Bethany Barnes
Deputy Investigative Editor at The Tampa Bay Times | Co-curator of the Local Matters newsletter, a weekly roundup of the best local investigative reporting in the county. Loves to talk books 📚
- Reposted by Bethany BarnesThe Washington Post gutted the health team which I helped to lead despite our stories being among the most widely read, impactful and adept at reaching new audiences.
- Reposted by Bethany BarnesMinnesotans following and documenting ICE activity here have been detained, pulled out of their cars, hit with chemicals, had agents route them to their homes and take photos. Even after the killings of two observers, they aren't stopping. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
- Reposted by Bethany BarnesNew: Just how furious are Americans about ICE? Sewing influencers, bourbon vloggers and the mod of r/catbongos are all taking a political stand. "I refuse to wake up in five or 10 years and look at myself in the mirror and say, ‘You had a platform and did nothing,'" a golf YouTuber told me
- Reposted by Bethany Barnes“What are you doing?” one woman yelled. “You just shot someone and now you’re terrorizing us. What more can we take?” www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
- Reposted by Bethany BarnesKare 11 local news just read, in full, this statement from Michael and Susan Pretti, the parents of Alex Pretti. "Please get the truth out about our son."
- Reposted by Bethany BarnesBrooklyn Park police chief Mark Bruley: "We're hearing people being stopped with no cause & being demanded to show paperwork to determine if they're here legally. We started hearing from our police officers the same complaints. Every one of these individuals is a person of color... it has to stop"
- Reposted by Bethany Barnes[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Bethany Barnes[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Bethany BarnesFrom before dawn to the middle of the night, here’s what it’s like on the ground in Minneapolis during this ICE surge - and how residents are fighting against it www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
- Reposted by Bethany BarnesBreaking News: The EPA will stop considering lives saved when setting pollution limits and instead calculate only the cost to businesses.
- Reposted by Bethany Barnes[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Bethany BarnesReupping this, #Minnesota - my DMs are also open. Interested in how people are providing aid to neighbors, leads on where you're seeing ICE activity, stuff on the ground that you think needs more attention
- #Minnesota: I am a Guardian reporter, based here in the Minneapolis area. I want to hear about what you're seeing, hearing, feeling and want you think needs to be covered. You can find me on Signal: rachelleingang.241 or by email at rachel.leingang@theguardian.com
- Reposted by Bethany Barnes[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Bethany BarnesThe author of a viral Reddit thread alleging fraud at a food delivery company tried to back up his claim by sending me AI-generated documents. Today I'm publishing those documents in the hopes that it helps other reporter see what we're up against in the age of AI www.platformer.news/fake-uber-ea...
- Reposted by Bethany BarnesMaria has been accused over the years of fabricating her story that she had gone to the FBI. After finding the document in the trove, I called her. She broke down in tears. “I’ve waited 30 years. I can’t believe it. They can’t call me a liar anymore.” www.nytimes.com/2025/12/19/u...
- Reposted by Bethany BarnesHUGE NEWS from the new Epstein files: Records show that Maria Farmer, who worked for Epstein, filed a "child pornography" report to the FBI in 1996. The FBI has never before acknowledged that complaint. The case went nowhere, and mass abuse followed. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/19/u...
- Reposted by Bethany Barnes[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Bethany Barnes[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Bethany BarnesPrivate equity has found a new source of profit: volunteer fire departments. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/14/u...
- During the fight to defeat amendments 3 (marijuana) and 4 (abortion) last year, Gov. DeSantis’ administration spent at least $36.2 million in taxpayer funds: www.tampabay.com/news/florida...
- In the outside world, cataract surgeries are considered minor and typically take 15 minutes. In Florida prisons, inmates can spend years waiting and go blind before they ever get surgery. tampabay.com/news/health/...
- Reposted by Bethany Barnes[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Bethany Barnes[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Bethany Barnes[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Bethany Barnes[Not loaded yet]
- This exists! It’s called Local Matters. We are sponsored by @ire.org & @knightcolumbia.org. Local Matters is a free, weekly newsletter that is curated by myself and three other working journalists. This is our 8th year! Anyone can sign up here: visitor.r20.constantcontact.com/manage/optin...
- Reposted by Bethany BarnesIn 2000, rookie Oakland cop Aaron McFarland wrote report saying he arrested man w drugs. His probable cause for stop: the man had crossed a solid red light. The problem: At that time of night the lights blink red. Katey & I obtained new records: www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/arti...
- Reposted by Bethany Barnes[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Bethany Barnes[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Bethany Barnes[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Bethany Barnes[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Bethany Barnes[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Bethany Barnes[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Bethany BarnesEXCLUSIVE: CA National Guard troops sent by Trump to LA amid immigration protests are sleeping on concrete floors. No fed funding for food, water, fuel, equipment or lodging. Source: “Currently, there is no plan for where everyone is sleeping tonight” www.sfchronicle.com/california/a...
- Reposted by Bethany Barnes[Not loaded yet]
- There are still spots in our Writing The Investigative Narrative class at @ire.org! Come talk craft with me & @rwoolington.bsky.social ✨📰 Sign up here: www.ire.org/product/ire2...
- Reposted by Bethany Barnes[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Bethany Barnes[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Bethany Barnes[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Bethany Barnes[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Bethany Barnes[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Bethany Barnes[Not loaded yet]
- "If they had deliberately set out to emotionally torture three generations of a single family — Hailey, her aunt and, most important, her infant — they couldn’t have done a more thorough, efficient job of it than they did and continue to do in this case" missouriindependent.com/2025/05/05/h...
- Reposted by Bethany Barnes[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Bethany Barnes[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Bethany BarnesI have written many healthcare stories, but never before have I written about my own health. I decided to do so after learning one of my drugs costs nearly $1,000 a pill and just 25 cents to make. What I found was an incredible story of discovery and exploitation. www.propublica.org/article/revl...
- Reposted by Bethany Barnes[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Bethany Barnes[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Bethany Barnes[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Bethany Barnes[Not loaded yet]
- Gutting detail in this expertly reported narrative by Lauren Peace, which shows how the system failed a woman desperately seeking help — as well as the cops trying to protect her. www.tampabay.com/news/crime/2... @longreads.com @thesundaylongread.bsky.social
- Reposted by Bethany Barnes[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Bethany BarnesJust got word from my college roommate - who is the state archivist for the state of South Dakota - that due to the DOGE shutdowns of IMLS, they can no longer fund InterLibrary Loan in SD. This means exchange between libraries, ability to get books delivered across the system, is gone as of 4/30.
- Reposted by Bethany Barnes[Not loaded yet]
- The Tampa Bay Times published an investigation into water pollution in Florida. Read a breakdown of the key takeaways here: www.tampabay.com/investigatio...
- Reposted by Bethany Barnes[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Bethany Barnes[Not loaded yet]
