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Reveal

Reveal

from The Center for Investigative Reporting

State Secrets

How local governments thwart open-records laws and keep vital information from the public.

Posted inAccountability, State Secrets

Bus company to pay legal fees in LA public records case

by Miranda S. Spivack April 24, 2018April 26, 2018

A nonprofit organization will be repaid for legal fees it incurred to defend the public’s right to public records.

Posted inAccountability, State Secrets

New database expands public access to information on public records

by Miranda S. Spivack March 14, 2018March 16, 2018

The interactive based on a Reveal series includes newly compiled data from MuckRock, which shows states are adding exemptions to public records laws.

Posted inAccountability, State Secrets

L.A. transit agency must show if Canadian firm created jobs

by Miranda S. Spivack December 20, 2017March 14, 2018

A Canadian bus manufacturer committed to creating local jobs and paying a living wage. Did it follow through?

Posted inAccountability, State Secrets

US government fails to track toxic spills in nation’s waterways

by Theresa E. Soley February 6, 2017June 30, 2021

The federal government routinely fails to list the amount of toxic chemicals spilled into the nation’s waterways, leaving the public in the dark about spills’ impacts on residents, neighborhoods and the environment.

Posted inAccountability, State Secrets

How private contractors are taking over data in the public domain

by Miranda S. Spivack January 23, 2017June 30, 2021

In dozens of U.S. cities and states, the rights to publish state and local laws don’t belong to the people or the governments. They belong to private contractors.

Posted inAccountability, State Secrets

Hidden dangers ahead: How states keep accident-prone roads secret

by Miranda S. Spivack December 30, 2016June 30, 2021

A federal law has been interpreted by many state governments and state courts to allow their agencies to keep secret studies, surveys and other data about dangerous roads, bridges and intersections if there is even a remote possibility that someone might one day sue the government for failing to make needed redesigns or repairs.

Posted inCriminal Justice, Law Enforcement, State Secrets

Cop camera footage: Public record or police property?

by Miranda S. Spivack December 21, 2016June 30, 2021

Under what circumstances should footage from police body and dashboard cameras be made public, and how much?

Posted inAccountability, State Secrets

Public contracts shrouded in secrecy

by Miranda S. Spivack November 16, 2016June 30, 2021

Government contracting, which involves billions of dollars in public funds each year, has become one of the least transparent systems that state and local governments maintain. Under the guise of protecting “trade secrets,” state and local governments are withholding critical information about public spending.

Posted inAccountability, State Secrets

Local governments hide public records, face few consequences

by Miranda S. Spivack November 16, 2016June 30, 2021

While much media attention is focused on federal government secrecy, secretive practices of state and local governments often get less scrutiny but frequently have a more immediate impact on communities.

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