Climate News, Anne Marshall-Chalmers ('22) reports on how a summer of extreme drought is fueling tensions between farmers and tribes along the California-Oregon border.

TULELAKE, Calif.—Joey Gentry hesitates before she drives through the fields of alfalfa and wheat that line the roads in the Klamath Basin.  “Because I’m good and brown,” said Gentry, a member of the Klamath Tribes and a tribal and racial justice activist. ”It’s not safe for Natives to b...

07/15/2021

In this piece for The New York Times, reporter Brett Simpson ('21) followed an older homeless couple on their yearlong odyssey to obtain permanent housing in Oakland. “We want a house key. We want to pay rent. We never thought we’d have to wait this long.”

Wednesday: A homeless couple went from a tent to a trailer, but continues to wait after more than a year for something more permanent.

05/10/2021

We continue our in-depth look at "Aging in America" with this story by Jesse Bedayn ('21) about a program that provides meals, transportation and other services to older adults - enabling them to age at home instead of long-term care facilities.

Unforeseen medical and life emergencies often drive people into short-term nursing care. Why U.S. is spending big to avoid that.

04/28/2021

NEW: Noah Baustin ('22) reports on how 73 police officers and 63 sergeants in the city of Oakland earned more than the mayor, thanks to overtime pay.

While protests were cited as a key reason for high police overtime costs last year, several other factors escalated those costs.

04/20/2021

We teamed up with Inside Climate News to investigate the harmful chemicals emitted by tanks holding heavy fuels. IRP alum Sabrina Shankman ('09) and student Julia Kane ('21) combed through thousands of documents to reveal how the EPA has failed to adequately address this national problem.

An 18-month investigation by Inside Climate News in collaboration with Berkeley Journalism’s Investigative Reporting Program (IRP) found that bulk storage tanks that hold asphalt and heavy fuels pose a potential health risk to millions of Americans living near the tanks — a national problem that...

04/14/2021

STREAMING NOW: A riveting new documentary from FRONTLINE in collaboration with Berkeley Journalism's Investigative Reporting Program and ProPublica about the rise of extremism in the U.S.

04/13/2021

Powerful investigative reporting by Berkeley Journalism alum Gisela Pérez de Acha (’20) and students Kathryn Hurd (’21) and Ellie Lightfoot (’21) for ProPublica & FRONTLINE (PBS) about one man's slide into extremism and the threat posed by extremist groups in the U.S. This story is a part of a collaboration with the IRP, ProPublica & FRONTLINE that includes a documentary "American Insurrection," which airs tonight!

Steven Carrillo’s path to the Boogaloo Bois shows the hate group is far more organized and dangerous than previously known.

04/09/2021

We're collaborating with the PBS series FRONTLINE and ProPublica on “American Insurrection,” a documentary about the threat posed by militia groups, white supremacists and other extremist groups, scheduled for release on April 13. Don't miss it!

Berkeley Journalism’s Investigative Reporting Program (IRP) is collaborating with the PBS series FRONTLINE and ProPublica on “American Insurrection,” a documentary about the threat posed by militia groups, white supremacists and other extremist groups, scheduled for release on April 13. The 90...

03/31/2021

“Nobody’s been held accountable for this." Nina Sparling ('20) reports on plans to raze & rebuild a public housing site in San Francisco instead of make repairs. IRP research assistants Ande Richards ('22) and Imran Ali Malik ('22) contributed reporting to this important story published by San Francisco Public Press.

A San Francisco public housing complex could be demolished and replaced instead of repaired just two decades after it was rebuilt.