Kathleen McGrory

Reporter

Kathleen McGrory was a reporter on ProPublica’s national staff.

She and colleague Neil Bedi won the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for local reporting for an investigation that found a Florida sheriff’s office had harassed residents and profiled schoolchildren. The series prompted two federal reviews of the agency and the formation of a community coalition.

Before that, McGrory and Bedi were finalists for the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting for their articles about patient fatalities at a Johns Hopkins children’s hospital. That body of work led to the resignation of the hospital’s CEO and other top executives, as well as more than $40 million in settlements for affected families.

McGrory began her career at the Miami Herald and later became an investigative reporter and editor at the Tampa Bay Times. Her work has also been honored with a Polk Award, an IRE award, a Scripps Howard award and the Taylor Family Award for Fairness in Journalism. She holds degrees from Hamilton College in Clinton, New York, and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, and she is an adjunct instructor at the University of Florida.

She and her husband are the proud parents of a toddler and a rescue beagle.

How the VA Fails Veterans on Mental Health

A ProPublica analysis of 313 studies conducted by the agency’s inspector general in recent years shows repeated failures in behavioral care. The breakdowns have had fatal consequences.

Three Days of Tragedy: How a VA Clinic’s Inability to Help Veterans in Crisis Destroyed Two Families

Two veterans sought psychiatric care at a VA clinic in Chico, California. They were bounced between virtual providers and struggled to get support in the threadbare system. A staffer worried, “We are going to kill someone.” Then tragedy struck.

The Federal Government Plans to Reform “Star” Workplace Safety Program That Reduced Inspections at Some Manufacturers

After ProPublica raised questions about the rigor of inspections at Star Program facilities that used asbestos but received limited unannounced OSHA visits, regulators are seeking input about how to reform it.

Major Chemical Company Changes Tune on Asbestos, No Longer Opposes EPA Ban

In a letter to the EPA, Olin Corp., one of the few U.S. manufacturers still using asbestos, signaled newfound support for a federal ban on the deadly mineral and said it could halt imports as soon as this week.

Lawmakers Have Renewed the Effort to Ban Asbestos

They said ProPublica’s recent reporting on unsafe conditions in factories that use asbestos underscores the need for action.

EPA Asks for More Public Input on Asbestos After ProPublica and Others Reveal New Information

In an unusual move, the EPA opened a new public comment period on its proposed asbestos ban to get input regarding new information, including ProPublica findings that workers were “swimming” in the deadly substance.

Why the U.S. Is Losing the Fight to Ban Toxic Chemicals

From a powerful chemical industry that helped write the toxic substances law to an underfunded EPA lacking in resolve, the flaws in the American chemical regulatory apparatus run deep.

Public Health Leaders Question Whether Asbestos Facilities Should Be Exempt From Surprise Inspections

The American Public Health Association raised concerns that plants “game the system” to hide asbestos problems and called for scrutiny from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Workers Across America Break Their Silence on Decades of Asbestos Exposure

New accounts from workers contrast sharply with what chemical giants have said on the record about worker safety at their facilities. At an Olin plant outside of McIntosh, Alabama, workers recall decades of asbestos exposure.

Lawmakers and Public Health Advocates Call for Congress to Finally Ban Asbestos

A law blocking the use of asbestos, a potent carcinogen, would be harder to overturn than a similar ban being considered by the EPA, advocates say.

Lawsuits: A Factory Blew Asbestos Into a Neighborhood; Decades Later, Residents Are Getting Sick and Dying

Residents of a New York neighborhood recall asbestos raining from the sky. It fell on windowsills, on a Little League field and atop fresh snow. They are suing OxyChem, saying its poor pollution control at a plastics plant caused illness and death.

The U.S. Never Banned Asbestos. These Workers Are Paying the Price.

As other countries outlawed asbestos, workers in a New York plant were “swimming” in it. Now, in a fight against the chemical industry, the United States may finally ban the potent carcinogen. But help may come too late.

Do You Work With These Hazardous Chemicals? Tell Us About It.

Asbestos and other dangerous materials can cause serious health effects — and the U.S. hasn’t banned some substances like other countries have. Your input can help us report on the extent of this problem for American workers.

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