If a friend of yours won the lottery once, you’d say he or she was very lucky. But, what would you say if your friend won twice, or three times, or even four times in four weeks? Would you still think they were lucky, would you start to wonder if they had “a system,” or […]
Ankle Bracelet Use Skyrocketing In Spite of Significant Problems
Imagine having your every move tracked by the government by a device permanently fastened to your ankle. The device has a battery in it, and must be plugged in every few hours. Failure to recharge it could result in your arrest. The device often malfunctions, resulting in gaps in communication and resulting in arrest, potentially […]
Wisconsin’s Broken Whistleblower Protections
In theory, Wisconsin has relatively strong legal protections for public sector whistleblowers to make sure they don’t suffer retaliation, but in practice, those laws don’t work quite so well. Recent reports from the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism highlight the price state whistleblowers pay when they do what they think is right. Dee Hall, managing […]
Wisconsin Worker Protections Decline Under Walker
Worker’s Compensation got its start in Wisconsin in 1911. Under this so-called “Grand Bargain,” businesses would pay for the full medical expenses for employees injured at work, but in exchange, workers agreed not to pursue legal damages against their employers in court. Instead of turning to the courts to settle disagreements about the nature of […]
WisWatch’s Investigative Projects from 2017
Monday host Patty Peltekos speaks with Dee Hall, managing editor and co-founder of the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism. They talk about the importance and process of fact checking in investigative reporting, and some of the most important investigative stories from the Center in 2017. Those stories include their first documentary “Los Lecheros,” which explores […]
Bad Hair Day: Flawed Analyses Convict 1000s of Innocents
For years, Federal Bureau of Investigation agents have used microscopic hair analysis for forensic evidence, comparing hairs from suspects with those found on the crime scene in much the same way you might compare fingerprints. Based on this technique, the FBI has helped secure thousands of convictions over the years. There’s just one problem. Hair […]