McKenzie Funk
McKenzie Funk is a reporter at ProPublica’s Northwest hub and is based in Bellingham, Washington.
McKenzie Funk is a reporter at ProPublica’s Northwest hub and is based in Bellingham, Washington. He previously contributed to Rolling Stone, National Geographic, Harper’s, Bloomberg Businessweek and The New York Times Magazine, covering everything from oil exploration in Arctic Alaska to private firefighters in the American West to the global race for food and farmland in Ukraine, Brazil and East Africa.
He is the author of two nonfiction books: “The Hank Show” (2023), about the history and hazards of mass data collection, and the PEN Literary Award-winning “Windfall” (2014), about how governments and corporations are preparing to capitalize on a warmer world. A National Magazine Award finalist and former MacDowell, Open Society and Logan Nonfiction fellow, Funk was a Knight-Wallace fellow at the University of Michigan, where he studied economics and systems thinking.
He speaks five languages and grew up near his namesake river, the McKenzie, in Oregon.
Despite Biden’s Promise to Protect Old Forests, His Administration Keeps Approving Plans to Cut Them Down
In Oregon’s Coast Range, mature forests can absorb more carbon per acre than almost any other on the planet. Yet logging here continues at a steady pace, putting the environment at risk.
Oregon’s Largest Natural Gas Company Said It Was Going Green. It Sells as Much Fossil Fuel as Before.
NW Natural told Oregonians it had a new source of clean energy: renewable natural gas. Industry documents obtained by ProPublica reveal how the company has, for years, perpetuated its core fossil fuel business while painting a picture of going green.
What a Leading State Auditor Says About Fraud, Government Misspending and Building Public Trust
We spoke to a leading state auditor about how remote work and artificial intelligence are ushering in new kinds of fraud in state and local governments.
A Seattle Airfield Offers a Rare View of ICE Deportation Flights
Key details about what happens inside ICE Air would still be hidden if not for a group of Washington activists and researchers, who are now using a live video feed from the tarmac to document the flights.
Help ProPublica Reporters Investigate the Immigration System
We need your help to find productive ways to examine the country’s immigration system — what’s working and what isn’t. We especially want to hear from federal workers, attorneys, employers, labor advocates and ESL teachers.