government accountability Archives

BINJ Ed Director Talks Massachusetts Opioid Settlement Coverage At NICAR

Chris Faraone joined cohort from Data-Driven Reporting Project at Northwestern University

BOSTON INSTITUTE FOR NONPROFIT JOURNALISM March 12, 2026

Public Health Officials Holding Opioid Remediation Fund Listening Sessions In Western Mass

With tens of millions still unspent, Massachusetts is soliciting public input on how to use money meant to mitigate damage wrought by the opioid epidemic

CHRIS FARAONE March 11, 2026

Massachusetts State Police Are On A Drone Surveillance Shopping Spree

Ahead of World Cup, MSP seeks the latest drone-hijacking software and long-range surveillance cameras to monitor large public gatherings

CHRIS FARAONE February 26, 2026

Millions In Opioid Settlement Funds Are Still Sitting Idle In Mass Municipalities

The state tried to withhold information on how cities and towns are spending opioid remediation dollars. From non-spenders to funding of police, here’s what the data shows.

JONATHAN GERHARDSON February 11, 2026

Meet The Massachusetts Advocate Challenging The Opioid Recovery Establishment

“The systems that refuse to evolve, that cling to nearly 100-year-old faith-based pseudoscience … are a huge part of why we can’t seem to solve this problem”

CHRIS FARAONE December 15, 2025

Gun Violence Prevention Grant Puts Opioid Settlement Funds Back In Communities

The Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office is spending its settlement funds from the consulting giant McKinsey on nonprofits working on gun violence prevention, urban farming, and food access

JACOB SCHLES November 2, 2025

Five Deaths In Less Than A Month In Massachusetts Prisons

Connecting BINJ reporting on Department of Correction health care to news of multiple “medical emergencies”

CHRIS FARAONE November 1, 2025

Massachusetts Government To Procure A Chat-Based AI Assistant

Concerns raised about automating tasks with unproven technology

ZOE BEKETOVA October 27, 2025

Hard Lessons From The Failed Campaign To Regulate Psychedelics In Massachusetts

Under-trained staff and mixed messaging: Why Massachusetts’ historic psychedelics bill collapsed

NOAH DALY AND JACK GORSLINE October 16, 2025

No Opioid Settlement Funds Going To Massachusetts Prisons

The commonwealth will receive more than a billion dollars for opioid remediation—none of it is for the state’s most vulnerable drug-dependent population

CHRIS FARAONE October 7, 2025