Melissa Santos

Political reporter, Crosscut
Seattle, Washington
While writing for two of the Northwest’s largest daily newspapers, I exposed politicians violating open meetings laws, misspending public funds and saying things that simply weren't true. Now, working for an online nonprofit news organization , I dig into angles of stories that aren't being covered elsewhere, doing in-depth reporting on Washington politics and the state Capitol.

About

Melissa Santos

Data analysis
Accountability reporting
Covering political campaigns
Writing for the web
Social media
narrative writing
Storytelling

I am a hard-nosed accountability journalist who asks tough questions of government officials and keeps digging for answers when they don't come easy.

As part of my job, I expose untruths in campaign ads, reveal how government agencies spend taxpayer money and explore ways state agencies can do their jobs better.

I also engage regularly with readers on social media and am proficient at shooting video. Once I started a video series where I met politicians at bars to talk policy over tater tots.

Previously, I managed a mobile politics app for iPhone, iPad and Android devices. I also covered several city governments, uncovering questionable police practices, politicians disregarding public meetings laws and the drunken driving arrest of a statewide elected official.