Alexandria–Jason Stverak, President of the Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity, made the following statement in response to new information released showing that Attorney General Eric Holder signed off on the search warrant that led to the seizure of Fox News reporter James Rosen’s private emails:

“I was disheartened to learn that Attorney General Eric Holder and the Department of Justice had once again overstepped their bounds and infringed on our right to a free press. By conducting an unwarranted search and seizure of emails of an investigative reporter at Fox News and tapping the phone lines of Associated Press journalists,  the DOJ proved that they are more interested in flexing their political muscles than fostering a free and robust press to keep the administration accountable. We stand with James Rosen at Fox News and the journalists at the Associated Press as they seek to report the truth, even against the headwinds of a hostile DOJ.”

Reporter Mark Lagerkvist Honored for Story on Double-Dipping Public Officials

Alexandria, Va—New Jersey Watchdog, an investigative news site of the Franklin Center for Government & Public Integrity, has won a New York Press Club Award for a report on “retired” public officials who collect both paychecks and pensions from the Garden State.

The story, by reporter Mark Lagerkvist, was published last August and was selected by judges in the category of political coverage.

“Double-dipping  enables public officials in New Jersey to game the system at taxpayer expense,” said Lagerkvist. “The public deserves to know about a practice that drains money from state pension funds already facing a $42 billion debt.”

Lagerkvist’s investigation uncovered five dozen retired state employees back on New Jersey’s payroll– one third hired under Governor Chris Christie, who boasted about his efforts to reform government.

“We are extremely proud of Mark and happy that he is being recognized for this ground-breaking investigation of New Jersey public officials,” said Jason Stverak, president of the Franklin Center. “His work has shed light onto a system that has been abused for years.”

The New York Press Club Awards will be presented on Monday, June 10, at the Press Club’s Awards Presentation Dinner at Manhattan’s Water Club. You can view all the NYPC award winners here.

For media inquiries, contact Michael Moroney at Michael.Moroney@FranklinCenterHQ.org

The Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity is a leader in non-profit journalism. It was founded in 2009 to address falling standards in the media as well as a steep falloff in reporting on state government and provides professional training and assistance with a mission of exposing waste, fraud, and abuse in government.

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My last post discussed the context of investigative journalism. Now let’s look at some success!

The new era of state-based online investigative journalism stems not only from the decline of resources in newspapers around the nation, but also the growing vacuum in state-based coverage on numerous topics. Many traditional newsrooms no longer have the financial resources to retain a capitol news reporter on staff. In fact, anAmerican Journalism Review study found that only 355 full-time newspaper reporters are still based in the nation’s state capitals and that 44 statehouses have fewer full-time reporters than they did six years ago.

Our team of investigative journalists has reported on every subject from healthcare to energy, in every corner of the country. From misuse of taxpayer money in Nebraska to voter fraud in Ohio, reporters are investigating the stories that the traditional media is overlooking. This type of journalism is not just fulfilling the role of small-market media. In some cases, it is drawing audiences away from traditional media outlets.

Read more on Americas Future

The United States may lead the free world, but according to a new survey, we don’t even crack the top ten in freedom of the press.

According to a new Gallup Poll, 87 percent of Americans believe that the media in our country is free–a high number, but a full 10% below Finland, the worldwide leader. That 1 out of every 8 Americans doesn’t say our press is free suggests that both the government and media have some work to do to reaffirm one of our fundamental Constitutional rights.

A free press is the foundation of a free society. If you need proof, just take a look at some of the nations which finished in the bottom ten of Gallup’s survey: war-torn Palestine and Sudan, dictatorial Zimbabwe, and Yemen–a chaotic breeding ground for terrorists. New to the bottom ten this year is Russia, which has plummeted rapidly as Putin’s regime has clamped down on political protests and anti-government voices. Moscow has taken a long step backward from the days when glasnost helped bring down the Soviet Union.

It should come as no surprise that the nations with the most freedom of the press generally have higher economic freedom, more human development, and less public corruption, while countries with less freedom of the press are more likely to be labeled as “failed states.” A free press opens up a society and holds government accountable, allowing for greater competition in the marketplace and greater freedoms for citizens.

It could be one of the biggest issues of the Virginia gubernatorial campaign. Greentech, the car company Terry McAuliffe bought with the goal of bringing to the United States and creating thousands of jobs.

This week the New York Times reported that the Greentech venture could backfire on McAuliffe’s bid for governor.

NBC12: Decision Virginia went to Mississippi, where McAuliffe chose to build his car company to see exactly what is being accomplished.

Here is what they discovered:

NBC12.com – Richmond, VA NewsNBC12.com – Richmond, VA News

NBC12 reporter Ryan Nobles sat down for a lengthy interview with McAuliffe to get his perspective on Greentech. His interview will air tonight on NBC12 News at 6.