Penn State Transparency Tracker

You can help us cover Penn State

Unlike most public universities, Penn State is largely exempt from open records laws despite receiving taxpayer money.

Beyond disclosing some basic financial information, the university mostly operates outside of the public eye. For example, Penn State does not have to make public the contracts it signs or how money is spent.

Our success covering Penn State — and the public’s ability to understand what is going on inside a nearly $9 billion institution with tremendous influence in the state — relies on you.

Many of the best investigative stories are possible because of people inside an institution who know what is happening and want to solve a problem or put an end to waste, fraud, or abuse.

Often, primary source records — documents such as memos, emails, reports, and more — are vital to a successful investigation. Which is why we’ve established a few secure ways for you to share documents with us.

You can do so by signing up for a free account and using Protonmail (write to us at spotlightpa@protonmail.com) or by sending snail mail to Spotlight PA State College, 210 W. Hamilton Ave., #331, State College PA, 16801.

You can also connect with me on Twitter, over email, or on Signal, an encrypted phone messaging app, at 445-236-0562.

It’s important you know that we promise confidentiality if you share documents with us. It can be your only interaction with us, or it can be the first of many. You can provide follow-up contact information, or choose not to.

The best way to start is with a simple conversation, even if it’s off the record (meaning it’s not for publication). I look forward to hearing from you.

— Wyatt Massey, Penn State investigative reporter