In this 30-minute webinar, Pennsylvania reporters Ed Mahon (Spotlight PA) and Kate Giammarise (WESA) will detail how they used open records law to break down secrecy around opioid settlement spending in their state. Their reporting has resulted in direct community impact, saving one county from a hefty penalty and losing out on millions of dollars in the future. Together, they have created the most comprehensive public accounting of how Pennsylvania counties spent the first rounds of payments.

This didactic session will offer tips, resources and tools you can use to break down barriers to public access to opioid settlement spending in your community and clearly present the information — even when dealing with agencies that aren’t covered by public record laws. Our conversation will help to inform and shape your reporting and help you walk away with stories you can take on today.

In 2024, one of the biggest stories journalists across the country will be covering is the billions of dollars being distributed from settlements of lawsuits against opioid manufacturers, distributors and pharmacies. These are dollars that city, county, state and/or tribal policymakers will be charged with spending to mitigate the harms of the overdose epidemic in communities big and small. But this story won’t come and go. Over the next 17 years, local journalists will be tasked with covering how the money is spent and holding their community leaders accountable for their choices.