Matthew Leonard is the data editor for Civil Beat.
He joined the newsroom after more than a decade working in upstate New York and in Nashville. As the Investigations and Special Projects Editor for the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, Matthew supervised investigations into policing and justice, racial and health disparities and social and environmental justice issues across New York state. He was heavily involved in overhauling the organization’s coverage of public safety issues to be more equitable and inclusive.
Born in Sydney, Matthew worked for Australia’s national broadcaster and for several Indigenous media and cultural organizations, including in remote homeland communities. He spent five years at Radio New Zealand where he was able to pursue his interest in the cultures of the Pacific. A major project completed during his time in Aotearoa/New Zealand documented the last remnants of old growth forests and their cultural and ecological significance.
Matthew originally studied music composition and performance before making his way into public broadcasting, and continues to have a strong interest in music, sound design and audio production. He is a keen ocean swimmer, amateur musician and cooks a mean chili.
Follow Matthew on Twitter @mleonardmedia or email him at mleonard@civilbeat.org. Contact him for how to share news tips securely.
We don't know much about how electronic monitoring operates in the state and the raw numbers are only part of the story.
The unparalleled flow of dollars from the U.S. Treasury has created both challenges and opportunities for local government.
The board is seeking public comment on the applicants by Monday.
Talk story with the team at the Pearl City Public Library.
Smartphone technology has led to a boom in digital surveillance of pretrial and post-conviction populations nationwide, but also raised privacy and civil rights concerns.
Wiping and sealing qualifying arrest and court records would be a major challenge for data managers.
Meet Civil Beat staff on Thursday when we again take our newsroom on the road.
The total of individual political donations by executives matches the spending by the utility's political action committee.
Drop by the Kealakekua Public Library on Monday and talk story with Civil Beat team members.