July 2013 Archive
Does the NSA Tap That? What We Still Don’t Know About the Agency’s Internet Surveillance
In a secret effort, the National Security Agency appears to be vacuuming up large swathes of the Internet.
Upton: A Web Scraping Framework
Today we’re releasing a new open source project, which will make web scraping easier by providing reusable components.
Using Outdated Data, FEMA Is Wrongly Placing Homeowners in Flood Zones
Homeowners have to bear the cost of fixing the agency's mistakes.
Finally, Bank Regulators Have Had Enough
For first time since the financial crisis, the banks are losing some battles on tougher regulation.
RIP Herb Allison
ProPublica director Herbert M. Allison Jr. was a great friend of ProPublica, a generous donor who was unanimously elected to membership on the board last December. He passed away Sunday. We will miss him.
Transcribable: Free the Files to Go!
Today we’re releasing a new open source project, which will enable any organization with a DocumentCloud account to do crowdsourcing using documents.
Why You Should Care About the Drugs Your Doctor Prescribes
Patients currently have to rely on trust that their doctors prescribe them the right drugs. Our new tool, Prescriber Checkup, for the first time allows patients to see how health care providers stack up with peers.
Prescriber Checkup Q&A
ProPublica reporters explain the data behind Prescriber Checkup, the first database to reveal what medications doctors and other providers are giving patients under Medicare’s Part D prescription drug program.
Army Says War Records Gap Is Real, Launches Recovery Effort
Army Secretary John McHugh confirms to members of Congress that commanders in Iraq and Afghanistan failed to keep required field records: “Steps are being taken to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”
California Hunger Strike Raises Issue of Force-Feeding on U.S. Soil
Guantanamo Bay isn’t the only place the U.S. has force-fed prisoners.
The Terror Threat and Iran's Inroads in Latin America
As some in Congress question a State Department report downplaying Iranian influence, intelligence officials say covert Iranian cooperation with Venezuela has been a gateway for hostile activities in the region.
Creating Games for Journalism
Our job as journalists is to inform the public. By using emotion and empathy, games allow us to inform readers in a new way—and one in which they both remember and understand.
Less Than Total Recall
A prominent Brooklyn prosecutor, forced to testify under oath about allegations that he had railroaded a possibly innocent man in a murder case 18 years ago, said he had trouble remembering much about the case.
Timeline: America’s Long Civil Rights March
ProPublica has created a timeline to appreciate the key moments and often differing aims of the government's judicial and legislative branches in the ongoing clash over civil rights.
America's Long Civil Rights March, Complete With Stops and Starts
Last Month's Supreme Court ruling on the Voting Rights Act was just the latest move in a 150-year dance between the high court and Congress over the protections owed this country's African Americans. ProPublica has created a timeline to appreciate the key moments and often differing aims of the government's judicial and legislative branches.
