A. C. Thompson

Adam Clay "A.C." Thompson (born c.1972 [1]) is an investigative journalist, producer, and staff reporter with ProPublica.[2] His work has appeared on the PBS series Frontline. His stories, many of which examine the criminal justice system, have helped lead to the exoneration of two innocent San Francisco men sentenced to life in prison and the prosecution of seven New Orleans police officers.[2]

Thompson at the ProPublica offices in 2015.

Career

Before going into journalism, Thompson held many jobs, including pharmaceutical study test subject, trash collector, bike messenger, punk band roadie, and a martial arts fighter. He was in Afghanistan, where he was reporting for a book written with Trevor Paglen, a Ph.D researcher at UC Berkeley.[3]

Thompson was a reporter for the San Francisco Bay Guardian, SF Weekly, and the Center for Investigative Reporting.[3]

He was faculty at New College of California, an instructor in the Media Studies Graduate Program, and teaches at the Raising Our Voices program, to train street reporters.[4]

Selected documentaries
Frontline/ProPublica Documentaries
YearAir Date(s)TitleSummary
2010August 16 and 25Law and DisorderAn investigation, in collaboration with The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate, into charges and the cover up of illegal use of force by the New Orleans Police Department against citizens
2012February 21, June 28The Child CasesAn investigation, in collaboration with NPR, into deaths of children, for which people were wrongly convicted or imprisoned based on unreliable or wrong medical evidence
2013July 30, September 24Life and Death in Assisted Living An investigation into Emeritus Senior Living, the largest assisted-living company in America
2015August 15, November 3Terror in Little Saigon An investigation into unsolved murders of Vietnamese-American journalists
2018August 7Documenting Hate: CharlottesvilleAn investigation into the 2017 Unite the Right rally and the under preparedness of the local law enforcement
2018February 4, June 18, November 20Documenting Hate: New American NazisAn investigation following the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, focusing on American white supremacist groups, specifically Atomwaffen Division
2021April 13American Insurrection (2021)An investigation, in collaboration with Berkeley Journalism's Investigative Reporting Program, into far-right extremist groups (eg. the Proud Boys, Oath Keepers)following the 2017 Charlottesville car attack and rally
2022January 4American Insurrection (2022)An update of the original, including more recent events
2022March 29Plot to Overturn the ElectionAn investigation into the misinformation and causes that lead to the January 6 United States Capitol attack
2023June 13America's Dangerous TrucksAn investigation into deadly accidents between passenger vehicles and large trucks (eg. Semi-trailer truck)

Awards
  • 2005 George Polk Award for Local Reporting[5] for his series “Forgotten City,” about San Francisco's public housing
  • 2013 Elijah Parish Lovejoy Award for investigative journalism in connection with the shooting of civilians by police after Hurricane Katrina.[6]
  • 2013 Honorary Doctorate from Colby College[6]
  • 2021 Nominated for 2021 Peabody Award for his work co-producing the American Insurrection news coverage.

Publications with others
  • Torture Taxi. Co-authored with Trevor Paglen. Brooklyn, NY: Melville House Publishing, 2006. ISBN 1-933633-09-3.
    • Icon, 2007. ISBN 9781840468304.

References
  1. Robinson, Eugene S., "THE PUNK ROCK JOURNALIST MAKING REAL NEWS AT THE SOURCE", ozy.com, OCTOBER 31, 2017
  2. "A.C. Thompson - Reporter". ProPublica. Archived from the original on 9 July 2018. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
  3. "Investigative Ace A.C. Thompson Moves to SF Weekly", The Association of Alternative Newsmedia (AAN) press release, June 8, 2006.
  4. Encyclopedia of homelessness, Volume 2 Editor David Levinson, SAGE, 2004, ISBN 978-0-7619-2751-8
  5. "The George Polk Awards for Journalism". Long Island University. 2005. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2010-01-10.
  6. "Thompson to receive 2013 Lovejoy Award", Colby College News & Events, 2013
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