If it feels like you’re trapped in a topsy-turvy world where facts no longer matter, there’s a sliver of good news:
Investigative journalists are still writing powerful, evidence-based stories that help us understand a complicated world.
Here are the latest examples of watchdog stories in Texas that show why facts still matter.
Accountant tied to embezzlement at Centro San Antonio has history of bank fraud, bankruptcy | The San Antonio Express-News
Blockbuster local story: Accountant who allegedly embezzled from Centro has history of bank fraud, bankruptcy https://t.co/IeaNHDEKSH via @expressnews @RWebner
— Dawn Kopecki (@Dawn_Kopecki) December 18, 2017
The accountant suspected of embezzling $260,000 from Centro San Antonio, a nonprofit organization focused on revitalizing downtown, was hired without a background check. It turns out she had been convicted of felony bank fraud and theft by check. Story by Richard Webner
Blockback: How police put guns on the street and Congress hides what happens to them | The Texas Standard and Reveal from the Center for Investigative Reporting
I've been cube neighbors with @alainstephens all year, watching him push to get this story. An inspiration to watch, and man was it worth it. This shows what great reporting can come when a tenacious journalist won't let go of a story. https://t.co/OFsClHUL7G
— Mose Buchele (@MoseBuchele) December 5, 2017
Nearly half of Texas’ 50 largest law enforcement agencies sell their used firearms to the public, creating a pipeline of guns flowing right back into communities and potentially putting weapons in the hands of criminals.
“The San Antonio Police Department, which faced a series of city audits for inadequate tracking of departmental guns, appealed to the Texas attorney general’s office to hide specifics of its weapons sales. When the attorney general forced the department to release information this year, it reported selling 2,855 handguns in the last decade.” Story by Alain Stephens
The Taking: How the federal government abused its power to seize property for a border fence | The Texas Tribune and ProPublica
Over seven months, Homeland Security filed 360 lawsuits in the RGV. They used a legal loophole so the agency wouldn’t have to formally appraise the land, making lowball offers based on substandard estimates instead. New with @ProPublica: https://t.co/T6Zit4a0yt pic.twitter.com/Xxl29EZ0aA
— Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) December 15, 2017
“An investigation by ProPublica and The Texas Tribune shows that Homeland Security cut unfair real estate deals, secretly waived legal safeguards for property owners, and ultimately abused the government’s extraordinary power to take land from private citizens.” Story by T. Christian Miller, Kiah Collier and Julian Aguilar
Unresponsive: More women are going to jail in need of drug and alcohol treatment. Help often comes too late | The Dallas Morning News
Jails were never designed to be stand-ins for mental health facilities or detox centers, but that’s how they’re being usedhttps://t.co/msjAqjVb4Z pic.twitter.com/FL629Njy12
— Dallas Morning News (@dallasnews) December 17, 2017
“As a record number of women go to jail in Texas, sheriffs are increasingly coping with a special class of inmates: women with minor criminal records but major mental-health and addiction problems. A recent federal survey found that almost a third of women in jails showed symptoms of serious psychological distress, even higher than the rate for men.” Story by Cary Aspinwall and Stephanie Lamm
After the deluge: Unfettered building, scant oversight add to cost of hurricanes in U.S. | Reuters
When a community joins the National Flood Insurance Program, it agrees to adhere to minimum standards to control development inside flood zones. Our latest investigation shows how communities across the country aren't upholding their end of the deal. https://t.co/mcafKLbtwD
— Ryan McNeill (@McNeill_Tweets) December 12, 2017
“Across the country, newer construction in flood-prone areas generated more than $9 billion in claims for structural damage on the cash-strapped flood insurance program between 2000 and 2015. Flood-management authorities say that some of those claims probably never would have been filed had proper building controls and accurate flood maps been in place.” Story by Benjamin Lesser and Ryan McNeill
How the oil industry set out to undercut clean air | The Center for Public Integrity and the Guardian
Our latest #CarbonWars investigation looks at government’s secret
alliance with #BigOil. #USofPetroleum
Intro: https://t.co/mbDCpVEC84
Executive: https://t.co/I3g2nZIZma
Legislative: https://t.co/kQYiQp2BXC
Judicial: https://t.co/blbnGiWQdy— Jie Jenny Zou (@jiejennyzou) December 12, 2017
“Air quality is the new frontier for climate-change skeptics long tied to the American Petroleum Institute. The institute has fueled uncertainty on climate by producing what critics call misleading scientific and economic studies. Now, by attempting to discredit established research on ozone and fine particles, API and its cadre of doubters are trying to undermine the Clean Air Act — the landmark U.S. law credited with saving millions of lives.” Story by Jie Jenny Zou and Tom Dart
Did I miss a good story? Contact me or leave a comment below. Don’t forget to sign up for blog updates and check out more watchdog journalism from the great state of Texas.
