Miranda S. Spivack writes extensively about state/local/federal government secrecy, which is on the rise as news coverage declines. She also writes about immigration and social justice, including a recent series for the McClatchy Newspapers on the risks to police accountability of erasing civilian criminal records. Before becoming an independent journalist whose work is published by revealnews.org, The New York Times, and the McClatchy Newspapers, she spent nearly 20 years at The Washington Post as an editor and reporter, tussling often with local officials to obtain essential documents that they preferred to conceal. While covering politics and government, she wrote about the high cost to taxpayers of out-of-court settlements; major zoning abuses; and favoritism by planning officials. She designed a ground-breaking weekly supplement that the Post replicated across the Washington region. Her work has been funded by the Fund for Investigative Journalism and the Alicia Patterson Foundation, where she was a fellow in 2021.She was the Eugene S. Pulliam Distinguished Visiting Professor of Journalism at DePauw University (2016-18) and was a Fulbright Scholar in North Macedonia, teaching journalism, in 2019. She was a Logan Non-fiction fellow in 2019 and is working on a book about how self-taught investigators/activists can overcome secrecy and make change in their communities. She has won numerous journalism awards, most recently the 2017 Sunshine Award from Society for Professional Journalists for her series "State Secrets," published by Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting and USA Today. In 2015, she won Honorable Mention for Cultural Tourism, Lowell Thomas Awards, and in 2013 First Place for Local Government Reporting from the Maryland, Delaware, D.C. Press Association. A graduate of Sarah Lawrence College, she was a journalism fellow at Yale Law School, where she received the degree of Master of Studies in Law. She has appeared on numerous radio and television programs in the Washington area on a variety of topics, including WAMU, NewsChannel8, WTOP and WMAL.
Miranda tweets from @mirandareporter
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Sunshine Week: Implementation of Anton’s Law Varies, and Some Police Agencies Seek Huge Fees to Release Public Documents
Maryland Matters [March 18, 2022] -
Warehouse Space Is the Latest Thing Being Hoarded
The New York Times [February 1, 2022] -
An early casualty of the coronavirus
Newsday [April 19, 2020] -
Universities Look to Strengthen the Places They Call Home
The New York Times [September 20, 2018] -
A Baltimore Neighborhood Is Revitalized, With Help From Its Residents
The New York Times [May 15, 2018] -
Private donations at public universities
Newsday [April 27, 2018] -
State Secrets: How local governments thwart open-records laws and keep vital information from the public.
Reveal News [2016-17] -
The Old Suburban Office Park Is Getting a Big Reboot
The New York Times [December 5, 2017] -
Bethesda Readies for a Major Remake
The New York Times [May 2, 2017] -
State Secrets
Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting [Fall 2016 - Winter 2017] -
Keeping Public Information Private
Newsday [February 18, 2017] -
Pence has a history with 'voter fraud'
Newsday [February 18, 2017] -
On the Potomac, Change Comes to Alexandria's Old Town
The New York Times [August 23, 2016] -
Against Tough Odds, a High School Program Fosters Success
The New York Times [May 3, 2016] -
Maryland, Virginia Get Poor Grades on Integrity Score
The Kojo Nnmadi Show [November 16, 2015] -
Grading the Nation
WJLA [November 10, 2015] -
The Baker Budget; NFL Star Quits Over Health Worries
WJLA [March 18, 2015] -
Johns Hopkins vs. MoCo Farm: Whose Wishes Should Prevail?
The Washington Post [February 27, 2014] -
Legislative Panel Examines Mystery Fee for Water and Sewer Connections in New Homes
The Washington Post [October 20, 2013] -
Art Collector Mitchell Rales's Grand Design Hangs Up Over Sewer Issue
The Washington Post [July 9, 2012] -
Prince George's County Spent Hundreds of Thousands to Settled Suit That Alleged Vast Bribery Scheme
The Washington Post [May 23, 2012]