Welcome to Wisconsin Watch’s Year in Review series. In this series, we’re looking back on Wisconsin Watch’s reporting and impact in 2023.
Throughout the week, you’ll be hearing directly from reporters and editors and get exclusive behind-the-scenes looks at our biggest investigations of the year, along with some sneak peeks at what we have planned for next year.
Wisconsin Watch published more stories in 2023 than in any previous year, including some of the most incisive reporting on state government and politics.
Here are some highlights of our work:
Democracy reporter Matt Mencarini examined every case of election fraud over the past decade and found, among the tiny number of violations, the most common infraction — voting while on probation for a felony — isn’t on the radar of those advocating for more election integrity.
Last year, state bureau chief Matthew DeFour found election deniers were erroneously inflating the number of illegal ballots cast by people a court deemed incapable of voting. But that doesn’t mean there wasn’t a problem. This spring he reported the Dane County clerk had found hundreds of “adjudicated incompetent” voters may have cast ballots in recent elections because of a porous oversight system. By the fall, a legislative fix was on its way to becoming law.
Oshkosh-based statehouse team reporter Jacob Resneck reported on how Republican legislators have been exercising their broad power through a “pocket veto” to cancel projects and initiatives championed by Democrats. He also took a closer look at the unprecedented infusion of cash from deep-pocketed Democratic donors who helped elect Janet Protasiewicz to the Wisconsin Supreme Court, creating a liberal majority. His reporting also revealed the first known case in Wisconsin of a police department using Marsy’s Law to shield the identity of an officer who had shot a suspect, and followed up on our investigation into a culture of sexual harassment in the Sheboygan Police Department to expose a shocking case in which a policy agency didn’t seek outside help to investigate an employee who reported being sexually assaulted.
Disinformation reporter Phoebe Petrovic took on the herculean — and at times personally frightening — task of combating the spread of misinformation. Phoebe, who is gender nonconforming and uses she and they pronouns, started the year covering a right-wing panel discussion about the dangers of transgender health care, where she feared for her safety due to sticking out in a potentially hostile crowd. Phoebe then spent months connecting with three families with transgender children and health care providers of gender-affirming care. All were reluctant to talk at first. But gradually she gained their trust and produced a deeply researched, beautifully written story that we published in partnership with Isthmus, just as the Legislature began a fact-challenged assault on youth transgender health care.
Our newest statehouse reporter Jack Kelly came to Wisconsin Watch in August from The Cap Times and immediately focused his reporting on the levers of power in the Capitol. His reporting broke previously undisclosed details of the chaotic transition to liberal control of the Wisconsin Supreme Court and was the first to highlight a Republican effort to codify conservative policies in the state constitution.
There’s lots more Wisconsin Watch political reporting to come. In January we’re launching Forward, a weekly newsletter previewing what’s ahead in state government and politics. Subscribe to get insights and analysis from Wisconsin Watch’s experienced reporters heading into what will surely be an eventful 2024.
Wisconsin Watch will continue to bring in-depth reporting that examines the powerful forces seeking to influence your state government, exposes wrongdoing, protects people in vulnerable situations and explores solutions.
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