Mariam Elba

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Mariam Elba is a research reporter supporting ProPublica’s local newsroom initiatives.

Elba was previously an associate research editor at the Intercept, where she managed the fact-checking desk and supervised freelancers, regularly vetting reporting and sourcing for sensitive articles and conducting background research in collaboration with newsroom teams. Elba started as a fact-checker for the Intercept and First Look Media’s visual journalism unit, Field of Vision, where she worked closely with writers, editors and filmmakers to ensure that stories were framed accurately and fairly.

Before joining the Intercept, Elba was an editorial intern at the Nation, where she received her fact-checking training. She is an adjunct professor at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at the City University of New York, where she teaches a course in advanced news research methods.

A Wisconsin Tribe Built a Lending Empire Charging 600% Annual Rates to Borrowers

The Lac du Flambeau tribe is at the center of a $1 billion class-action settlement that comes after years of fending off claims of predatory lending practices.

In Rural Tennessee, Domestic Violence Victims Face Barriers to Getting Justice. One County Has Transformed Its Approach.

Despite being a rural area that’s steeped in gun culture, Scott County has emerged as a model for the state in trying to prevent domestic violence from escalating.

Inside Project 2025’s Secret Training Videos

“Eradicate climate change references”; only talk to conservative media; don’t leave a paper trail for watchdogs to discover. In a series of never-before-published videos, Project 2025 details how a second Trump administration would operate.

In Los Angeles, Your Chic Vacation Rental May Be a Rent-Controlled Apartment

Amid an affordable housing crisis, dozens of rent-controlled buildings are listed on short-term rental websites. A 2018 law was supposed to stop that, but the city is struggling to enforce it.

A Judge Ruled a Louisiana Prison’s Health Care System Has Failed Inmates for Decades. A Federal Law Could Block Reforms.

The Prison Litigation Reform Act was passed to curtail the number of lawsuits filed by inmates over conditions behind bars. It has kept courts from forcing Louisiana to overhaul the medical system in its largest prison.

Oil Companies Contaminated a Family Farm. The Courts and Regulators Let the Drillers Walk Away.

The oil and gas industry has reaped profits without ensuring there will be money to plug and clean up their wells. In Oklahoma, that work could cost more than $7 billion if it falls to the state.

What’s Missing From Railroad Safety Data? Dead Workers and Severed Limbs.

Thanks to government loopholes, rail companies haven’t been scrutinized by the Federal Railroad Administration for scores of alleged worker injuries and at least two deaths.

A Utah Cleft Palate Team Says Its Approach Is Innovative. Others See a Pattern of Unnecessary Surgeries on Children.

At Primary Children’s Hospital in Utah, pediatric surgeons are taking controversial risks with how they care for kids with cleft lip and palate. Outside doctors found that some parents weren’t told their child’s care was different from the norm.

The Year After a Denied Abortion

Tennessee law prohibits women from having abortions in nearly all circumstances. But once the babies are here, the state provides little help. We followed one family as they struggled to make it.

El Departamento de Justicia trabaja con un sheriff de Wisconsin para eliminar las barreras lingüísticas

Una investigación de ProPublica en el Condado de Dane de Wisconsin reveló cómo las barreras lingüísticas y los errores de una oficial la llevaron a culpar erróneamente a un obrero de una granja lechera por la muerte de su hijo.

The DOJ Is Working With a Wisconsin Sheriff to Improve How Deputies Communicate With People Who Don’t Speak English

A ProPublica investigation in Wisconsin’s Dane County revealed how a grammatical mistake in Spanish led sheriff’s deputies to wrongly blame a Nicaraguan dairy worker for his son’s death.

Washington State Is Leaving Tribal Cultural Resources at the Mercy of Solar Developers

The Badger Mountain solar project reveals gaps in the state’s permitting system that tribal nations say perpetuates a legacy of “cultural genocide.”

Supreme Connections: Search Supreme Court Financial Disclosures

Find organizations and people that have paid the current justices, reimbursed them for travel, given them gifts and more.

When Railroad Workers Get Hurt on the Job, Some Supervisors Go to Extremes to Keep It Quiet

Railroad officials have lied, spied and bribed to keep workers’ injuries off the books. “Don’t put your job on the line for another employee.”

Inside the Notorious Gun Shop Linked to Hundreds of Chicago Guns

The story of one Indiana store demonstrates how the more than 60,000 gun retailers in America have little financial incentive to say no to questionable buyers and face limited penalties for failing to prevent illegal transactions.

A Top Mutual Fund Executive Made Millions for Himself Trading the Same Stocks His Giant Fund Was Trading

Confidential IRS data reveals that David Hoeft, chief investment officer of mutual fund giant Dodge & Cox, was one of many investment managers who bought and sold the same stocks their company was trading.

How Tennessee’s Justice System Allows Dangerous People to Keep Guns — With Deadly Outcomes

Michaela Carter was one of at least 75 people killed in domestic violence shootings in Nashville since 2007. Nearly 40% were shot by people who were legally barred from having a gun.

Bullied by Her Own Party, a Wisconsin Election Official’s GOP Roots Mean Nothing in Volatile New Climate

In the face of repeated calls to back Donald Trump's bogus claims that the 2020 election was stolen, Marge Bostelmann of the Wisconsin Elections Commission remains resolute: “I’m a Republican who stands up for the truth and not for a lie.”

As Residential Care Homes Expand in Maine, Seniors Don’t Always Get the Care They Need

The disappearance of nursing home beds is sending thousands to “nonmedical” residences that aren’t equipped to handle more intensive health needs.

Pregnant? Here’s What You Need to Know About NIPTs

The noninvasive prenatal testing industry confuses patients and even some doctors. So we’ve created this guide to the tests, the accuracy of results, cost and more.

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