Accountability
Fear of a census undercount
Anti-immigrant sentiment, partisanship and untested technologies risk a historic undercount in 2020, which could distort U.S. politics and spending for a decade.
Staff
Biography
Matt Smith is a reporter for Reveal, covering religion. Smith's two-decade career in journalism began at The Sacramento Union in California. He went on to positions at newspapers in Albuquerque, New Mexico; Twin Falls, Idaho; Fairfield, California; and Newport News, Virginia. Between 1994 and 1997, Smith covered Latin America as a reporter in Dow Jones & Co.'s Mexico City bureau. For 14 years, he was a lead columnist at Village Voice Media in San Francisco. He came to Reveal from The Bay Citizen. Smith holds a master's degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and a bachelor’s degree in political science from Reed College in Portland, Oregon. Before his career in journalism, Smith was a professional bicycle racer. He is based in Reveal's Emeryville, California, office.
Articles
Accountability
Don’t count on the census
As the 2020 census approaches, experts warn the count will be inaccurate. A look at why the census is struggling and whether efforts to save it can work.
The Trump Era
Russian-American business exec with ties to Trump is drawn into impeachment inquiry
Claiming he was a Trump adviser, the executive and his lawyers sought the U.S. Embassy’s help in recovering assets from the Ukrainian government
Accountability
The happiest cats on earth
There’s a nationwide battle pitting cat lovers against wildlife biologists and public health officials. It’s playing out at Disneyland.
The Trump Era
Why we’re suing the Beverly Hills school district
The Beverly Hills Unified School District claims it doesn’t possess a single document about meetings its top officials held in Washington, D.C.
The ultimate test of Trump’s local cronyism is playing out in Beverly Hills
Los Angeles is digging a subway route under Beverly Hills High School. A local power player is counting on the president to kill it.
Kids on the Line
Federal agency sent immigrant kids to dangerous youth facility, despite warning signs
Just as Texas stopped sending foster children to centers operated by one man, the U.S. government tossed him a new source of money: immigrant kids.
Immigration
Judge orders government to release immigrant kids from troubled shelter
A federal judge rules that the government should remove immigrant kids from a troubled Texas facility and stop drugging them without consent.
The Trump Era
Key player in Trump’s bizarre mansion deal went on to work for ‘prince’ accused of scams
New details on His Highness Prince Jamal Al Noaimi provide insights into a key player in a mysterious 2008 Beverly Hills real estate deal.
Immigration
Ripped apart: Families separated at the border
On this episode of Reveal, we untangle the Trump administration’s zero-tolerance immigration crackdown.