- Matt Mencarini is Bridge’s newest accountability and data reporter
- His reporting has won national awards, including the Pulitzer Prize
- He is expected to focus on social welfare and data
Matt Mencarini, whose investigative reporting has won some of the nation’s highest honors, including the Pulitzer Prize, joined Bridge Michigan this week as an accountability and data reporter.
Mencarini is a corps member with Report for America, a national nonprofit that partners with newsrooms to place journalists who report on topics that often don’t receive wide coverage.
“Throughout his career, Matt has held truth to power, exposed wrongdoing among public officials and showed how the systems designed to protect our most vulnerable people often victimize them,” said Joel Kurth, executive editor of impact for Bridge Michigan.
“We are delighted to have him bring his talents for accountability and public records reporting to Bridge and our readers.”
Mencarini joins Bridge from the Lansing State Journal, where he’s been a reporter since 2023 after an earlier stint from 2015 to 2019.
He also worked as an investigative reporter at Wisconsin Watch and the Louisville Courier-Journal, where he was part of a team that uncovered racial disparities and irregularities in governor commutations that won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for breaking news.
Mencarini and a reporting colleague also won first-place honors from the National Headliner Association for stories on a sexual misconduct scandal involving former Michigan State University football coach Mel Tucker.
In Lansing, Mencarini was the lead reporter for the scandal involving former MSU doctor Larry Nassar. Throughout his 14-year career, he has worked at newsrooms in five states, reporting on mass incarceration, police corruption, domestic violence, voting rights and political influence.
At Bridge, Mencarini is expected to report on data, underserved communities and policies involving poverty, social welfare and criminal justice.
He succeeds Mike Wilkinson, who retired last year as a two-time Michigan Journalist of the Year winner from the Michigan Press Association.
Mencarini’s hiring follows years of growth at Bridge Michigan. Founded in 2011 with two journalists, it now employs more than 20. In recent years, it has added reporters to expand coverage of the outdoors, health and higher education, in addition to launching new newsletters, social media content and engagement events.
Bridge is also currently seeking another deputy editor to help lead coverage of west Michigan.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under our Republication Guidelines. Questions? Email republishing@bridgemi.com
