Maggie Messitt

May 8, 2024 | spotlightpa.org | Sarah Rafacz |Maggie Messitt |Marley Parish |Min Xian

Almost two years ago, Spotlight PA announced a historic local expansion of our award-winning investigative and public-service journalism — starting with our first regional bureau based in State College. The results have been astounding, but there is much more to do. We’ve exposed systemic problems in Penn State’s misconduct reporting structure, resulting in improved transparency. We’ve delved into how rural communities are served (or not) by state agencies and lawmakers.

Dec 21, 2023 | centredaily.com | Maggie Messitt |Sarah Rafacz

Public participation is crucial to democracy. Elected officials need to hear from the people who live in their communities to make informed decisions that benefit everyone. While an abundance of news sources makes it easy to have an opinion about what's happening in national politics, it's the decisions made by local governments that directly affect our everyday lives. But keeping up with your local government's various boards and commissions might not be the easiest thing to do.

Dec 20, 2023 | spotlightpa.org | Maggie Messitt |Sarah Rafacz |Christopher Baxter |Marley Parish

Public participation is crucial to democracy. Elected officials need to hear from the people who live in their communities to make informed decisions that benefit everyone. While an abundance of news sources makes it easy to have an opinion about what’s happening in national politics, it’s the decisions made by local governments that directly affect our everyday lives. But keeping up with your local government’s various boards and commissions might not be the easiest thing to do.