South African President Jacob Zuma continues to appear entirely unconcerned with the potential for conflicts of interest among senior members of his government. Last week, the Commons featured a story on the Mail and Guardian’s probe into the financial holdings and business investments of the new South African executive cabinet. The M & G is…
Public outrage over the abuse of expense accounts (“moat cleaning“?!) by an overwhelming number of British MPs has forced Britain’s Speaker of the Commons to resign. When Michael Martin leaves his post in late June, he will be the first Speaker to be pushed out in 300 years. The hard numbers surrounding legislators’ use of…
Watchdog media group ProPublica recognizes four US government reports featuring solid investigative work. Winners range from the Inspector General of the Department of Interior to the Los Angeles City Controller. But at the federal level… well, it’s slim pickings. Notably, ProPublica’s “jury chose to award no Prize in the category of Federal Investigation/Independent Agency.” In…