Police misconduct in California is about to come under a powerful spotlight. Not just one news organization but 33 of them have announced they’ll be focusing on “rogue police officers” and their departments, and rather than go it alone, the news outlets are joining forces.
The organizations, which include the Los Angeles Times, KQED, the Southern California News Group, and the Sacramento Bee, will be aided by a new police transparency law in the state—and by their strength in numbers.
A Los Angeles Times editor told Poynter that “California’s history of secrecy surrounding law enforcement records has left numerous questions unanswered about policing in the state. This collaborative is an unprecedented effort to bring together media outlets that are usually in cut-throat competition with each other. We all realized that we can do a lot more to educate the public on this vital issue if we work together.”