Behind the Story

Ben Berke, who covers Providence, took a deep dive into the campaign finance reports of Councilor Ana Vargas, revealing the politician received an influx of donations in the months leading up to the vote. The majority of the donations came from landlords and others in the real estate industry.

“The timing is incredibly striking and she’s refused to explain her position,” Berke said, noting in his reporting that Vargas was the only ...

Ed Fitzpatrick, who covers government and politics, has been closely watching the General Assembly as House Speaker Joe Shekarchi faces a Thursday deadline to decide whether to apply for a seat on the R.I. Supreme Court.

If Shekarchi takes the plunge and steps down as the most powerful Democrat in the House, the move could trigger a cascade of changes to leadership.

“This is a big deal because the speaker of the House, especially i...

Ian Donnis, a longtime political reporter, has been covering the recent failure of a highway ramp in Cranston that disrupted travel for motorists and Amtrak passengers.

Last Friday, part of a bridge in poor condition fell onto a railroad track, surprising transportation officials who said there had been no prior signs of trouble.

The infrastructure issue comes amid ongoing criticism of the Washington Bridge closure. The westbound s...

David Cicilline, who served in the U.S. Congress, said he remembers a time when there were regional and Washington bureaus of The Providence Journal. Today, those no longer exist, and he said the shrinking of the industry has resulted in an erosion of civic health among Rhode Islanders.

The Rhode Island Foundation, which helps support “Behind the Story,” is leading a national initiative locally called Press Forward Rhode Island, wh...

The story, “Working the Night Shift,” appears in this month’s issue of Rhode Island Monthly.

Lauren Clem, a senior editor, and Jonathan Pitts-Wiley, a photographer, shadowed workers in fields including hospitality, health care, policing, fishing and restaurants.

“I am not normally working the night shift, so we had some very sleepless few weeks,” Clem said. “The majority we did on separate nights, and we tried to line them up chron...

Eric Halvarson, who has been a contributing writer since August, was hired last month to cover Providence full time. He said the hire marks an important milestone for the largely volunteer-driven organization as it looks to expand its coverage.

“One of the motivations behind starting the outlet was to cover all of the city and move beyond downtown and the East Side, and to cover areas that might not get as much in-depth attention,”...

Alex Kuffner, who covers energy and the environment, first shed light on the issue last month with an in-depth report on the state’s largest sludge disposal facility in Woonsocket, which residents are fighting to shut down.

More than 90% of the state’s sludge — a mix of human waste, organic materials and chemicals filtered out of wastewater — is disposed of at the facility in northern Rhode Island.

“If that closes, you’re going to ...

Ethan Shorey, who served as the newspaper’s editor, has said in the past that he always wanted to spend his entire career at one news organization. But he acknowledged it has become tougher in recent years and felt now was the time for a change. He left the paper on March 6.

“I was able to make it work for a really long time,” Shorey said, adding the long hours required at a local newspaper were affecting his ability to spend time ...

Patrick Anderson, who covers politics and government, has followed the story since former state directors Jim Thorsen and David Patten became embroiled in the scandal three years ago.

The two men traveled to Philadelphia to visit a redeveloped space known as “Bok.” Afterward, state contractors who gave them a tour alleged Patten behaved inappropriately during the trip and that Thorsen failed to intervene.

The two men were also trea...

Alexa Gagosz, who covers business for the newspaper, has spent years reporting on the mall. She described it as currently being in a state of limbo.

“It’s this place that used to be a luxurious place to shop with the Nordstrom’s — with classic mall stores like The Gap, J. Crew and a lot of those have been replaced and gone,” Gagosz said. “When we say the mall is in limbo, it’s like, what is the future of this major development?”

Th...

Bekah Berger is the co-host of the morning show on 92 PRO-FM and one of the most recognizable radio voices in the region. She has been covering the rollout of “Real Housewives of Rhode Island,” which marks the network’s 20th season of the hit reality franchise.

Although the show was filmed locally and Rhode Island is featured throughout, Berger said first-time viewers will quickly learn it is more about the cast and their relations...

In a special blizzard edition of “Behind the Story,” 12 News journalists Kayla Fish and Corey Welch discussed covering the Blizzard of ’26.

Fish, an anchor and reporter, was stationed on Aquidneck Island with Welch, the station’s chief photographer.

For hours during the height of the historic snowstorm, the breaking news duo trudged through wind and snow to show viewers the dangerous whiteout conditions.

“It’s active, it’s interest...

The hosts of “Behind the Story” devoted a special episode this week to examining the coverage of the deadly shooting at a high school hockey game in Pawtucket.

The shooting killed two people and wounded three others, who remained in critical condition as of Wednesday. The incident quickly drew national attention.

Police identified the shooter as Robert Dorgan, a transgender person who also went by the name Roberta Dorgan. Authorities...

Jonny Williams, who covers health-related topics for the Journal, said researchers found troubling patterns in chatbot responses after feeding them scripts over several months and prompting the technology to act as mental health counselors.

“Even after putting iterations of different prompts into the AI chatbot, the chatbot was still violating ethical guidelines for counseling,” Williams said. “It was doing things like gaslighting, ...

Bill Haberman, a morning host and news aficionado, is a familiar voice in the state. He hosts an early-morning show and delivers news at the top and bottom of the hour each weekday on WPRO.

He spoke about the station’s longtime brand, “Operation Snowball,” and how relaying school closures and cancellations has changed as real-time information has become more accessible.

“It used to be a real undertaking because literally all the staf...

Mark Dondero, a former 12 News sports reporter, said it’s been fun to watch how invested New England fans become when the Patriots are winning. The team is 2-0 in the playoffs and will face the Denver Broncos on Sunday with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line.

“Nobody thought they were going to be this good,” Dondero said. “Nobody thought Drake Maye could potentially win the MVP award. I certainly didn’t think we’d be talking about...

Nancy Lavin, a senior reporter covering government, politics and policy for the online news outlet, wrote about the governor’s address that typically outlines his tax and spending priorities ahead of his full budget proposal to the General Assembly.

Lavin said covering the State of the State is somewhat easier than writing about the budget each year because it doesn’t require as much calculation. This year, she said McKee’s tone mad...

Ellen Liberman, a contributing editor and writer for the magazine, spent several months interviewing Shekarchi, widely considered the most powerful lawmaker in the state.

The cover story is available now on newsstands.

Her reporting explores Shekarchi’s personal life, follows his career in law and politics and offers a behind-the-scenes look at his role during a tense gun reform debate at the State House last June.

"When I met him in ...

Tim White and Ted Nesi for years have covered politics on all levels and together they moderate some of the most highly watched political debates each year.

The duo discussed the current state of affairs in the much-anticipated 2026 gubernatorial race for Democrats and Republicans, and analyze the value of polls in political reporting.

White and Nesi, who also host the political affairs show "Newsmakers," also talked about what goes ...