The Inquiry is an independent newsroom focused on accountability journalism. We investigate how organizations treat the people they serve — consumers, clients, and the public — and we publish what we find.
We are a small team. We do not take advertising. Our work is supported by our readers.
We believe organizations should have the chance to respond to reporting before publication. If you are named in a story we are preparing, you will hear from us.
We verify claims with documents and named sources. We seek comment from every organization we write about, and we reflect their response accurately. Corrections are published promptly and prominently.
Correspondence with our newsroom is treated as confidential. Source materials are handled carefully, and published documents are presented in full context.
We start with public filings — dockets, agency records, contract data — and build a timeline before anyone is contacted.
Each organization receives a written summary and the supporting material it asked about, with time to respond on the record.
We publish what the record supports, label allegations as allegations, and correct errors openly.
Where our material comes from. Court filings, agency enforcement records, published contract data, and the organizations' own disclosures. We do not publish claims we cannot point to a document for.