For the second year in a row, a Wausau Pilot and Review story is included in the Institute for Nonprofit News annual “best of” listing.
In 2018, members of the Institute for Nonprofit News told stories no one else was reporting and changed communities for the better, on themes of immigration, local accountability, child welfare, education, climate change, health and health care, gun violence, criminal justice, community well-being, sexual misconduct, money and influence, world affairs, and U.S. democracy.
Our staff spent months reporting on a nearly $100 million public-private partnership, an investigation that ultimately uncovered a startling shortcoming in the city’s vetting process for developers receiving taxpayer-funded subsidies: Officials were not conducting even the most basic background checks to ensure their money was well spent.
The development team has since defaulted on the project, while the reporting led to an overhaul of the way officials vet such partners.
Other news outlets later picked up on the story, but it was our reporters who broke this important news that had a major impact on the city. Read the story that made the list here, and find the complete list of INN’s “best of 2018” stories here.
INN is a nationwide organization made up of more than 200 nonprofit news organizations including Politico, the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, and other newsrooms producing rigorous public service journalism that elevates diverse voices, informs communities and holds the powerful accountable.
If you value these stories, please support the newsrooms behind them. Your gift will be doubled by a group of national and local funders through the end of the year.
