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The investigations had 1 aim: Hold a child-welfare system accountable to families, public oversight.
I've a nose for injustice. Even I was shocked by how far judges/AG Office/DCS went to silence my reporting & the families. Mil gracias @AZPressClub for recognizing their stories!
I've a nose for injustice. Even I was shocked by how far judges/AG Office/DCS went to silence my reporting & the families. Mil gracias @AZPressClub for recognizing their stories!
Honored to share @AZPressClub awards for state/fed government & statewide social issues reporting w/some of the best AZ reporters.
¡ORALE! @mpolletta @ByIanJames @AndrewNicla @elizabethwhitty @ac_woods
Keep holding power to account! Felicidades, everyone: https://azpressclub.org/2020/10/07/arizona-press-club-2019-contest-award-winners/
¡ORALE! @mpolletta @ByIanJames @AndrewNicla @elizabethwhitty @ac_woods
Keep holding power to account! Felicidades, everyone: https://azpressclub.org/2020/10/07/arizona-press-club-2019-contest-award-winners/
Many families took risks to share their stories w/me after I reported on government efforts to silence @AZDCSWarriors, a grassroots group of parents, grandparents who took their own risks monitoring court, AG Office, DCS actions to sever parental rights. https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-child-welfare/2018/10/05/child-welfare-activists-criticize-department-child-services-arizona-dcs-oversight-group/1374092002/
I'd warn families that, though hearings to decide if parents regain custody of their kids are meant to be public, I couldn't guarantee there wouldn't be consequences for speaking up. For families who trusted me, I have 2 words about what I found reporting: Appalling injustices.
Yrs ago, after child deaths & DCS actions to hide government failures, legislators changed laws to ensure public access to hearings.
Yet, I found efforts by @ArizonaDCS @courtpio judges @GeneralBrnovich's AG Office to stymie oversight, silence parents. https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-child-welfare/2019/03/25/questions-due-process-rise-after-police-break-down-door-check-feverish-toddler/3223829002/
Yet, I found efforts by @ArizonaDCS @courtpio judges @GeneralBrnovich's AG Office to stymie oversight, silence parents. https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-child-welfare/2019/03/25/questions-due-process-rise-after-police-break-down-door-check-feverish-toddler/3223829002/
Without public oversight, families worry it's easier for AZ government to take their kids. But here's what I never expected to find: Silencing of the press reporting on child-welfare cases, even when we don't identify kids or families in stories: https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-child-welfare/2019/04/11/judge-boots-media-lawmaker-kelly-townsend-dcs-case-chandler-parents-feverish-toddler/3430297002/
Upon requests by AZ AG Office/DCS, a judge booted me & a legislator from a public hearing, issued an order that my reporting violated confidentiality laws & threatened me that if I continued to report I'd be held in contempt of court #PressFreedom https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-child-welfare/2019/04/21/chandler-feverish-child-case-judge-restricts-press-from-publishing-warns-public/3527075002/
Free-speech experts called govt attempts to silence reporting: Orwellian. “When these hearings are secret, the chances children will obtain justice...diminishes because no one is looking out for the children in the enormously powerful, the enormously self-serving bureaucracy."
My editor @mgsquires is a great journalist & person. He had my back when I wanted to keep reporting after Judge Ryan, then presiding judge for Maricopa County Juvenile Court, targeted our @azcentral reporting, saying it violated confidentiality laws. https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-child-welfare/2019/05/21/media-fights-censorship-child-welfare-case-chandler-parents-children-were-removed-timothy-ryan/3746656002/
It's THE BEST to have a cool cucumber of an editor who wants to uncover injustice as much as I do. I'm no cool cucumber. I get vehemently passionate about truth, reporting that rights wrongs, esp for marginalized communities. I love that @mgsquires gets excited when I'm fired up!
Among many injustices our reporting shed light on is that there's a sad truth: In reality, the child-welfare system is rarely watched, and governmental abuse of power in Arizona's system had become accustomed to secrecy, threatening parents and violating First Amendment laws.
It took months. But the Chandler parents got their children back. Then they told me that the court, state continued to ban their free-speech rights to hold the government accountable. https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-child-welfare/2019/05/14/judge-grants-parents-physical-custody-kids-feverish-child-case/3668756002/
So I reported on the court warning parents not to speak about their case even after it closed. First Amendment scholars said the actions were unconstitutional & wouldn't hold up in court, but it served the government to scare & silence parents, forever:
https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-child-welfare/2019/08/29/department-child-safety-maricopa-county-juvenile-court-cases-gag-orders/1895753001/
https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-child-welfare/2019/08/29/department-child-safety-maricopa-county-juvenile-court-cases-gag-orders/1895753001/
As is the case w/in-depth investigation, our reporting spurred more people to share their stories w/me & trust @azcentral would seek accountability. I'm thankful to parents who took risks & to @AZDCSWarriors, @RobinsonAnika for helping me better understand https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-child-welfare/2019/10/18/audit-arizona-department-child-safety-does-not-give-foster-parents-information-keep-kids-safe-dcs/3843153002/
One parent came forward with a story about a secret order: The documents revealed a chilling effect so sweeping it prevented the mother from talking to anyone who might criticize any government actions in her child-welfare case. https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-child-welfare/2019/07/16/arizona-department-of-child-safety-banning-criticism-child-welfare-agency-courts/1562382001/
These cases are tough to investigate bc government officials abuse confidentiality laws to keep their actions secret & work to silence parents. I hope y'all read this govt. order and go report on the child-welfare system in your state! #JournalismMatters
Again, for those who need to let this sink in, the parent was banned from speaking w/reporters, their elected lawmakers AND ANYONE WHO MIGHT BAD MOUTH GOVERNMENT: "or anyone who may write derogatory statements in social media or elsewhere regarding DCS or the Judicial system.”
Those stories are some of my child-welfare investigations. The social-issues reporting awarded by @AZPressClub are in-depth narratives w/people in the system. Autumn's story will stick w/me forever. She's a strong, sweet teen who aged out of foster care: https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-child-welfare/2019/11/13/arizona-teen-wants-use-her-experiences-foster-care-help-others/3981998002/
Child welfare systems are meant to protect children & work to reunite families. Legislators, the public have criticized @ArizonaDCS for failing its mission.
It's complex: Autumn criticized DCS, while praising good caseworkers. Then there are child deaths. https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-child-welfare/2019/10/04/samora-lesley-cousin-died-care-foster-father/3856655002/
It's complex: Autumn criticized DCS, while praising good caseworkers. Then there are child deaths. https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-child-welfare/2019/10/04/samora-lesley-cousin-died-care-foster-father/3856655002/
After Autumn's story ran, we had people who wanted to support, help her reach her goals. And we had people who called to cry with me about how there could be thousands of children with no family to turn to and why couldn't we as a society, community, country do right by them.
When I think of the first time I met @RobinsonAnika, it seems meant to be that I ended up at a panel listening to her speak through tears about fostering. She wanted the system to do better by kids, parents & at reuniting families. Anika is a force. https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-child-welfare/2019/11/27/anika-robinson-saw-foster-care-system-so-broken-she-wanted-give-up-instead-she-decided-fix/3981946002/
It'll always seem unreal. And always remind me of the power of journalism: The stories about Anika & her fellow moms' efforts to fill gaps in the foster care system, via their work w/ @ASANowNews, made one AZ family aware of these issues & donate millions to serve foster children.
These stories & others are part of a documentary supported by an @AZFoundation grant to report independent in-depth journalism about AZ's child-welfare system. I was lucky to work w/talented teammates: @maryjpitzl @DavidWallce @nickoza1 @mgsquires @jsusong https://www.azcentral.com/videos/news/local/arizona-child-welfare/2019/10/23/they-have-names-movie-trailer/4072726002/
I was moved from primarily investigating child-welfare to investigations of other govt powers: She called it rape. Police don't even consider it a use of force: https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix/2020/09/29/phoenix-police-cavity-search-amounted-rape-erica-reynolds-says/3312915001/
@maryjpitzl is watchdogging DCS!
I hope more reporters dig in for oversight of abuses of power!
@maryjpitzl is watchdogging DCS!
I hope more reporters dig in for oversight of abuses of power!
Months after a judge issued an order my reporting violated confidentiality laws, @azgreenday sought answers on The Republic's attempt to clear my & our newspaper's credibility.
The court reversed its finding.
It sickens me that a chilling effect remains:
https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-child-welfare/2019/09/12/republic-violate-court-rules-dcs-case-chandler-family-police-raid/2279905001/
The court reversed its finding.
It sickens me that a chilling effect remains:
https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-child-welfare/2019/09/12/republic-violate-court-rules-dcs-case-chandler-family-police-raid/2279905001/
P.S. Months after the judge returned custody, I saw the Chandler mom. She was supporting a family at a DCS hearing. We'd never spoken before.
“I got my kids back because of you,” she said, crying.
“You got your kids back because of you,” I said. "All I did was share your story."
“I got my kids back because of you,” she said, crying.
“You got your kids back because of you,” I said. "All I did was share your story."
