The Backstory

In this conversation, we talk to Garrett Hazelwood about his new investigation, “Louisiana Law Gives Judges a Financial Incentive to Set High Bail and Secure Convictions,” produced in partnership with WWNO and WRKF. Hazelwood discusses how he got access to the financial documents for his investigation, how he got in contact with people who faced exorbitant court fees, and the biggest challenges he faced while reporting. “Louisiana Law Gives Judges a Financial Incentive to Set High Bail and Secure Convictions:” https://bit.ly/3UEWhLe Transcript: https://bit.ly/49BKmTj Type Investigations is a newsroom for independent investigative journalists. For our latest, subscribe to our newsletter: www.typeinvestigations.org/subscribe

Parental alienation is a disputed psychiatric diagnosis in which one parent is accused of having brainwashed their child against the other parent. In a new documentary, produced in partnership with Insider and Retro Report, a follow-up to her recent series of investigations on the topic, reporter Olivia Gentile exposes how parental alienation has been cited by family courts in custody cases, resulting in children being placed back with their abusers or in ‘family reunification' programs that separate them from their trusted parent. In this conversation, we talk to Olivia about how she started reporting on parental alienation, how she developed her sources for her series of investigations on the topic, and what the response to her investigations has been like. Documentary: https://bit.ly/40v6I4T Parental Alienation series: https://bit.ly/3u4myre “Her Son Said Her Ex Sexually Abused Him. Then She Lost Custody.”: https://bit.ly/462btUS Transcript: https://bit.ly/3soIpJu

In this conversation, we speak to reporter Amelia Schonbek about her investigation, “Against a Sea of Troubles,” produced in partnership with Mother Jones. Schonbek discusses how she familiarized herself with the inner workings of the Merchant Marine and the Coast Guard, how she developed her sources, and how reporting on sexual misconduct has changed over the past few years. “Against a Sea of Troubles:” https://bit.ly/3PPz2vG Transcript: https://bit.ly/43hNlwa Type Investigations is a newsroom for independent investigative journalists. For our latest updates, subscribe to our newsletter: www.typeinvestigations.org/subscribe

In this conversation, we talk to Ida B. Wells fellow Bobbi-Jeanne Misick about her investigation “The Imbalanced Scales of Immigration Justice,” produced in partnership with the Gulf States Newsroom. Misick talks about what inspired her investigation, how she obtained the habeas corpus petitions she analyzed, and her difficulty getting information from government agencies. “The Imbalanced Scales of Immigration Justice:” https://bit.ly/41fZ9P5 "Imbalanced Scales of Immigration Justice: A Listening Session & Conversation" registration link: https://bit.ly/3mNzcHA Transcript: https://bit.ly/3mzaz1z

In this episode of the Backstory, we speak to members of Type's research team: Managing editor Maha Ahmed, Assistant Editor Nina Zweig, and Don and Doris Shaffer Researcher Emma Davis. They walk us through Type's fact-checking process, talk about the toughest investigations they've had to fact-check, and give reporters their advice on how to make the fact-checking process easier. Don and Doris Shaffer Researcher 2023-2024 application: https://bit.ly/3ZD26bU Transcript: http://bit.ly/3YYo9s5

In this conversation, we talk to reporters Fazil Khan and Liz Donovan about their newest article, “The Pandemic Robbed Thousands of NYC Children of Parents. Many Aren't Getting the Help They Need.”, produced in partnership with The City, Columbia Journalism Investigations, and City Limits. Khan and Donovan discuss what it was like reporting on the crisis for over a year, how they reached out to grieving families, and their difficulties getting answers from the New York Department of Education. “The Pandemic Robbed Thousands of NYC Children of Parents. Many Aren't Getting the Help They Need:” http://bit.ly/3lZRgxH “Kids Who Lost Parents to COVID, In Their Own Words:” http://bit.ly/3Z81eeu “1 in Every 200 Children in NYC Has Lost a Parent or Caregiver to COVID. That's Almost Twice the National Rate:” http://bit.ly/3SBXsbv Transcript: http://bit.ly/3Kydr8s Type Investigations is a newsroom for independent investigative journalists. For our latest, subscribe to our newsletter: www.typeinvestigations.org/subscribe

In this conversation, we talk to reporting fellow Aaron Miguel Cantú about his investigation with Kandist Mallett, “How to Crush a Movement for Racial Justice Movement,” produced in partnership with The Nation. Cantú talks about how he started reporting on the federal prosecution of protestors, what it's been like reporting across two presidential administrations, and how he discovered Little Rock activists were being tracked by law enforcement. “How to Crush a Movement for Racial Justice Movement”: https://bit.ly/3hwnFJK “Biden is Expanding Trump's War on “Domestic Violent Extremism” — and It's Sweeping Up Black People:” https://bit.ly/3hxVdrf “Federal Prosecutors Hold Protesters for Months Pretrial:” https://bit.ly/3hwpOVZ Transcript: https://bit.ly/3UsiBEP Type Investigations is a newsroom for independent investigative journalists. For our latest, subscribe to our newsletter: www.typeinvestigations.org/subscribe

In this conversation, we talk to San Quentin News editor Juan Haines about his investigation with Katie Rose Quandt, “San Quentin Is Still Punishing People for Being Sick,” produced in partnership with the American Prospect. Haines talks about what drew him to investigate San Quentin's Adjustment Center, the challenges of reporting while incarcerated, and what it was like to report on the prison's Covid-19 crisis as he was living through it. FURTHER READING “San Quentin Is Still Punishing People for Being Sick:” https://bit.ly/3SLx3qa The Inside/Out Journalism Project: https://bit.ly/3BTTNxt Transcript: https://bit.ly/3UU8E3V Type Investigations is a newsroom for independent investigative journalists. For our latest, subscribe to our newsletter: www.typeinvestigations.org/subscribe

In this conversation, we talk to Alex Lubben and Olga Loginova, two members of the reporting team for “Harm's Way,” a three-part series on the growing need for climate relocation around the U.S., produced in partnership with Columbia Journalism Investigations and the Center for Public Integrity. Lubben and Loginova discuss how they obtained the data necessary for the investigation, how they developed sources in affected communities, and the challenges of working on a large project with multiple stories. FURTHER READING “Harm's Way”: https://bit.ly/3PAnfxC “Trapped in Harm's Way as Disasters Mount”: https://bit.ly/3Pnl4wZ “Too Little, Too Late for People Seeking Climate Relief”: https://bit.ly/3w9l254 "Leaving the Island: The Messy, Contentious Reality of Climate Relocation": https://bit.ly/3K7Uozp Transcript: https://bit.ly/3Pvgb5f Type Investigations is a newsroom for independent investigative journalists. For our latest, subscribe to our newsletter: www.typeinvestigations.org/subscribe

In this conversation, investigative journalist Aviva Stahl talks about her reporting process for her 18-month investigation into force-feeding in federal prisons, how she developed her sources, and the risks incarcerated people take when they talk to reporters. Her investigation, “An American Black Site,” was produced in partnership with The Nation. (This Backstory was originally posted on our website on June 4, 2019.) FURTHER READING “An American Black Site:” https://bit.ly/3MPsit0 Transcript: https://bit.ly/3FemBC6 Type Investigations is a newsroom for independent investigative journalists. For our latest, subscribe to our newsletter: www.typeinvestigations.org/subscribe

In this conversation, award-winning journalist Lisa Armstrong discusses her investigation about a young woman who was sent to isolated confinement multiple times before she died by suicide, the challenges of reporting on such a delicate topic, and how she got access to the documents and videos to tell the story. Her investigation, “When Solitary Confinement is a Death Sentence,” was produced in partnership with Huffington Post, and aired as a documentary titled “The Perils of Private Prison Health Care” on CBS News. (This Backstory was originally posted on our website on October 4, 2019.) FURTHER READING: “When Solitary Confinement Is A Death Sentence:” https://bit.ly/3KDz3g1 “The Perils of Private Prison Health Care:” https://bit.ly/3LMJIWS “Hard Time:” https://bit.ly/3FjlYaI Transcript: https://bit.ly/382SgdG Type Investigations is a newsroom for independent investigative journalists. For our latest, subscribe to our newsletter: www.typeinvestigations.org/subscribe

In this conversation, we talk to Sarah Sax about her investigation “When the Heat Is Unbearable but There's Nowhere to Go,” produced in partnership with High Country News. Sax discusses Washington state prisons' grievance process, how she connected with incarcerated sources, and her advice for reporters interested in reporting on conditions inside prisons. FURTHER READING “When the Heat Is Unbearable but There's Nowhere to Go:” https://bit.ly/3OBhe3P Transcript: https://bit.ly/3OUvWmq Type Investigations is a newsroom for independent investigative journalists. For our latest, subscribe to our newsletter: www.typeinvestigations.org/subscribe

In this conversation, we talk to Type Investigations reporting fellow Sarah Posner about her latest piece on Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito's leaked draft opinion for Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization and her reporting on the evangelical Christian right. Posner discusses how she started reporting on the Christian right, the tactics evangelical right wing groups use in their campaign to reverse Roe v. Wade, and how advocates can challenge the attack on reproductive rights. Posner's article, “Overturning Roe Is the Crowning Achievement of Christian Nationalism,” was published in partnership with The Nation. FURTHER READING “Overturning Roe Is the Crowning Achievement of Christian Nationalism:” https://bit.ly/3ys3inu “Trump's Christian Judges March On:” https://bit.ly/397JKu2 “Inside The Christian Legal Army Weakening the Church-State Divide:” https://bit.ly/3sreXiI Transcript: https://bit.ly/395MNmy Type Investigations is a newsroom for independent investigative journalists. For our latest, subscribe to our newsletter: www.typeinvestigations.org/subscribe

In this conversation, we talk to reporter Jaeah Lee about her investigation, “This Rap Song Helped Sentence a 17-Year-Old to Prison for Life,” produced in partnership with The New York Times. Lee discusses why she felt it was important to use a data-driven approach for her investigation, why she focused on Tommy Canady's case, and the challenges of having an incarcerated source. “This Rap Song Helped Sentence a 17-Year-Old to Prison for Life:” https://bit.ly/3wOUPdj Transcript: https://bit.ly/3LJIsUj Type Investigations is a newsroom for independent investigative journalists. For our latest, subscribe to our newsletter: www.typeinvestigations.org/subscribe

In this conversation, we talk to 2020-2021 Ida B. Wells fellow Akintunde Ahmad about his investigation “What Happened When Oakland Tried To Make Police Pay for Misconduct.” Ahmad discusses how he developed some of the sources for his story, the challenges he faced reporting on events from decades ago, and what activists can learn from this failed attempt at police reform. “What Happened When Oakland Tried To Make Police Pay for Misconduct”: https://bit.ly/3CcuZR9 Transcript: https://bit.ly/3C4G0nD Type Investigations is a newsroom for independent investigative journalists. For our latest, subscribe to our newsletter: www.typeinvestigations.org/subscribe

In this conversation, we talk to Lannan reporting fellow Melissa del Bosque about her experiences reporting on the U.S.-Mexico border and her investigation into the murder of two Guatemalan migrants by Texas state troopers. Del Bosque discusses how she started reporting on the border, the difficulty of talking to the families of victims when there hasn't been any justice, and why it's important to talk to people on the ground when reporting for a national audience. FURTHER READING: “Texas Troopers Opened Fire From a Helicopter in 2012. Families Are Still Fighting to Hold Them Accountable”: https://bit.ly/3qMiY0J “Texas National Guard Filmed Trespassing During Border Operations”: https://bit.ly/3GMp9aH “Secretive CBP Counterterrorism Teams Interrogated Over 180,000 U.S. Citizens Over Two-Year Period”: https://bit.ly/3tNDDDm The Border Chronicle: https://bit.ly/3Io9oaj Transcript: https://bit.ly/3H1Bx6W Type Investigations is a newsroom for independent investigative journalists. For our latest, subscribe to our newsletter: www.typeinvestigations.org/subscribe

In this conversation, we talk to Type Investigations reporting fellow Adam Federman about his newest article on permafrost thaw in Alaska, and his reporting on government policy on oil and gas development on public lands. Federman discusses how he started reporting on the government's role in fossil fuel development, the importance of emphasizing the human impacts of climate change, and the difficulty of communicating complex science. Federman's story, “The Big Thaw,” was published in partnership with Sierra Magazine. FURTHER READING: “The Big Thaw”: https://bit.ly/3oU1tuu “Abrupt Permafrost Thaw Has Scientists Worried”: https://bit.ly/327xzdm Transcript: https://bit.ly/3s71M7g Type Investigations is a newsroom for independent investigative journalists. For our latest, subscribe to our newsletter: www.typeinvestigations.org/subscribe

In this conversation, we talk to former Type Investigations reporting fellow Seth Freed Wessler about his new documentary “The Facility and how his reporting led to the film's creation. Wessler discusses how he started reporting on Georgia's Irwin County Detention Center, why he felt it was important to show what was happening as COVID-19 spread inside the facility, and how reporting on it would have been impossible without the organizing done by the detainees. A Field of Vision production in partnership with Type Investigations and Rayuela Films, the film is told primarily through video chats with the detainees. “The Facility” is available to stream on fieldofvision.org, and airs on MSNBC Sunday, December 5 at 10 PM ET. FURTHER READING: “The Facility”: https://bit.ly/3xNZF93 Fear, Illness and Death in ICE Detention: How a Protest Grew on the Inside: https://bit.ly/3G5OawP ‘I Can't Do Anything': Doctor Detained By ICE Waits For Coronavirus Outbreak To Hit: https://bit.ly/3xPhpRB Immigrant Detainees Stage Protest For More COVID-19 Protections: ‘WE ARE NOT SAFE': https://bit.ly/3ogCmBK Transcript: https://bit.ly/3defzQU Type Investigations is a newsroom for independent investigative journalists. For our latest, subscribe to our newsletter: www.typeinvestigations.org/subscribe

In this conversation, we talk to Ida B. Wells fellow Irene Romulo about her investigation into ‘gang contracts' students in Cicero and Berwyn, Illinois, are pressured into signing. Romulo discusses how she discovered the ‘gang contracts,' the importance of writing for the community you report on, and the impact her story has had on students in her community. Romulo's story, “‘Gang Contracts' in Cicero and Berwyn Schools Raise Concerns About Criminalization of Youth,” was published in May in partnership with Injustice Watch and the publication she co-founded, Cicero Independiente. FURTHER READING: “‘Gang Contracts' in Cicero and Berwyn Schools Raise Concerns About Criminalization of Youth”: https://bit.ly/3AC3RZp "‘Contratos de Pandillas' en escuelas de Cicero y Berwyn causan preocupación sobre la criminalización juvenil": https://bit.ly/3iZs1ae Transcript: https://bit.ly/3ytQOvQ Type Investigations is a newsroom for independent investigative journalists. For our latest, subscribe to our newsletter: www.typeinvestigations.org/subscribe

In this conversation, we hear from journalist and author Sylvia A. Harvey about her investigation into how the foster care system often removes parental rights from parents who have been to prison. Harvey talks about the challenges of covering the foster care system, why she focused on a father, Kenneth Clark, rather than a mother, and how she slowly gained his trust. Harvey's story, in partnership with The Nation, follows Clark, a father of five who lost custody of his children after being sent to prison for failure to appear in court. (This episode was originally posted on our website on July 24, 2020.) FURTHER READING: “How a Trip to Prison Cost Kenneth Clark His Right to Be a Parent”: https://bit.ly/2WHEAPx Transcript: https://bit.ly/3A7OmYY Type Investigations is a newsroom for independent investigative journalists. For our latest, subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.typeinvestigations.org/subscribe

In this conversation, investigative journalist and documentary filmmaker Sarah McClure describes her year-long reporting into sexual abuse in the Amish communities, her reporting process, and the difficulties of covering sexual assault in insular communities. The investigation, published in partnership with Cosmopolitan, reveals how Amish church leaders concealed sexual abuse in their communities. (This episode was originally posted on our website on January 21, 2020.) FURTHER READING: “The Amish Keep to Themselves. And They're Hiding a Horrifying Secret”: bit.ly/3Ae4ZlR Transcript: bit.ly/3iwG5ry Type Investigations is a newsroom for independent investigative journalists. For our latest, subscribe to our newsletter: www.typeinvestigations.org/subscribe

In this conversation, we learn from film producer and director Juliana Schatz Preston about the challenges of reporting on bureaucratic systems, how Preston broached sensitive topics with sources, and why it's important to report on solutions as well as problems. Preston, a 2018-17 Ida B. Wells Fellow with Type Investigations, revealed how parents of children with severe mental illness feel pressured to relinquish custody to the state so their children can receive residential treatment. Preston's reporting became a radio story produced in partnership with Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting and a TV documentary produced in partnership with FRONTLINE. (This Backstory episode was originally posted on our website on October 8, 2019.) FURTHER READING: “Waiting for Tearah”: https://bit.ly/3Agn1E3 “A Desperate Bargain”: https://bit.ly/2Yk4SrM Transcript: https://bit.ly/3Bieku9 Type Investigations is a newsroom for independent investigative journalists. For our latest, subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.typeinvestigations.org/subscribe