Scripps News Investigates

CBP officers stand

Bad Cops Off Radar As Federal Agencies Don't Report Fired Officers

Newsy investigation spotlights loophole that allows fired federal officers to go undetected in next police job hunt.

 | Patrick Terpstra

Former Virginia State Police Trooper Charles Hewitt

Police Misconduct Unreported, Unnoticed in National Registry

The National Decertification Index includes only records of severe misconduct by law enforcement officers.

 | Patrick Terpstra

A worker receives a COVID-19 vaccine

Amid Pandemic, Workplace Air Quality Standards 'All Over The Place'

Employees at a variety of workplaces are filing OSHA complaints about the risk of COVID-19 spread on the job.

 | Patrick Terpstra

Minnesota Police Oversight Board Sees Reforms But Lacks Transparency

Newsy investigates the little-known state agency that oversees training and licensing for all police in Minnesota.

 | Angela M. Hill and Lauren Knapp

Carolina Sanchez at a demonstration for workplace safety in Colorado.

What Happened To Biden’s Plan To Fight COVID-19 In Workplaces?

Sources tell Newsy OSHA drafted new standards but has yet to release them as opposition mounts from business interest groups.

 | Patrick Terpstra

A performance at Oklahoma City's Tower Theatre

Curtain Yet To Rise On Relief Program For Shuttered Stages

Newsy investigation finds entertainment venues still waiting for federal aid more than 3 months after grant program was created.

 | Patrick Terpstra

A SWAT officer points a shotgun at night while working the streets

FBI Sees Surge In National Use-Of-Force Database Participation

New numbers the FBI shared with Newsy reveal a sharp rise in the number of local police agencies disclosing serious use-of-force incidents.

 | Mark Greenblatt and Rosie Cima and Nicholas McMillan

Beer at a brewery

Businesses Hunger For Cash As Feds Sit On $271B In Unspent Aid

A Newsy investigation finds more than half a million businesses unable to borrow more money from an SBA loan program that has plenty left to give.

 | Patrick Terpstra

Despite Billions in Public Funding, Rural Broadband Still Lags

Newsy investigation finds missed deadlines, flawed FCC maps, lack of oversight keeps rural U.S. on wrong side of digital divide.

 | Angela M. Hill and Rosie Cima

George Floyd, Breonna Taylor murals

As Chauvin Trial Begins, Activists Demand Justice for Breonna Taylor

Derek Chauvin is standing trial over the death of George Floyd, but the officer who killed Breonna Taylor won't do the same.

 | Karen Rodriguez and Maia Rosenfeld

A job center in California.

Is There Really $1 Trillion In Unspent COVID Aid? Not Quite

Some assistance has been designed to go out gradually over months and years.

 | Patrick Terpstra

Activist holds Breonna's Law sign

No-Knock Warrant Ban Won't Pass In Breonna Taylor's Home State

Breonna's Law, which bans no-knock warrants, is gaining traction across the country. But in Taylor's home state, the bill doesn't have a chance.

 | Karen Rodriguez and Maia Rosenfeld

A meeting of Generation Identity members

The Viral Global Movement Giving U.S. White Nationalists A Boost

Identitarianism is linked to at least six mass shootings. It became popular in Europe a decade ago and is on the rise in the U.S. today.

 | Mark Greenblatt and Lauren Knapp

Iowa state Rep. Bobby Kaufmann, R-Wilton, sponsor of voting legislation.

Newsy Investigates: Who’s Behind Push For Stricter Voting Rules?

A former GOP governor from Mississippi and a conservative nonprofit group are pressing state legislatures to toughen election laws.

 | Patrick Terpstra

Boxes of N95 masks stacked in a Texas warehouse.

Why You Can't Find An N95 Mask Despite Plenty For Sale

A Newsy investigation uncovers barriers making it difficult for the public to tap into a supply of extra N95s not purchased for health workers.

 | Patrick Terpstra

Boxes of suspected counterfeit N95 masks

Newsy Investigation: How Fake N95 Masks End Up In Hospitals

A Newsy investigation finds a stubborn shortage of real N95s and the quality of fakes keep the mask market ripe for fraud.

 | Patrick Terpstra

Members of the Proud Boys and other right-wing demonstrators rally on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2020, in Portland, Ore.

U.S. Lists 71 Foreign Terrorist Groups — But No White Supremacists

Critics say U.S. failing by not putting any White supremacist groups on State Dept.'s 'foreign terrorist organizations' list.

 | Mark Greenblatt and Lauren Knapp

Examples of misinformational posts

Taking A Look At Manipulated Images On Social Media

Newsy looked through thousands of fact-checked posts on social media to help you better spot manipulated content.

 | Mark Fahey and Rosie Cima

Deepfake video of Tom Cruise compared to original video

Deepfake Videos Are Getting Better, And The Pentagon Is Worried

The Defense Department is funding research into technology able to automatically detect doctored media.

 | Patrick Terpstra

Hundreds of "local news" sites with partisan backers are mapped in the United States

These Websites 'Masquerade' As Local News, Share Partisan Messages

One media expert told Newsy more and more news sites with local-sounding names only "masquerade as a local news organization."

 | Mark Greenblatt and Lauren Knapp

abortion pill package

Abortion Pill Providers Forced To Cancel Shipments To Patients

A recent Supreme Court order reinstated a 20-year restriction on the abortion pill enforced by the Food and Drug Administration.

 | Karen Rodriguez

Fake News And The 1918 Flu

A propaganda machine and a law threatening prison for criticizing the U.S. government encouraged newspapers to censor the 1918 flu and it cost lives.

 | Carrie Cochran and Karen Rodriguez

A man uses a flagpole as a weapon.

Rules Against Flagpoles Did Not Cover Rioters Marching To Capitol

Flagpoles were restricted near the White House on Jan. 6 but not by the Capitol, allowing a mob to weaponize them.

 | Patrick Terpstra

A member of the mob that breached the Capitol waves a finger at police.

Are Police Doing Enough To Track Down The Capitol Mob?

A prominent rioter is not worried about arrest, while police so far have not asked to tap a powerful national facial recognition database.

 | Mark Greenblatt and Tik Root

Pro-Trump rioters breach the Capitol

Where Was The National Guard When The Capitol Was Breached?

The delayed National Guard deployment at the Capitol stood in contrast to a June deployment in response to Black Lives Matter protests.

 | Mark Greenblatt and Maia Rosenfeld and Zach Cusson

Screenshots from Twitter and TikTok

Epidemiologists Are The New Influencers

Newsy looked into how scientists are using Twitter and TikTok to debunk misinformation, sometimes coming even from fellow scientists.

 | Riin Aljas and Lauren Knapp

Sewage testing in Florida

Widespread Sewage Testing For COVID Still A Pipe Dream

Cost and equipment shortages prevent communities from tracking coronavirus outbreaks using wastewater.

 | Patrick Terpstra

Sheriffs, Criminologists Worried About Coming FBI Crime Data Loss

The National Sheriffs' Association and researchers want more action from the FBI to limit loss of key data from a change to the Uniform Crime Report.

 | Mark Greenblatt and Mark Fahey

Wanda Walker, a small landlord in Philadelphia

Eviction Moratoriums Are Pushing Small Landlords To The Brink

With few safety nets in place, small landlords are calling for help as eviction moratoriums threaten their incomes.

 | Angela M. Hill and Riin Aljas and Mark Fahey

A bed at a Detroit temporary hospital assembled as seen in April, 2020.

Makeshift Care Centers Sit Empty As Virus Strains Hospitals

In Wisconsin, one temporary center has just 7 patients as doctors say many people mistakenly imagine alternative care sites as M*A*S*H tents.

 | Patrick Terpstra