APM Reports - Investigations and Documentaries from American Public Media

Recent Stories

Geno (Eugene McShane) arrives at the court building.

Coronavirus in the Delta E5: Geno

As the coronavirus swept into the Mississippi Delta, a judge in the small city of Indianola decided to release every inmate she had in jail. That is, every inmate except one.

11 highlights from our investigation into the dangers of lead pipes

by Lauren Rosenthal and Will Craft

Current and former EPA scientists say the Trump administration is pushing rule changes that could leave Americans exposed to lead in drinking water.

Coronavirus in the Delta E4: Watermelon Slim

In the middle of a pandemic, with so many people suffering alone, it seemed an appropriate time to hear from a Delta blues singer. Enter Watermelon Slim.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Detroit Schools-Literacy

Michigan reaches settlement in landmark right-to-literacy case

by Christopher Peak

The governor won't contest a court ruling that found students have a constitutional right to learn to read and agrees to more funding for Detroit schools.

Dr. Rachael Faught, Greenwood, Mississippi

Coronavirus in the Delta E3: The Hospital

The doctors and nurses at Greenwood Leflore Hospital braced for the pandemic, sectioning off their ICU and preparing for an influx of patients. Then the virus struck one of their own.

Guards, Mississippi State Penitentiary in Parchman.

Coronavirus in the Delta E2: Parchman

How do you self-isolate when your home is a single room that you share with 107 men? That's what inmates at Mississippi's infamous Parchman prison have been wondering for six weeks. They've watched the number of coronavirus cases tick up in the counties around them, and with it, their fear.

How the EPA has left Americans exposed to lead in drinking water

by Lauren Rosenthal and Will Craft

Millions of people still get water through lead pipes. For decades, lax EPA rules missed hazardous lead levels and allowed some utilities to remain indifferent. Today the Trump administration is rushing to finalize a plan that might make things worse.

Charles E. Hamilton Jr., Greenville, Mississippi

Coronavirus in the Delta E1: Greenville

In early April, a storm hit Greenville, Mississippi. It started when two pastors and the mayor clashed over how to do church during a pandemic. Then Fox News got involved. This is the first episode of a six-part special report on coronavirus in the Mississippi Delta.

Detroit activists traveled to the Sixth Circuit Court in October 2019.

Is learning to read a constitutional right?

by Emily Hanford and Christopher Peak

A federal court recently ruled that underfunded schools in Detroit violated students' right to a basic education. Advocates hope the case is the beginning of a trend.

research assistant works with live Covid-19 specimens

Public health labs suffered budget cuts prior to coronavirus

by Geoff Hing and Tom Scheck

An APM Reports analysis finds that public labs in at least 10 states -- the first line of defense in an outbreak -- endured budget troubles or staffing shortages in the past decade. The labs will be critical to conducting the increased testing needed to end social distancing.

A Covid-infected attendee emerges from CES, a massive tech conference in January

by Sasha Aslanian, Angela Caputo, and Will Craft

The Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas becomes an intriguing puzzle piece of the pandemic's spread after new Bay Area Covid-19 deaths indicate the virus' presence in the United States earlier than thought.

Large tent at emergency room at EvergreenHealth Medical Center

Eleven states don't track or reveal Covid-19 hospitalizations

by Curtis Gilbert

State health officials in Washington and California are scrambling to create mechanisms for hospitals to report their Covid-19 patients in real time.

How the EPA has left Americans exposed to lead in drinking water

Episode 5: Geno

Public health labs suffered budget cuts prior to coronavirus

Featured Projects

The latest updates on the Curtis Flowers case

A Georgia law prevented 87,000 people from voting last year. And it could have a big impact in 2020

Colleges are using big data to track students

The 1950s plan to erase Indian Country

The invention of a disease and the pursuit of one molecule

Less reliable than their maker has claimed, the results can be deadly

How a flawed idea is teaching millions of kids to be poor readers

Opposition to the Vietnam War among active duty GIs and veterans

Water pipes are crumbling and poor people are paying the price

The Educate Podcast

Facing uncertain futures, high school seniors weigh tough college options and alternate paths

Listeners tell us how they're adapting to at-home education

Is learning to read a constitutional right?

A few silver linings emerge in a dark time of closed schools

Recent Stories

Coronavirus in the Delta E5: Geno

11 highlights from our investigation into the dangers of lead pipes

Coronavirus in the Delta E4: Watermelon Slim

Michigan reaches settlement in landmark right-to-literacy case

Coronavirus in the Delta E3: The Hospital

Coronavirus in the Delta E2: Parchman

How the EPA has left Americans exposed to lead in drinking water

Coronavirus in the Delta E1: Greenville

Is learning to read a constitutional right?

Public health labs suffered budget cuts prior to coronavirus

A Covid-infected attendee emerges from CES, a massive tech conference in January

Eleven states don't track or reveal Covid-19 hospitalizations