Amita Sharma
Investigative ReporterAs the public matters investigative reporter, Amita leads KPBS’ coverage on efforts to undermine democracy, including threats to public officials, bolstering the Big Lie, chipping away at voter’s rights, attempts to overturn election results, eroding institutions and weakening the government's capacity to do its job, as well as civic efforts to engage people with opposing views without rancor.
The goal of the position is to report on the stakes, from a San Diego County perspective, on the United States’ current political moment.
She has spent the last two years reporting on local threats to democracy, including regional extremism, the shrinking of local news coverage while the number of hyper partisan “news” websites grow, censorship at libraries and incivility at public meetings.
Her previous coverage includes: exposing abuses in local nursing homes at the height of the pandemic, including a serial rapist who had worked in several El Cajon facilities and was arrested following her reporting; unearthing a contract between the city of Chula Vista and Motorola that allowed the company to sell data collected by the Chula Vista Police Department; and reporting on discrimination and retaliation in the San Diego County Public Defender’s Office that led to court settlements and the retirement of the Public Defender.
-
Building community can mean joining a volunteering effort or organization. But it can also be meeting a neighbor, helping a friend, organizing an evening event. KPBS is working on a story about community and wants to hear from you. -
Former San Diego U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath told KPBS that the Trump Administration’s shift in goals is so dramatic that public safety is at risk. -
Legal experts warn the Department of Justice's recent moves and memos signal an alarming shift. -
Boston College professor Heather Cox Richardson infuses history with relevance as she explains American politics through the lens of the Constitution, the law, the economy and social customs. -
If you were once politically active — attending protests, registering voters and showing up at community meetings — but have now retreated from activism, KPBS wants to know why. -
Threatened cuts to federal spending and layoffs of key government workers are moving at a rapid clip under the Trump administration, with broad fallout for San Diego County. San Diego Congresswoman Sara Jacobs spoke to KPBS about the latest moves and what they mean for local residents.
-
The legal dispute over police drone footage stems from a lawsuit filed by Arturo Castanares, publisher of La Prensa San Diego. -
KPBS Midday EditionAn investigation by CapRadio and NPR's California Newsroom has found that Gov. Newsom overstated, by an astounding 690%, the number of acres treated with fuel breaks and prescribed burns in forestry projects aimed at protecting the state’s most vulnerable communities. -
This is a breaking news blog for all of the latest updates on the conviction of former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin on murder and manslaughter charges in the death of George Floyd.
- U.S. deports hundreds of Venezuelans to El Salvador, despite court order
- 59 dead and more than 150 injured in nightclub fire in North Macedonia
- Forget about rare earth minerals. We need more copper
- Why there's always room for dessert, according to brain science
- They look like Nazi salutes. Here's why some people think they're a joke