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Chicago police spent years trying to predict murder. We spent years reporting it. Amazon spent five minutes burying it
Magazine

Chicago police spent years trying to predict murder. We spent years reporting it. Amazon spent five minutes burying it

Officers used arrest records, social networks, and police data to generate a list of people they believed were at heightened risk of being involved in a shooting — then showed up at those people's homes to let them know they were being watched.

By Matt Stroud
Magazine

Chris Morris broke television news in 1994 and nobody noticed

By Matt Stroud
When saving journalism pays better than doing journalism
Magazine

When saving journalism pays better than doing journalism

A forensic look at the nonprofit journalism economy, where public-interest newsrooms are increasingly funded by philanthropy, managed by professional executive teams and shaped by the same salary questions they often investigate elsewhere

By Matt Stroud
The Pentagon spent $93 billion in a single month on lobster tails, king crab, ribeye steak, and a Steinway grand piano
Magazine

The Pentagon spent $93 billion in a single month on lobster tails, king crab, ribeye steak, and a Steinway grand piano

The Pentagon calls this "use it or lose it." The idea is that if you don't spend your budget before the fiscal year ends, Congress cuts it next year. So you spend.

By Matt Stroud
Magazine

Pittsburgh has ~40 newsrooms and little shared infrastructure. I'm going to talk about it at TEDx Pittsburgh May 29, 2026

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette — a 240-year-old institution — nearly died this spring. It was rescued at the last minute by a nonprofit called the Venetoulis Institute, which promptly cut roughly 40 percent of staff, with union members bearing the brunt.

By Matt Stroud
Latest stories
When saving journalism pays better than doing journalism
Magazine

When saving journalism pays better than doing journalism

By Matt Stroud
The Amphibian Show
Shows

The Amphibian Show

By Matt Stroud
Hidden Mirrors with Alan Huffman
Shows

Hidden Mirrors with Alan Huffman

By Matt Stroud
Thin Blue Lie: The Failure of High-Tech Policing

Thin Blue Lie: The Failure of High-Tech Policing

By Matt Stroud