The early bird deadline for 
The 2025 Freelance Fellowship Recipients
Susan Kelleher and Duff Wilson interviewed more than 160 doctors, patients, medical analysts, regulatory officials and other experts for a Seattle Times series about the health care industry and the influence of the pharmaceutical industry. “Suddenly Sick” reveals that perviously healthy people go to the doctor only to be diagnosed with an illness because the…
Read MoreMichael Cass of The Tennessean reports on an analysis of 2004 disclosure forms for all Tennessee legislators, which found political expenses in places not typically incurred. One expense was for “$1,414 to Interstate Liquors by Sen. Jerry Cooper, D-McMinnville.” The story includes detailed sidebars outlining what the law says, how to follow the money and…
Read MoreSteve Lackmeyer and Ryan McNeill of The Oklahoman analyzed a never-completed 2002 audit of Oklahoma’s purchase card system. They found that for, “17 of the 20 agencies with cards at the time, receipts were not reviewed or verified to see whether the goods or services were received.” The state auditor is preparing to investigate the…
Read MoreGordon Russell of The (New Orleans) Times-Picayune reports that while New Orleans has a residency requirement for its police officers, “dozens of Police Department sergeants and lieutenants and at least seven captains — the department’s highest civil-service rank — have been promoted in recent years despite claiming homestead exemptions outside the city.” The 10-year-old residency…
Read MoreMark Naymik and Joseph L. Wagner of The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer analyzed state campaign contributions to show that “top Ohio Republican officials and political committees have received millions of dollars in campaign contributions from companies managing money for the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation. Almost two-thirds of the 212 companies hired by the bureau to invest…
Read MoreJennifer Steinhauer and Jo Craven McGinty of The New York Times used restaurant price information from Zagat Guides and the paper’s own reviews to show that “in 1994, the average one-star meal cost $33; it now costs a little more than $50, pushing it outside many people’s weekend budgets. That is a 51 percent increase,…
Read MoreA team of reporters from the Detroit Free Press analyzed drunken driving arrests over a four-day period in May. They found those arrested were “… ordinary people taking ordinary chances.” The project looks at drunken driving from the perspective of a defense lawyer, bartenders and a deputy, as well as offering a sample of the…
Read MoreJohn McCarthy of the Florida Today analyzed and mapped data from the Brevard County Property Appraiser’s database to report on growth and development in Brevard County, Fla. McCarthy found that land developers in the county “plan to turn agricultural land in the far reaches of the county into upscale housing developments …” The project includes…
Read MoreCameron McWhirter and Steve Visser of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution use public documents and interviews to identify crucial missteps that led to the March 11 attack that left three people dead at the Fulton County Courthouse. The investigation found long-standing problems including “… a sick day for a deputy who may not have been sick, a…
Read MoreBen Smith of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution analyzed campaign contributions to Gwinnett County commission races in the past two years, finding that “thousands of dollars in donations from companies sharing common addresses and company executives that appear to violate campaign contribution limits. Among them: nine companies headed by two developers whose firms gave to former Commission…
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