Jennifer Smith Richards
@jsmithrichards
Investigations in the Midwest at ProPublica. Past: Chicago Tribune by way of OH/GA/NY/WV. Enthusiastic about FOIA + data. Tell me everything.
Illinois law bans schools from fining students as discipline. So police have been doing it for them. @Jodiscohen and I explain how kids have been punished with thousands of tickets in 3 years for school fights, profanity and other teenage behavior. chicagotribune.com/investigations…
"Embarrassing" "Tragedy" "Tipping point" "Waste of time and money" Disheartening quotes run thru this story by @HeatherCherone @VernalColeman. In sum: Chicago police consent decree has been an embarrassing waste of money, a tragedy in the making. propublica.org/article/chicag…
Folks are getting "Catholic" newspapers in AZ, MI, NV and WI. They've got headlines like “How many ‘sex change’ mutilation surgeries occurred on Wisconsin kids?” and aren't from the church. @MegsNewz and I connected them to a partisan 'pink slime' network. propublica.org/article/church…
ProPublica has traced mass-mailed “Catholic Tribune” newspapers to a “pink slime” network known for misinformation and its financial ties to right-wing super PACs and billionaires. propublica.org/article/church… @jsmithrichards @MegsNewz
Hometown news outlet acquired by conservative "pink slime" group slanted coverage & spread dubious claims about solar energy in Knox County, Ohio, report @mirandacgreen, @jsmithrichards, Priyanjana Bengani & @sbmaneyphoto. 1/2 #FrasierSolar propublica.org/article/ohio-m…
In Knox County, Ohio, the debate over a proposed solar farm has been intense. The community is divided; friendships frayed. Why? Fossil fuel interests and a 'pink slime' news outlet have been secretly working to shape the discourse. propublica.org/article/ohio-m…
UPDATE: The rural Ohio solar project that fossil fuel interests fought hard against (in part by using the local newspaper) was approved by the state today. Frasier Solar can move forward. Here's our previous story about this fight, for reference. propublica.org/article/ohio-m…
Declining school enrollment has left 30% of Chicago public schools at least half-empty. The city’s failure to address this problem has come at a high cost to the district — and its students. propublica.org/article/chicag… @MilaKoumpilova @jsmithrichards w/ @chalkbeatCHI
An update, three years after this investigation published: the Illinois legislature passed a bill to end police ticketing of students at school. propublica.org/article/illino…
Illinois law bans schools from fining students as discipline. So police have been doing it for them. @Jodiscohen and I explain how kids have been punished with thousands of tickets in 3 years for school fights, profanity and other teenage behavior. chicagotribune.com/investigations…
NEW: Private schools across the South that were established for white children during desegregation are now benefiting from tens of millions in taxpayer dollars flowing from rapidly expanding voucher-style programs, a @propublica analysis found. propublica.org/article/segreg…
Six. Years. These fine journalists held strong, stuck together, and stood tall against Alden to win a contract. Kudos to my friends.
FINALLY: After six years, we at the Chicago Tribune Guild have won our first contract. We are so proud of what we ratified today with near unanimous support: raises, bonuses, salary minimums, AI protections, seniority rights & more. How did we get this done? (1/7)
The bunny wasn't a bomb. And the threat wasn't credible. Still this kid was handcuffed. Important story from @AliyyaSwaby & @PaigePfleger. A 13-Year-Old With Autism Was Arrested Under Tennessee’s School Threats Law propublica.org/article/tennes…
Co-sign. I'm also on Signal.
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This story from @msanchezMIA and @mrym_jml should be required reading for every U.S. voter. It's a rigorously reported, tender and ultimately heartbreaking look at what immigration REALLY is all about. I can't recommend it strongly enough. propublica.org/article/immigr…
While @mrym_jml and I were deep in our reporting on America’s Dairyland, we kept hearing about immigrants showing up in a little Wisconsin town. Here is our story about what really happened there, at a moment when immigration is dividing our country. propublica.org/article/immigr…
1/ THREAD: After a large solar farm was proposed, it seemed to many in Knox Co., Ohio that an anti-solar machine took over news & politics overnight. They were right. Here’s how fossil fuel interests shaped the conversation, and how a hometown paper’s new owners amplified it 👇
The stadium is named after methane. The paper has new anti-solar owners. The local "grassroots" group has a big-bucks dark-money guy as benefactor. No wonder farmers who want solar panels in Knox County can't be heard. Great read ⬇️ propublica.org/article/ohio-m…
We launched our union for a fairer and more transparent workplace, protections for our staff and a seat at the table. One year in, here’s what we’ve accomplished — and where @ProPublica's management is fighting us. propublicaguild.org/updates/progre…