Patrick Terpstra

Patrick Terpstra

National Investigative Reporter

Patrick Terpstra is a national investigative reporter devoted to accuracy, clarity and fairness. His reporting relies on data, records and brave people willing to share their experiences. He aims to expose problems and difficulties with governments, corporations, and other mighty entities, while searching just as hard for solutions. His work at Scripps has exposed how a couple without medical experience led a massive troubled covid testing operation. He revealed how the state of Maryland secretly refused to implement key parts of a new online privacy law. He also uncovered how cellphone emergency alerts fail to warn people in the way of deadly wildfires. Prior to joining Scripps, Patrick covered Washington for the Cox Media Group. His reporting on former Congressman Paul Broun’s office spending led to the indictment and federal conviction of his chief of staff. Patrick can be reached at patrick.terpstra@scripps.com.

Recent Work
Patrick Terpstra / NewsyScripps News Investigates

Newsy Investigates: What Led To The Shortage Of At-Home COVID Tests

Air passenger in front of plane
APScripps News Investigates

Newsy Investigates: Unruly Air Passengers Avoiding Sky-High Fines

A sign in support of Dr. Michelle Fiscus
APScripps News Investigates

Latest COVID-19 Wave Not Immune From Politics

Bob Freeman, owner of The Buena Vista Cafe
Navy photo courtesy Bob FreemanScripps News Investigates

How Being A Veteran Cost A Restaurant Owner A Bite Of COVID Relief

A man at a memorial wall outside the remains of Champlain Towers South.
APScripps News Investigates

Cities Trust, But Don’t Always Verify, Safety Of High-Rises

The U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
APScripps News Investigates

Jan. 6 Corporate Freeze On Campaign Donations Begins To Thaw

A worker at a shop in California
APScripps News Investigates

New COVID-19 Workplace Safety Rules Focus On Health Care

Dante Ferrando owns the Black Cat club in Washington, D.C.
Patrick Terpstra / NewsyScripps News Investigates

COVID Aid To Small Venues At A Trickle

A police misconduct souvenir coin for sale
AmazonScripps News Investigates

Newsy Investigates: Coins Depicting Police Misconduct For Sale

Music store co-owner Terri Senecal
Zach Cusson / NewsyScripps News Investigates

Newsy Investigates: Bureaucratic Blunders Block Small Business Relief

CBP officers stand
U.S. Customs and Border ProtectionScripps News Investigates

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

Former Virginia State Police Trooper Charles Hewitt
twitter / @JoshuaErlichScripps News Investigates

Police Misconduct Unreported, Unnoticed in National Registry

A worker receives a COVID-19 vaccine
APScripps News Investigates

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

Carolina Sanchez at a demonstration for workplace safety in Colorado.
APScripps News Investigates

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

A performance at Oklahoma City's Tower Theatre
Courtesy: Tower Theatre, Oklahoma CityScripps News Investigates

Curtain Yet To Rise On Relief Program For Shuttered Stages

Beer at a brewery
Zach Cusson / NewsyScripps News Investigates

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

A job center in California.
APScripps News Investigates

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

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

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

Boxes of N95 masks stacked in a Texas warehouse.
Michael Bowen / Prestige AmeritechScripps News Investigates

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

Boxes of suspected counterfeit N95 masks
Queens District Attorney's OfficeScripps News Investigates

Newsy Investigation: How Fake N95 Masks End Up In Hospitals

A temporary fence protects the U.S. Capitol.
APPolitics

Experts Have Ideas For How To Secure The U.S. Capitol Without A Fence

A temporary fence at the U.S. Capitol
APPolitics

In Years Before Riot, Congress Kept Knocking Down Plans For A Fence

Deepfake video of Tom Cruise compared to original video
Instagram / vfxchrisumeU.S.

Deepfake Videos Are Getting Better, And The Pentagon Is Worried

Donald Trump
 Politics

Trump Could Face New Legal Headaches As An Ex-President

National Guard troops seen through a fence
Patrick Terpstra / NewsyPolitics

Few Spectators Attend Inauguration Amid Security Clampdown, Pandemic

A man uses a flagpole as a weapon.
Christopher Chern / CNNScripps News Investigates

Rules Against Flagpoles Did Not Cover Rioters Marching To Capitol

A photo illustration of nurse staffing challenges at veterans hospitals
Photo Illustration by Zach Cusson / NewsyScience and Health

Rising COVID-19 Cases Among VA Nurses Cause Staffing Challenges

Lawmakers take cover on the House floor
APPolitics

U.S. Capitol Police Appeared To Be Overwhelmed. Why?

President Trump campaigns in Georgia
APPolitics

Fact-checking President Trump's Georgia Phone Call

Health workers don protective equipment
APScience and Health

States Run Up Against Deadline To Spend COVID Aid