Investigative Reporting Program

Dappled light falls on the brightly colored quilt.

Audio documentary: Forced Sterilization Survivors Undertake Own Healing After Feeling ‘Silenced Again’ by State

Cayla Mihalovich ('24) reports how, feeling dismissed by the State, survivors of forced sterilization in California created their own memorialization project.

Photo of multiple cabinets, a large wooden cabinet and an smaller, open metal cabinet in Sheriff Mike Fisher

This is the secret system that covers up police misconduct — and ensures problem officers can get hired again

Katey Rusch ('20) and Casey Smith ('20) uncover the secret system that hides police misconduct throughout California.

How California police agencies dole out disability pensions to problem officers: Key takeaways from our investigation

The IRP's Katey Rusch reports on how law enforcement agencies throughout California have doled out tax-free pensions in order to get rid of to problem officers.

Joselyn Smith, a white woman with blonde hair, leans against the wall looking directly into the camera.

Pediatricians’ obesity guidelines rest on shaky evidence about eating disorder risks

Kate Raphael investigates how new pediatric guidelines for treating obesity could fuel the development of eating disorders for STAT News.

Mary Cooper, an older white woman in a checkered button down shirt sits in a wheelchair at the kitchen table.

Doctors Saved Her Life. She Didn’t Want Them To.

The IRP's Kate Raphael reports on how “do not resuscitate” orders are often overlooked or misunderstood, the latest in our reporting on Aging in America.

Three oil drilling rigs are in front of a backdrop of sunrise and telephone wires.

How campaign funds and charitable donations help Big Oil wield power in Sacramento

Laura Fitzgerald ('24) and Max Harrison-Caldwell ('24) investigate how charitable contributions help Big Oil wield power in California politics.

Painting of a woman looking through a barred window at a pigeon.

They Earned Parole. A Court Order Keeps Them From Returning Home

Cayla Mihalovich investigates how a court order is keeping people in California incarcerated, even when they have been approved for parole.

Screenshot of the Permian Proud website homepage which reads Permian Proud in blue capital letters. Underneath, a photo of two men in an oil field wearing blue shirts, blue jeans, and white hard hats.

Oil and ink mix as Chevron reports the ‘news’ in Texas, New Mexico

Felicia Alvarez reports on how Chevron has become a primary news source for people in Texas and New Mexico.

Elsie Saldaña standing in an orchard in the Central Valley, wearing a plaid shirt and looking at the camera. The lush, green orchard provides a serene backdrop.

The Enduring Reign of El Daña, Drag King of the Central Valley

Celeste Hamilton Dennis profiles El Daña, the oldest performing drag king in the country.

A woman with long dark hair in a white top sits on a bed and smiles, with a green wall and window in the background, exuding an air of healing amidst her journey as one of the forced sterilization survivors.

Forced Sterilization Survivors Undertake Own Healing After Feeling ‘Silenced Again’ by State

Cayla Mihalovich ('24) investigates how survivors of forced sterilization in California find healin

Illustration of people walking towards a factory emitting smoke, with digital screens overlaying the scene, reminiscent of stories on a news site.

Chevron owns this city’s news site. Many stories aren’t told.

IRP reporters Felicia Alvarez ('23), Maria Fernanda Bernal ('23) and Richard Tzul ('23) investigate Chevron's control over Richmond's local news.

A police officer in uniform stands with hands folded in an office, exuding compassion. An American flag and computer are visible in the background.

Police Pilot New Tactics for People With Dementia as Advocates Urge Compassion

IRP Reporter Holly McDede ('25) looks into how advocacy in San Matteo led to a new tactics for law enforcement to engage with people dementia.

A granite headstone with a photo and flowers commemorates Shayne Allen Sutherland Sr., a dedicated Californian, born 1990 and died 2020.

Revealed: at least 22 Californians have died while being held face down by police since 2016

Lisa Pickoff White ('09) reports on people who have died while held in prone restraint in this latest installment from the California Reporting Project.

An older person in a red shirt holds two round hat boxes, one red and one white with gold rope handles, reminiscent of homes filled with cherished keepsakes.

‘It’s a crisis’: Chronic hoarding is costing some older people their homes

Celeste Hamilton Dennis ('24) reports on how chronic hoarding puts San Francisco seniors at risk of eviction and a peer-led support program to help older adults confront the issue and stay in their homes.

On the left, Elsie Saldaña on stage in full suit and bowtie, on the right Saldaña in a rhinestone cowboy hat, between the two images are the words Code Switch over a purple background.

The Return of the U.S.’s Oldest Drag Queen

Celeste Hamilton Dennis ('24) reports on El Daña and her nearly 60-year career as a drag king.

San Mateo police chief Ed Barberini, a white man with brown hair and in his police uniform, sits with his hands folded looking away from the camera.

Police Pilot New Tactics for People With Dementia as Advocates Urge Compassion

Holly McDede ('25) reports on how police are trained to interact with people with dementia.

A young girl wearing a bright blue jersey and leggings sits on the arm of her mother

‘Blood for money’: The patients forced to turn to racketeers in Nigeria

IRP alumni Iqra Salah ('23) and Linus Unah ('23) report on Nigeria's 'broken' blood supply system

$Mary Ellen McConnell, a white woman with white hair, is standing over her kitchen table. In front of her are documents related to fracking on her property.$

Pennsylvania’s fracking boom is hurting its oldest residents

Kate Raphael reports on how fracking effects older adults' health for Grist.

Sharon Fennix sits in the center of this photo in a bright pink sleeveless top, she is sitting outside by a fence.

Survivors from California’s Period of Forced Sterilization Denied Reparations

Cayla Mihalovich ('24) reports on why it's so hard for formerly-incarcerated people to receive the promised reparations for forced sterilization in California prisons.

Josie Adler, 80, molds a mask in a pottery class in Berkeley, California.

Have this talk with your parents now to reduce heartache later

Leqi Zhong reports on a difficult conversation between older adults and their adult children.

In this still from an officer’s body camera video, Thompson Nguyen walks through a South San Jose power plant, carrying a metal pipe and an ax and yelling, “Shoot me.”

Losing control: When San Jose police confront people in mental health crisis, why do they end up hurting them so often?

Through the California Reporting Project, IRP students found that a staggering number of people hurt or killed by San Jose Police are mentally ill or intoxicated.

Photo from the backseat of a van of Floyd Coleman helping Mark Daldegan get into a minivan outside the Dillon

Lack of transportation strands seniors in rural Kansas, a worsening problem as the country ages

Andrew Lopez ('23) reports on how lack of transportation presents a challenge for older adults who want to age in their rural communities.

82-year-olds Jane Lapiner (left) and David Simpson, formerly known as the Diggers embrace in their living room, with a bookshelf in the background. He is wearing a blue shirt and darker blue vest, she is wearing a gray sweater.

1970s-era ‘back-to-the-landers’ now aging in place together

Ruth Dusseault reports on how 'back-to-the-landers' age in place in Northern California.

Illustration of a hotel at sunset, with the sign for the hotel

Should Hotel Chains Be Held Liable for Human Trafficking?

The IRP's Managing Editor, Bernice Yeung, investigates hotels' role in human trafficking for The New Yorker.

Camran Hayes, a white man, cares for Virginia Domini an older white woman. Virginia is wearing a polka dot top and Hayes is helping her stretch out her arm.

As worker shortages loom, some states move to train paid caregivers

Katie Rodriguez reports on efforts to standardize training for caregivers, the latest in the IRP's reporting on Aging in America.

Farmer Rick Cook is a white man wearing a blue T-shirt and tan baseball cap. He is sitting on a green John Deere tractor in front of a barn on his Farmstead.

Aging farmers toil well past retirement, with no heirs or desire to leave land they’ve tended for decades

Cara Nixon reports on the challenges of succession planning for Oregon farmers.

SUNY Chancellor John King is standing in a Nursing Skills Lab at SUNY Plattsburgh. John King is wearing a dark suit and has his hands in his pockets, he is standing in a hospital room where a practice mannequin is in the hospital bed in front of him.

With 1 in 4 New Yorkers over 60, state seeks public’s help in master plan for surging senior population

Ruth Dusseault reports the latest in our coverage of Aging in America

A photo of the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles.

Violence and ‘crisis’: How hundreds of L.A. County’s abused children ended up in hotels

IRP reporter Kathryn Hurd finds that state officials have run out of foster homes, leading them to put abused youth in unlicensed places.

Cindy Tine, a white woman with brown hair wearing a pink t-shirt, is holding a large gray cat next to her.

Pets can make aging easier, but they’re expensive. CT volunteers are looking to help

Richard Tzul reports on The Senior Paw Project, a program that helps older people take care of and keep their pets.

A large white truck, license plate reads: 14 Fire Rescue

Older Adults in Sonoma County to Get Fire-Safety Home Retrofits — for Free

Kate Raphael ('24) reports on a Sonoma County program to help older adults retrofit their homes.

Mother and daughter Annie and Tanya Dixon sit in a pew together during Sunday services. Both are masked.

Making churches more welcoming for members with dementia: ‘ We don’t want them to think they’re forgotten.’

Celeste Hamilton Dennis ('24) reports on a program to make church services more welcoming to members with dementia

Violence and ‘crisis’: How hundreds of L.A. County’s abused children ended up in hotels

Kathryn Hurd ('21) finds that state officials have run out of foster homes, leading them to put abused youth in unlicensed places.

After police killings, families are kept in the dark and grilled for information

Brian Howey ('23) reports on how police officers are trained to grill family members after police shootings. This story was Brian's investigation in Prof. David Barstow's second year investigative reporting seminar.

A police officer in uniform stands up, and in front of his a podium marked Antioch Police

Amid FBI investigation, Antioch police refuse to release use of force records, including a controversial neck hold that has since been widely banned

IRP Reporters Krissy Waite ('23) and Bella Arnold ('24) contribute to reporting on Antioch's refusal to release records that would shed light on police use of force.