Zack Newman
LightNews LightNews
banner
zacknewsman.bsky.social
Zack Newman
@zacknewsman.bsky.social
890 followers 530 following 160 posts
Freelance investigative data journalist | Emmy & Murrow winner. Alum: BusinessDesk, 9News, SkyBlossomFilm, MSNBC, Mizzou.

Encrypted email: zacknewsman at proton dot me. He/His.

https://www.zacknewman.com/
Posts Replies Media Videos
zacknewsman.bsky.social
Trees can do a lot for Denverites, but I found disparities in where they're planted. I dug into five years of data for The Local Colorado. A third of new tress went to low canopy areas.

youtu.be/IkBUsMmqXQU?...
An image of a bunch of trees from a birds-eye view with the text superimposed over it that says: "Of the 14,272 trees planted, we found 30% went to neighborhoods that need them the most."
October 23, 2025 at 10:43 PM
zacknewsman.bsky.social
Don’t forget to frolic this summer

#colorado #getoutside #touchgrass
Two people upside down on yellow paddleboards. They’re surrounded by Colorado rolling hills, turquoise water, and bright blue sky dotted with puffy white clouds. Tan rocks jut out of the verdant treelined hills in an imposing way. Blue sky and fluffy white clouds are in the background.
July 12, 2025 at 1:22 AM
zacknewsman.bsky.social
I am ecstatic to share that I have received a seed grant from the Fund for Investigative Journalism to pursue an investigative project digging into first responders in Colorado.

I am grateful to be able put my time towards this necessary story. Let's get to work!
The screenshot reads, on the letterhead of the Fund for Investigative Journalism: "Fund for Investigative Journalism: Acknowledgement of Seed Grant Conditions. Date: June 27, 2025. Dear Zachary, The Fund for Investigative Journalism (FIJ) is pleased to let you know that its governing board has selected your proposal for a seed grant award of $2,500."
July 10, 2025 at 7:44 PM
zacknewsman.bsky.social
Learning to take care of my mental health after going through Trauma in the field was a lot like riding a bucking raptor - weird but I eventually figured it out

I really hope you come to our session on managing stress, #IRE25.

We’re going to share actionable tips and you can see my sick socks 🦖🕵🏻‍♂️
A little cowboy rides a dinosaur, holding their hat aloft as they have the time of their life. IRE conversations. Beyond the investigation - managing stress, safety and mental wellness. Friday, June 20. 11:30 am.
June 20, 2025 at 5:14 AM
zacknewsman.bsky.social
The sound of learning #IRE25
June 19, 2025 at 11:56 PM
zacknewsman.bsky.social
It’s been such a blast to be back at #IRE25!
Zack Newman, a bearded white guy, is in a suit and holds up the IRE25 name tag. A jazz band, with brass/drums/dancers, walks by in the halls of the IRE25 conference.
June 19, 2025 at 11:53 PM
zacknewsman.bsky.social
This week I’m trying to channel these resilient little fellows, pushing through rocks to flourish.

#colorado #wildflowers
A daisy (I think Easter daisy?) sprouts from within the rock. They have a yellow center and white petals. A daisy (I think Easter daisy?) sprouts from within the rock. They have a yellow center and white petals. They stand tall within the rocks and the mountains are behind them.
June 16, 2025 at 7:44 PM
zacknewsman.bsky.social
The state of the world has felt overwhelming, but the bountiful wildflowers popping up near Colorado trails across the state have brought me so much joy 🥹

#colorado #wildflower
Bright-yellow flowers flutter in the sun with an epic mountain behind them. A field full of lilac-purple flowers and blue sky behind them. Bright-orange paintbrush flowers sprout up with the rugged mountainside behind them. A columbine flower, with its tapestry of white and purple petals, collects sun near a Colorado trail.
June 16, 2025 at 7:44 PM
zacknewsman.bsky.social
I think most journalists are struggling with how to deal with all of **this** going on right now. I'm hopeful that we may be able to help you

Our @ire.org panel will give you time-tested tools on how to take care of yourself and ways that our industry can build systems to better support their teams
Investigative Reporters and Editors graphic ahead of IRE25 for: IRE Conversations: Managing stress, safety and mental wellness. The session will occur on Friday, June 20 at 11:30 am.
June 9, 2025 at 8:02 PM
zacknewsman.bsky.social
I am stoked to reconnect with friends and do some teaching at @ire.org in a few weeks 🕵️

I'll be on a mental health panel and will be leading a session on how to find the story in transportation data.

Who will I see there?!
A graphic from the Investigative Reporters & Editors conference that says: "IRE25 | New Orleans | June 19-22 I'm speaking at the IRE conference! Zack Newman Independent Journalist"
May 27, 2025 at 5:34 PM
zacknewsman.bsky.social
A dark but incredibly useful giveaway at the #CollaborativeJournalism Conference is a temporary tattoo with the @rcfp.org hotline number to wear at protests
The inverted hotline for the Reporter’s Committee for the freedom of the press, an organization that provides pro bono legal services for journalists. This is designed to be applied as a temporary tattoo and the number is: 1-800-336-4243. Instructions for how to apply a temporary tattoo from the Reporter’s Committee for the freedom of the press, an organization that provides pro bono legal services for journalists.
May 15, 2025 at 8:26 PM
zacknewsman.bsky.social
Wow. ICE used an undocumented immigrant's granddaughter as bait to get her out of her home to arrest her.

www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol...
Ferreira de Oliveira, who is 40 years old, was still at their nearby home when she received a phone call from one of her daughters, who said ICE had pulled them over and were threatening to arrest Clara. Ferreira de Oliveira’s frightened daughter told her mother that she needed to leave the home now and come meet them on the street, because ICE was telling them that if they arrested Clara, they weren’t allowed to leave the baby in the hands of a minor. So, the feds insisted, grandma needed to rush over to take custody of the baby. Shortly after Ferreira de Oliveira arrived on the scene, ICE took her into custody. The agents suddenly no longer seemed interested in the 21-year-old daughter. ICE did not arrest her or her 17-year-old sibling.
May 14, 2025 at 4:54 PM
zacknewsman.bsky.social
A Colorado state agency tried to make me pay for a records request via check until I reminded them that was against the law.

Know your records laws, kids! And submitting requests through a portal and not just an email seems to speed it up too.

@coloradofoic.bsky.social
Good Afternoon Mr. Newman, For payment, please mail the check to:Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing: Legal Division ATTN: CORA Officer 303 E. 17th StreetDenver, CO 80203The data will be released to you upon receiving the check and processing payment. Thank you, --Jena Blea-FloresParalegal/Legal Asst. IILegal DivisionPolicy, Communications and Administration Office Also, SB23-286 makes it clear that I’m allowed to pay via electronic methods like a credit card: “Requires a custodian to allow records requesters to pay any fee or deposit associated with the request via a credit card or electronic payment if the custodian allows members of the public to pay for any other service or product provided by the custodian with a credit card or electronic payment.”https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/sb23-286 Thanks,Zack Good Afternoon Mr. Newman, If you would prefer to pay electronically, you may go to our Portal to submit your request there, and then it will enable you to use an electronic payment method. Please visit our website to make the request, if that is your preference.https://hcpf.colorado.gov/contact-hcpf#:~:text=Colorado%20Open%20Records%20Act%20(CORA)&text=A%20person%20who%20wishes%20to,%2C%20courier%2C%20or%20CORA%20portal.For future reference, this is an easy and convenient way to submit your CORA requests. Please let me know if you need further guidance as to how to submit an electronic request through our system. If you would like to drop the check off at the office, that is also fine; whatever is easiest for you. Thank you, Jena Blea-FloresParalegal/Legal Asst. II Legal DivisionPolicy, Communications and Administration Office
April 23, 2025 at 5:19 PM
zacknewsman.bsky.social
Denver flowers face a shock to the system today after days of spring warmth
Clumps of lilac-purple flowers filled with snow. Clumps of lilac-purple flowers filled with snow. Pink flowers doused in snow. A sidewalk and street is visible in the background.
April 18, 2025 at 6:17 PM
zacknewsman.bsky.social
I love this section so much:
Kirsten Wulfsberg, a licensed counselor in Chaffee county in central Colorado who has taken the LandLogic training, shows how a therapist can create interventions using the farm itself as a tool. In her job with the Colorado AgrAbility Project, part of a nationwide network helping farmers overcome physical and mental issues, she had one client who repeatedly told her that he was stuck in a rut. “So I told him to go sit in a rut,” Wulfsberg said. She told him to find a ravine on his farm and sit there. As he sat there, he watched birds and other animals go in and out of it. Some of them climbed straight up the sides of the ravine, and others found routes that were less steep. He eventually recognized that he tended to take the harder routes in his life. This intervention showed him that he actually had options – that maybe he wasn’t so stuck. “Ranchers and farmers don’t spend a whole lot of time talking about their emotions,” Wulfsberg said. “[This approach] gives them a language that’s non-threatening, a form of communication that they didn’t have before.”
April 11, 2025 at 5:19 PM
zacknewsman.bsky.social
Learning more about Ida B. Wells, and this iconic quote, is giving me life today.
A massive quote in gold letters on a gray wall reads: "The way to right wrongs in to turn the light of truth upon them." - Ida B. Wells.
April 1, 2025 at 6:19 PM
zacknewsman.bsky.social
AI can be a great tool when used responsibly. I scraped data from this old Census document to create this map. It ran with @theconversation.com piece that I edited.

Detroit's Black population surged 611% from 1910 to 1920, prompting a mecca for Black businesses.

theconversation.com/the-story-of...
A page of the Census with the Black population for dozens of American cities over time from 1910 to 1930. The text are small and numbers are overwhelming in this current format. A map of the United States with blue circles of various widths depending on the population growth. The bigger the circle, the larger the growth. Detroit's Black population grew 611%, up to 40,838 people, during that decade. Detroit was one of a handful of cities in the Great Lakes region that surged.
March 21, 2025 at 4:47 PM
zacknewsman.bsky.social
I just wrapped up my first Institute for Independent Journalists conference feeling full of hope and tips to make this freelance thing sustainable.

I am so grateful and excited to be a part of this community that uplifts one another! 🥹

#IIJ2025 @indiejournalists.bsky.social
A group of journalists in tiny Zoom squares smile at the camera.
March 1, 2025 at 12:20 AM
zacknewsman.bsky.social
Two judicial districts had the sharpest dips in prosecuting new DUI cases, more than 50%, in Denver’s 2nd Judicial District and Arapahoe County’s 18th Judicial District.

Spokesmen for the DA's said they are "committed" to pursuing charges in cases brought to them by law enforcement. 6/
The maps shows where impaired driving case filings declined the most from 2013 to 2023 in judicial districts across the state, according to a Denver Gazette analysis of court data. The 2nd Judicial District, which hosts Denver, and the 18th Judicial District, were Aurora resides, had the largest declines of more than 50%. Matt Jablow, spokesperson for Denver District Attorney John Walsh, declined an interview and wrote in a statement that the decline in DUI cases filed was because of the decrease in arrests made by the Denver police. “Our commitment to combatting drunk driving did not change between 2013 and 2023, nor has it changed since,” Jablow wrote. “Drunk drivers have killed far too many people and caused far too many injuries over the years and it remains a significant public safety issue. As in all of our cases, we file charges only when we believe we can prove a defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.” Ryan Brackley, an assistant district attorney, did not dispute the decrease in DUI cases filed in the 18th Judicial District in a statement to The Denver Gazette. "We acknowledge the recent downward trend in DUI-related arrests and case filings,” Brackley wrote. “However, we remain fully committed to supporting our law enforcement partners in their proactive efforts to ensure safer streets. Our office thoroughly reviews each DUI-related case presented, and we will continue to hold offenders accountable when they selfishly put others at risk of serious bodily injury or death."
February 23, 2025 at 11:20 PM
zacknewsman.bsky.social
The declining enforcement happened statewide, but was pronounced in a few police departments/sheriffs offices & judicial districts.

DUI arrests declined by at least 50% at more than a dozen agencies. Representatives at Denver Police & the Adams County Sheriffs Office blamed staffing problems.

4/
Agencies with the largest decline in impaired driving arrests. DUI arrests dropped off by at least half at more than a dozen law enforcement agencies from 2013 to 2023. The green arrows show declines at law enforcement agencies like Aurora Police Department, Adams County Sheriff's Office and Denver Police Department.
February 23, 2025 at 11:20 PM
zacknewsman.bsky.social
Howard Small, the father of a DUI crash victim, said this is "completely unacceptable."

A drunk & high driver killed Ethan Small in 2019 after Ethan dropped off his Lyft passengers.

Howard said he misses Ethan's kind spirit and running together. They loved running the Bolder Boulder. 3/
Two men, Howard & Ethan Small, give the camera a thumbs up. They are wearing sunglasses, athletic clothes and running bibs for the Bolder Boulder race. Runners and a stadium are behind them.
February 23, 2025 at 11:20 PM
zacknewsman.bsky.social
My analysis found Colorado law enforcement officers made 32% fewer arrests and prosecutors pursued 34% fewer charges from 2013 to 2023.

2/ #colorado #datajournalism
A light blue line chart shows Colorado arrests for driving under the influence drops 32%. Law enforcement officials made 24,364 DUI arrests in 2013 – and 16,581 in 2023. Prosecutors filed 29,790 DUI cases in 2013 and 19,692 cases in 2023.
February 23, 2025 at 11:20 PM
zacknewsman.bsky.social
MORE people are dying from impaired driving accidents in Colorado but authorities statewide are pursuing LESS drunk driving cases than they were than 10 years ago.

I dug into the for the @denvergazette.com and I'd love to share what I've learned. 1/

#colorado #journalism
A sky blue line shows a climbing number of people killed in impaired driving crashes in Colorado from 2013 to 2023. Crashes rose 41%. They killed 161 people in 2013 and 227 people in 2023. That is down from the high water mark of 283 deaths in 2022. A headline from the Denver Gazette, under the banner of the paper's investigative unit, reads: "Colorado sees increase in DUI deaths while enforcement drops. Impaired driving deaths increased 41% between 2013 and 2023, but DUI arrests and case filings decreased by about 30%"
February 23, 2025 at 11:20 PM
zacknewsman.bsky.social
💻 White collar jobs usually allowed at least some telework. Managers have also embraced remote work, with nearly 40% leading their teams from home at least some of the time.
Workers in computer, math, business and legal fields were most likely to report working remotely, according to an analysis of BLS data.
February 4, 2025 at 8:48 PM
zacknewsman.bsky.social
I took a look at who was able to work remotely in 2024 for Stacker.

✏️ My analysis found some disparities in who could utilize the flexibility. Black and Hispanic/Latino men were way less likely to report working remotely.

#datajournalism
Asian women and men were most likely to report working remotely -- about 30% of typical survey respondents. Hispanic/Latino and Black men were least likely to work remotely, per the analysis of BLS data.
February 4, 2025 at 8:48 PM