Author

Megan O'Matz
Megan O’Matz is a reporter at ProPublica, where she covers issues out of Wisconsin. O’Matz comes to ProPublica from the South Florida Sun Sentinel, where she worked for two decades as a general assignment, government and investigative reporter. She wrote about children missing from the state’s child welfare system, fraud in federal disaster relief aid, dangerous loopholes in Florida's concealed weapons law and foolish undercover police stings in which officers sold cocaine at a discount at suburban malls. Her work has led to the resignations of public officials and program reforms. O’Matz was a finalist for the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting on fraudulent FEMA aid and was a significant contributor to the Sun Sentinel’s reporting on the Parkland school shooting, which won the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for public service. She has worked as a reporter for the Chicago Tribune, the Morning Call in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and the Pittsburgh Press. She graduated with honors from Penn State University.
Bullied by own party, election official’s GOP roots mean nothing in volatile new climate
By: Megan O'Matz and Mariam Elba - August 7, 2023
This story was originally published by ProPublica. Margaret Rose Bostelmann’s ideals are clear from one glance at her well-kept ranch-style house in central Wisconsin. A large American flag is mounted near the front door, and a “We Back the Badge” sign on her front lawn announces her support for law enforcement. Bostelmann, a Wisconsin elections […]
They held down a Black teen who tried to shoplift. He died from asphyxia. Why was no one charged?
By: Megan O'Matz - May 26, 2023
When the clerk at VJ’s Food Mart confronted Corey Stingley, the 16-year-old handed over his backpack. Inside were six hidden bottles of Smirnoff Ice, worth $12, and the clerk began pulling them out one by one. Stingley watched, then pivoted and quickly moved toward the door, empty-handed. But there would be no escape for the […]
Election deniers failed to hand Wisconsin to Trump but have paved the way for future GOP success
By: Megan O'Matz - October 6, 2022
This story was originally published by ProPublica. Ever since claims of election fraud arose in 2020, Wisconsin has seen its share of quixotic attempts to taint the presidential results. A group of phony electors tried to claim the state’s electoral votes for Donald Trump. Wisconsin’s top lawmaker launched a yearlong inquiry led by a lawyer […]
The hypnotherapist and failed politician who helped fuel Wisconsin’s never-ending voter fraud hunt
By: Megan O'Matz - May 24, 2022
This story was originally published by ProPublica. Jay Stone grew up in the rough-and-tumble world of Chicago ward politics, the son of a longtime city alderman. But his own forays into politics left him distrustful of Chicago Democrats. When he ran for alderman in 2003, he was crushed at the polls after party leaders sent […]
Billionaire-backed group promotes hunt for voter fraud, uses discredited techniques
By: Megan O'Matz - March 7, 2022
This story was originally published by ProPublica. At a wedding hall in rural northwest Wisconsin, an evangelist hollered a question to an eager crowd of conferencegoers: “Who thinks Wisconsin can be saved?” He was answered with enthusiastic whistles and cheers. The truth, he said, would be revealed. “We need transparency!” The subject: the nation’s election […]
He beat her repeatedly. Family court tried to give him joint custody of their children
By: Megan O'Matz - September 16, 2021
ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox. Jennifer Moston was about seven months pregnant when, she said, her husband grabbed her by the arms, picked her up and threw her against the staircase. Each time she tried to […]