Jenn Abelson

Investigative reporter @WashingtonPost
co-host of #BrokenDoors podcast
Find me on Signal or [email protected]

[Jenn Abelson @jennabelson]

1/10 I’m thrilled to share the first 3 episodes of our new investigative podcast #BrokenDoors. I spent more than a year examining the abuse of no-knock warrants and listening to hours of tape (including secret recordings!) w/ co-host @ndungca
https://t.co/iWzZu5agXs

[The Washington Post @washingtonpost]

The people of Maypearl trusted Police Chief Kevin Coffey.

Few were aware that Maypearl was the eighth law enforcement agency that Coffey had worked at in 11 years. And none could have predicted the destruction he would wreak in their town. https://t.co/S0njQ3y3bM

[Janai Nelson @JNelsonLDF]

"Maypearl was the 8th law enforcement agency that Coffey had worked at in 11 years."

With over 18,000 LEAs in the country and virtually zero accountability for police offenders, police departments are an easy place for criminals to hide in plain sight. https://t.co/lC1X1ENcTO

[Karen Tumulty @ktumulty]

Powerful journalism makes a difference: Indiana decertifies ex-cop who sexually abused a teen. It took two years and a Post investigation. @jennabelson @mjcontrera https://t.co/1OcxKXbVyt

[Jessica Contrera @mjcontrera]

Step inside Maypearl, Texas, where Chief Kevin Coffey's path of destruction went far beyond the girls he preyed on.

Then follow @jennabelson, Alice Li & @vanhoutenphoto to a Texas prison to get answers from Coffey himself:

https://t.co/UwkWLg2w2L

[Jessica Contrera @mjcontrera]

The new police chief quickly impressed the small Texas community he’d sworn to protect. He started a Christmas charity event. He checked on elderly neighbors.

He seemed especially good with troubled teenagers.

Then they learned who he really was:

https://t.co/UwkWLg2w2L

[Jessica Contrera @mjcontrera]

In our investigation of police officers who sexually abuse kids, we kept noticing a pattern: officers trying to use their positions to intimidate witnesses, destroy evidence & evade consequences.

We were still stunned by what happened in Gauley Bridge: https://t.co/8Xe7eMJv55

[Mandy Matney @MandyMatney]

Back in 2021, I reported on former SC school resource officer Jamel Bradley charged with sexual battery of a student and the system that protected him for years.

I learned today that he STILL is out on bond after all these years.

NO ONE has been held accountable for protecting this man for so long and failing to protect these young girls from *alleged* abuse.

Great work by the Post on this story. It's good to see it getting the attention it deserves.

[Washington Post Communications @WashPostComms]

“Broken Doors” Awarded the John Jay/Frank Guggenheim Award for Excellence in Criminal Justice Reporting
"An example of the kind of closely reported, high-impact journalism we are so proud to honor.” @washingtonpost @jennabelson @ndungca
https://t.co/pCq6JfOTXY

[Jenn Abelson @jennabelson]

The brilliant @ndungca is at it again with a series about brains taken without consent by a racist anthropologist and kept at the Smithsonian. She and @clurhealy, along with a team of Post colleagues, have produced phenomenal work including this illustrated investigation.

[Nicole Dungca @ndungca]

Maura's story sparked this investigation into the Smithsonian's racial brain collection.

She was an Indigenous Filipino woman who came to St. Louis to be put on display at the World's Fair. When she died, an anthropologist likely took her cerebellum.
https://t.co/CkSx0Z91bl

[Vanessa Montalbano @vanessamontzz]

I’m so glad @ndungca @jennabelson are getting the recognition they deserve for the Broken Doors podcast.

This was one of the most meaningful stories I worked on in WaPo’s investigative practicum & every hour spent scouring through warrants was well worth it! Congrats ladies!🎉📰

[Jenn Abelson @jennabelson]

@Lindakwert Thank you, @Lindakwert

[Ariel Plotnick @arielplotnick]

SO PROUD of colleagues @ReenaJF @sabby_robinson @ndungca @jennabelson @mohammadlinah @Renitaski for being Pulitzer finalists for BROKEN DOORS!!

https://t.co/kTZdTiFab8

[Charla4Mayor @Charla4Mayor]

I'm still in awe of @sabby_robinson @ReenaJF @ndungca @jennabelson @mohammadlinah and the amazing piece of audio journalism they put together. Congratulations on being Pulitzer finalists!

[Debbie Cenziper @debbiecenziper]

Congrats @jennabelson @ndungca and team at @wpinvestigates for this well-deserved honor. What a project. Proud of the @MIL_Medill students who got to contribute, including @michael_korsh @g0ingmad @MedillSchool

https://t.co/XahBOBa26p

[Julie Vitkovskaya @Julie_Vit]

A HUGE CONGRATS to The Post's team that produced and reported the "Broken Doors" podcast for winning the 2023 Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award for Radio. @jennabelson @ndungca @ReenaJF @sabby_robinson @mohammadlinah !! https://t.co/Y9HsEHbiZK

[Robert & Ethel Kennedy Human Rights Center @Kennedy_HRC]

Though ‘Broken Doors,’ @jennabelson, @ndungca & @mohammadlinah bring listeners through a six-part investigative podcast about how alarmingly easy it is to obtain no-knock warrants in America. Congratulations on winning this year’s Radio Award! @washingtonpost #RFKBJA

[𝙵𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚝 𝙿𝚊𝚐𝚎𝚜 𝚃𝚘𝚍𝚊𝚢 📰 @ukpapers]

🇺🇸 Coached Until Collapsing, Now She's On Life Support

▫An aspiring bodybuilder's trainer put her on a severe diet and performance-enhancing drugs
▫@jennabelson
▫https://t.co/WAoq8MXcKg 🇺🇸

#frontpagestoday #USA @washingtonpost

[Jenn Abelson @jennabelson]

890 calories. 2.5 hours of cardio. A cocktail of performance-enhancing drugs. An aspiring bodybuilder is now on life support after following extreme contest prep measures. Here is Neggy's story. https://t.co/36RsYGJzKr

[Meryl Kornfield @MerylKornfield]

Please take some time with this piece today. Written with the incredible @SariHorwitz and @NickMiroff. Data analysis by brilliant @dataeditor. Photos by talented @salwangeorges. Editing by masterful @TrishWbelli. Free version here: https://t.co/2IHPOAIhvl

[Bonnie Berkowitz @bonnieberkowitz]

When I began reporting this story about the science of bodybuilding last May, I had several expectations that turned out to be completely wrong. Here are the four biggest, plus a question I wish I’d asked. 🧵https://t.co/TDEP1X6qtc