Busted

Law enforcement across the U.S. use $2 kits to test for drug possession while out on the field, despite evidence showing that the tests routinely produce false positives. The effect on the lives of the falsely accused and convicted can be devastating.

Source: ProPublica
Published: Jul 7, 2016
Length: 29 minutes (7,261 words)

The NYPD Is Kicking People Out of Their Homes, Even If They Haven’t Committed a Crime

An investigation into the aggressive use of nuisance abatement actions by the NYPD in New York City.

Source: ProPublica
Published: Feb 4, 2016
Length: 27 minutes (6,956 words)

An Unbelievable Story of Rape

“Two and a half years after Marie was branded a liar, Lynnwood police found her, south of Seattle, and told her the news: Her rapist had been arrested in Colorado. They gave her an envelope with information on counseling for rape victims. They said her record would be expunged. And they handed her $500, a refund of her court costs. Marie broke down, experiencing, all at once, shock, relief and anger.” An investigation by ProPublica and The Marshall Project.

Source: ProPublica
Published: Dec 17, 2015
Length: 48 minutes (12,188 words)

How the Red Cross Raised Half a Billion Dollars for Haiti ­and Built Six Homes

Mismanagement, a lack of expertise, and “a cycle of overhead” leads to a massive failure in Haiti.

Source: ProPublica
Published: Jun 3, 2015
Length: 14 minutes (3,658 words)

How Police Failed to Stop Former NFL Star Darren Sharper’s Cross-Country Rape Spree

An investigation into how authorities’ failure to communicate with each other and properly assess victims and rape kits led Sharper to continue assaulting women.

Source: ProPublica
Published: Apr 8, 2015
Length: 38 minutes (9,586 words)

The Demolition of Workers’ Comp

A co-investigation by NPR and ProPublica: Workers’ compensation benefits have been decimated over the last few decades, leaving severely injured workers vulnerable at a time when they need the most help.

Source: ProPublica
Published: Mar 4, 2015
Length: 25 minutes (6,282 words)

Hotter Than Lava

Flashbangs—a $50 device that is not dissimilar to a military-style grenade— are used by cops across the country during raids, with little oversight and horrifying results.

Source: ProPublica
Published: Jan 12, 2015
Length: 14 minutes (3,600 words)

Firestone and the Warlord

ProPublica and Frontline’s investigation into how the U.S. tire and rubber company Firestone ended up partnering with warlord Charles Taylor, who was taking over Liberia during the civil war in the early 1990s. In 1992 the company agreed to pay taxes to Taylor’s rebel government, and “over the next year, the company doled out more than $2.3 million in cash, checks and food to Taylor.”

Source: ProPublica
Published: Nov 22, 2014
Length: 79 minutes (19,990 words)

Ghosts of Greenwood

“Freedom Summer baptized Mississippi as part of the nation,” Moses said. “It was no longer a rule unto itself.” On Mississippi, race and civil rights—then and now.

Source: ProPublica
Published: Jul 8, 2014
Length: 27 minutes (6,891 words)

Taken for a Ride: Temp Agencies and ‘Raiteros’ in Immigrant Chicago

An investigation into the underworld of labor brokers or “raiteros” in Chicago, who are used by some of the nation’s largest temp agencies and charge temp workers significant fees:

“The system provides just-in-time labor at the lowest possible cost to large companies — but also effectively pushes workers’ pay far below the minimum wage.

“Temp agencies use similar van networks in other labor markets. But in Chicago’s Little Village, the largest Mexican community in the Midwest, the raiteros have melded with temp agencies and their corporate clients in a way that might be unparalleled anywhere in America — and could violate Illinois’ wage laws.

“The raiteros don’t just transport workers. They also recruit them, decide who works and who doesn’t, and distribute paychecks.”

Source: ProPublica
Published: Apr 29, 2013
Length: 17 minutes (4,400 words)