Neil Bedi

Reporter

Neil Bedi reported on the federal government for ProPublica in Washington, D.C.

Previously, he was a reporter for the Tampa Bay Times in St. Petersburg, Florida, where he worked on stories about patient safety, worker safety, criminal justice, government inaction and more. In 2021, he won the Pulitzer Prize for local reporting with Kathleen McGrory for their investigation into a sheriff's predictive policing initiative that targeted families and profiled schoolchildren. The U.S. Department of Education opened an investigation into the sheriff's use of student data and more than 30 national and state organizations formed a coalition to oppose the initiative.

Bedi and McGrory's 2018 reporting on an alarming death rate at a Johns Hopkins pediatric heart surgery center won the George Polk Award and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting. In response to the stories, the CEO and the chief heart surgeon resigned, and the hospital paid nearly $43 million to families.

Bedi has also been honored as a two-time finalist for the Livingston Award for Young Journalists, and a winner of the Scripps Howard Award, the IRE Award, the Taylor Family Award for Fairness in Journalism and the National Headliner Award for Journalistic Innovation. Before becoming a journalist, Bedi was a software developer. He studied computer science at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Engineering.

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.

Congress Opens Investigation Into FDA’s Handling of a Problematic Heart Device

The investigation follows ProPublica’s reporting on safety problems surrounding the FDA and the HeartWare Ventricular Assist Device.

A High-Risk Medical Device Didn’t Meet Federal Standards. The Government Paid Millions for More.

For years after federal inspectors found serious problems with the HeartWare heart pump, agencies like the Department of Veterans Affairs and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services continued paying to implant it in patients.

“Get This Thing Out of My Chest”

A life-sustaining heart pump was taken off the market after years of problems and FDA inaction. Thousands of people are now stuck with it embedded in their hearts.

Tell Us About Your Experience With Life-Sustaining Medical Devices

Do you or someone you know have a pacemaker, defibrillator, implanted prosthetic, or other lifesaving device? Do you work with or in the medical device industry? Help us report.

Thousands of Patients Were Implanted With Heart Pumps That the FDA Knew Could Be Dangerous

Inspectors repeatedly found manufacturing and device quality problems with the HeartWare heart pump. But the FDA did not penalize the company, and patients had the device implanted on their hearts without knowing the facts.

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