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.
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Peace is brewing in parts of San Diego between decades-long sworn enemies the Crips and the Bloods. Veterans from both gangs hope that dialogue will trump threats and badly needed resources will replace gunfire. -
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.
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County requiring employees of grocery stores and many other retail outlets to wear masks as of midnight Friday. That’s a tall order, says the California Grocers Association.
- Bob Filner, disgraced ex-mayor of San Diego, dies at 82
- Mild, warmer weather expected this week in San Diego County
- Firings and a ‘no confidence’ vote rock Imperial County government
- San Diego County releases dashboard compiling on South County sewage
- As a diversity grant dies, young scientists fear it will haunt their careers