The Innocence Institute relies on investigative journalism to explore allegations of misconduct in the courts and claims of actual innocence. This program, a partnership between various media outlets and Point Park University, allows journalism students to gain valuable experience investigating and reporting while working to expose injustice and errors within the criminal justice system.
But it would not have been possible without the publication in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette of two extensive investigations by longtime investigative reporter Bill Moushey into the federal witness protection program (“Protected Witness,” nominated for a 1997 Pulitzer Prize in investigative reporting), and prosecutorial misconduct by federal prosecutors (which has also received numerous local and national awards for investigative reporting).
Those stories are now available as they appeared in print, exclusively through the Innocence Institute of Point Park University. Click the links below to read these monumental stories in full.
PROTECTED WITNESS, by Bill Moushey
Download it here as a PDF, or read it in your browser via Scribd.
This series is the result of a two-year journalistic investigation into the federal witness protection program that uncovered countless instances of misconduct and fraud, as well as a system that hunts some of the worst criminals in recorded history and then offers then prosecutorial leniency and even millions of dollars in support.
WIN AT ALL COSTS, by Bill Moushey
Download it here as a PDF, or read it in your browser via Scribd.
Hundreds of times during the past 10 years, federal agents and prosecutors have pursued justice by breaking the law.
They lied, hid evidence, distorted facts, engaged in cover-ups, paid for perjury and set up innocent people in a relentless effort to win indictments, guilty pleas and convictions, a two-year Post-Gazette investigation found.
Rarely were these federal officials punished for their misconduct. Rarely did they admit their conduct was wrong.
New laws and court rulings that encourage federal law enforcement officers to press the boundaries of their power while providing few safeguards against abuse fueled their actions.
Victims of this misconduct sometimes lost their jobs, assets and even families. Some remain in prison because prosecutors withheld favorable evidence or allowed fabricated testimony. Some criminals walk free as a reward for conspiring with the government in its effort to deny others their rights.
–Summary of “Win At All Costs” via Post-Gazette.com