ProPublica Archives

Economics

Turning Public Education Into Private Profits

Baker Mitchell is a politically connected North Carolina businessman who celebrates the power of the free market. Every year, millions of public education dollars flow through Mitchell’s chain of four non-profit charter schools to for-profit companies he controls.

Marian Wang

News in Brief

Private Donors Are Supplying Spy Gear to Cops Across the Country Without Any Oversight

There’s little public scrutiny when private donors pay to give police controversial technology and weapons. Sometimes, companies are donors to the same foundations that purchase their products for police.

Ali Winston & Darwin Bond Graham

News in Brief

The Risk of Getting Killed by the Police If You Are White, and If You Are Black

An analysis of killings by police shows outsize risk for young black males.

ProPublica

News in Brief

What All Military Families Need to Know About High-Cost Lenders

Lessons from over a year on the beat.

Hanqing Chen

Environment

The Latest—and Most Mysterious—Player in the Nasty Battle Over Net Neutrality

As the FCC considers how to regulate Internet providers, the telecom industry’s stealth campaign for hearts and minds encompasses everything from art installations to LOLcats.

Robert Faturechi

News in Brief

Inside the Federal Reserve Bank of New York: Secret Recordings and a Culture Clash

A confidential report and a fired examiner’s hidden recorder penetrate the cloistered world of Wall Street’s top regulator—and its history of deference to banks.

Jake Bernstein

News in Brief

Should It Be Illegal to Provide Service Members With High-Cost Loans?

Acknowledging that a previous law did not go far enough, the Defense Department has proposed new rules to protect service members from high-cost lenders.

Paul Kiel

Economics

Rigging the Wages of Our Country’s Oil and Gas Industry Workers

U.S. Department of Labor investigations have uncovered hundreds of cases in which oil and gas workers, many involved in dangerous jobs, are being cheated of earnings.

Naveena Sadasivam