EXCLUSIVE docs from
@mollymotoole
@latimes
- report just sent to members of Congress:
19 women allege medical abuse in Georgia immigration detention.
Most are Black and Latino.
One woke from surgery w/stomach bandages: “What type of surgery did I have?”
"It was 2004 when the LA Times disclosed that Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas had accepted expensive gifts & private plane trips paid for by Harlan Crow"
@latimes
@DavidGSavage
. Today's blockbuster by
@propublica
shows "he stopped disclosing them."
I came up with the idea for this series back in 2017. I got a tip that officers were getting fired and then rehired back to the departments that fired them. Sometimes by the same police chiefs.
Last night John Oliver featured my series on Last Week Tonight.
Last Week Tonight, which has done a great job of highlighting good reporting and adding good reporting of their own, highlighted our Fired/Rehired series last night.
Excited to announce that after a year at the LA Times, I've been promoted to D.C. Bureau Chief. So grateful for
@DavidLauter
, Shani and the entire masthead for this amazing opportunity.
I was laid off today. Winning a Pulitzer was one honor of my life. Another, leading the Washington Bureau as its first person of color and only second woman.
“Kimbriell Kelly was named Washington bureau chief of the Los Angeles Times on Monday, further piercing the once white-male enclave of D.C. bureau chiefs...”
Just when I thought my last day at WaPo couldn’t get better, my team gifts me a framed copy of a public records request I negotiated from $252,386.40 down to $2.
#FOIA
.
#IRE19
@IRE_NICAR
There are few black investigative editors and reporters in the country. I was the only black investigative reporter on WaPo’s Investigative Unit for most of my 7 years there. No editors of color.
#BlackAtLAT
Years ago, I took a photo while at my desk in WaPo's Investigative Unit when I looked up and realized I was surrounded by nothing by white men. Yesterday, a former colleague asked about that photo.
#POCWatchdogsNow
#IRE
@IRE_NICAR
@DougHaddix
It’s not lost on me I’m the 1st black woman running
@latimes
DC bureau. And 1st person of color. And 2nd woman – the first (promoted in '08) left after 3 months. The bureau has been around since at least the 1940s, so grateful for this tremendous opportunity
@DrPatSoonShiong
SOME PERSONAL NEWS: I am joining the LA Times as Deputy Editor of Enterprise & Investigations in DC. Sad to leave the Post after 6 years, 4 series-2 as Pulitzer winner or finalist. Thanks
@PostBaron
for great run &
@NPearlstine
for hiring me.
#IRE
.
Let this sink in. There are 0 Latino reporters on investigations tho LA is 50% Latino. This is why we need an industry audit.
#SomosLAT
#IRE
@IRE_NICAR
Louisville mayor announced officer to be fired in death of Breonna Taylor. Many of these firings don't stick. My 2017 WaPo investigation looked at a decade of police firings: of 1881 officers fired from 37 large U.S. departments, 451 won their jobs back.
For anyone struggling w/self-doubt/imposter syndrome: A friend today asked if I'd taken my 2016 Pulitzer out of the box. Nope. Made me promise to do it- TODAY. So here we are, clearing dust and squirting Windex.
When you’re up editing at 1 am and find out the president has the coronavirus. Yeah, we tore up the front page. Love being an editor and working with the cool-under-pressure
@EliStokols
Since starting as an investigative editor at
@latimes
, I started a support group w/
@nixonron
to help black investigative editors hold powerful institutions, and our own companies, accountable.
The headline alone. But some really good nuggets for those willing to confront this reality. “A Woman of Color Cannot Save Your Workplace Culture” | Time
@mitrakalita
After nearly 4 years leading the Washington Bureau, today is my last day at LA Times. Though this transition started w/the prospect of a layoff, I chose to resign. I'm blessed to have produced award-winning work & lead in an industry in need of inclusive excellence. Stay tuned.
"I’m in a roomful of people panicked that I might inadvertently give away their location."
The Slack from my reporter
@sarahdwire
holed up in the Capitol.
The day started with Dems taking the Senate. Here's how it ended when a mob overtook the Capitol.
"With his mother’s Bible in hand and his political mentors at his side, Alex Padilla on Wednesday became the first Latino to represent California in the U.S. Senate." by
@sarahdwire
@latimes
JOB ALERT: I'm hiring an investigative reporter in D.C. for the LA Times. Data whisperers, public records gurus, and story-tellers, here you go:
#FOIA
@IRE_NICAR
NEW from LAT:
@stiles
happened to archive Trump's tweets just hours before the president got banned. So we made them public & wrote about it: 56,118 tweets (+some deleted ones) & analysis on Trump's war w/Cali,
@SpeakerPelosi
,
@AdamSchiff
&
@MayorOfLA
JOB ALERT: What stories need to be told about immigration in our nation? Help me tell them. I'm hiring an immigration reporter for our Washington, D.C. office of the Los Angeles Times. More info here:
So excited for my friend and mentor
@meridak
to lead the
@latimes
. He's not just an excellent choice for this newspaper, but for our industry. He's great with news and also with people.
When it’s Pulitzer week and the executive editor and managing editors send a special delivery to your house with a note: “Thank you for your tremendous work, Kimbriell. We are so proud of you!”
So honored and grateful to share this Pulitzer honor with
@WesleyLowery
@dataeditor
and many other talented colleagues. Also grateful for the many families that shared their stories and lives with us.
So grateful to my deputy bureau chief
@NickBaumann
, yes he also got laid off, and is amazing. He's led our 2024 coverage with distinction and is an AMAZING editor. Please hire him!!
In my 20s, I used to sit behind my investigative editor
@AldenLoury
and watch what he did. One day I asked to edit a story. He agreed and years later he made me editor & publisher. Promote talent. Don't wait for someone to ask.
#POCWatchdogsNow
I remember being a college kid just barely taking journalism dreams seriously who discovered the
@ChicagoReporter
& saw a Black woman in charge! I knew I wanted to be like her one day, a Black newsroom leader. That was
@Kimbriell
b4 WAPO. But a Black hero's work is never done 👇🏿
Lucky to have watched, learned & worked with
@meridak
at WaPo. Stoked to lead this bureau, particularly as the 1st person of color, with you at the helm of
@latimes
.
LAUNCHED TODAY: The
@latimes
has covered Kamala Harris’ political career since 1994, publishing >2,220 articles. After taking over DC bureau, seemed fitting to launch a beat, newsletter and page to chronicle her historic rise.
"COVERING KAMALA HARRIS"
File a FOIA today. Challenge yourself and ask for something different: a database, text message, e-mails from a private server. But exercise those FOIA muscles.
#IRE
#FOIA
Need motivation? Here you go.
Cynthia Glover gave birth to 4 kids. After their 3 killings, there was only 1 arrest. Glover now fears what will happen to her last child. I traveled to New Orleans to report her story in this new installment of our Murder with Impunity series.
Reflecting on the moment my soon-to-be boss Shani Hilton called to see how I was doing before announcing me as the next bureau chief and being able to say to her I was tying down my scarf with Eco Styler.
There are few black investigative editors and reporters in the country. I was the only black investigative reporter on WaPo’s Investigative Unit for most of my 7 years there. No editors of color.
#BlackAtLAT
LAST CALL FOR DEPUTY BUREAU CHIEF: Didn't think I'd be running LAT D.C. Bureau--or 1st POC (2nd woman) to do so. (Then again, never thought I'd leave WaPo.) Now I'm looking for an excellent deputy. Wow me with your plans (or graphic mod tees.) Last call.
11 WaPo days left: A couple years ago, I wanted to celebrate a couple new colleagues. They were women and investigative reporters. Not enough of us in this industry. So I started a string of informal lunches. LWI: Ladies who investigate. Today, I’d like 2 celebrate WaPo women.
NEW investigation: Since 2017, hundreds of calls were made alleging rape and other crimes against detainees at private ICE detention centers in CA. Only 3 led to charges. With 2 suspects deported, only 1 case remains. By
@andreamcastillo
@palomaesquivel
NEW LAT: Bipartisan letter to Justice Department sought investigation of Steve Bannon, raised concern about Trump family and others. by
@DelWilber
et al.
@latimes
"...we now have reason to believe that the following individuals may have committed a criminal act."
A beautiful story of Feinstein's final hours in the Senate as told by
@Noahbierman
@latimes
"It was the last of more than 9,500 votes Feinstein cast in three decades and her last appearance in the Senate..."
A year ago, I asked reporter
@DelWilber
to consider a new challenge: editing. He made me promise it'd be temporary, just to help during the holidays. Months later, he applied for an open editing job. Very pleased to announce our new White House editor.
GOOD NEWS: We're finalists for NABJ's Salute to Excellence awards for our Murder with Impunity series. BAD NEWS: I'm sure many of those killings we wrote about are still unsolved.
@WesleyLowery
@dataeditor
NEW:
@erinblogan
tracked down woman at the center of only sustained investigation of ofcr. Chauvin before he was charged with George Floyd's murder. She was pulled from her minivan as her weeks-old baby wailed in the back seat.
"I lived to complain... George Floyd didn't."
On Tuesday, I wrote about the only investigation sustained by MPD against Derek Chauvin. I found the initiator of that investigation. Her name is Meredith Borton. And what she told me is...shocking. This is her story:
NEW: Years before he was charged for killing George Floyd, officer Derek Chauvin was disciplined after he pulled a woman out of her car after going 10 miles over the speed limit. New from
@erinblogan
and
@mollymotoole
.
California paid $800M to politically connected firm that failed to deliver face masks. Mississippi paid $500,000 to company whose owner was convicted for fraud for re-selling food to grocery stores that was intended for animals.
@annamphillips
@DelWilber
The subject of this week's podcast: Why Sunshine Week matters to all of us. Hear from Freedom of Information experts
@Kimbriell
,
@geostanley
and
@katie_rcfp
Investigative journalism is among least diverse of media staffs. Recent LAT audit shows that 1 of 9 on investigative was a POC. Nearly 75% of LA area population is POC. We hold government accountable, why not ourselves?
#POCWatchdogsNow
#BlackatLAT
@ire_nicar
@doughaddix
As California plays an even greater role in Washington, I'm happy to bring on an industry leader -- with LA roots -- as our new deputy editor in Washington
@lwmunoz
.
It's easy to grab meat from the store w/o thinking about who cleaned it, cut it and prettily packaged it.
Or how they might be sick & dying.
A Times review of docs shows the peril and lax oversight.
@jiejennyzou
@andreamcastillo
@erinblogan
My last 12 days of the Post. Here are the awesome people who kept me sane. First up, M & M. Marty and Merida.
@PostBaron
@meridak
Talk about people in your corner. Thanks for elevating me to do my best work. Ever-grateful.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser transformed herself into a BLM champion w/gallons of yellow paint. 2 years earlier, she was sued by BLM for not releasing police data that would show disproportionate stops of Black people. By
@elliotwailoo
@ChrisMegerian
If you're sitting on an investigative unit today -- look around. How many Latino colleagues do you have? If you're feeling bold today, share it. We can't fix this problem in silence.
#SomosLAT
#IRE
@IRE_NICAR
Let this sink in. There are 0 Latino reporters on investigations tho LA is 50% Latino. This is why we need an industry audit.
#SomosLAT
#IRE
@IRE_NICAR
ProPublica is hiring reporters our national staff.
You can live effing anywhere.
Just live to expose injustices.
The job: *create evidence-based shitstorms.*
Feel free ask me any Qs. DMs open.
@NABJ
@NAHJ
@IBWellsSociety
@NYABJ
@sajahq
@NLGJA
Yes! And ask them to help create/secure opportunities to get you there. Every editing job I've had was preceded by me doing that job on some sort of temporary basis.
If a manager tells you you’re “not ready” for an opportunity (a beat, a new skill, a longform story) ask them how they’ll help you get ready.
Don’t let other people limit your ambitions.
Federal records obtained via FOIA by
@latimes
@freddy_brewster
show... "Bankman-Fried hired multiple former federal regulators who helped connect him with top officials at the CFTC, the agency he hoped would be charged with regulating his industry."