Cindy Rodriguez

Reporter, WNYC News

Cindy Rodriguez is an Investigative Reporter at New York Public Radio.  

 

Rodriguez joined the news staff in 2002.  She’s covered immigrant communities, the city’s dramatic rise in family homelessness, attempts to reform the city’s vast child welfare system, and the dire conditions of public housing.

 Most recently, Rodriguez was part of  Caught, a podcast that documents how the problem of mass incarceration starts with the juvenile justice system. Caught just received a prestigious 2019 Alfred I. duPont-Columbia award for outstanding journalism in the public interest.

 Rodriguez’s other award-winning stories include investigations into the deaths of construction workers during the city’s building boom and the “three-quarter-house” industry—a network of independent, privately run buildings that pack vulnerable people into unsanitary, overcrowded buildings in exchange for their welfare funds. 

 In 2013, Rodriguez was one of 13 US Journalists to be selected as a Knight-Wallace Fellow at the University of Michigan where her study project was on the intersection of poverty and mental health.  

Rodriguez is also an adjunct Professor at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at City University of New York. She’s originally from San Antonio, Texas. 

Read Cindy's latest reporting on Gothamist

Cindy Rodriguez appears in the following:

Ma’Khia Bryant’s Story Is Too Familiar

Thursday, May 13, 2021

We failed her long before the cops killed her. We’re failing thousands more children like her now. In this bonus episode, we meet one of those girls.

A City Council Race In a District Pummeled by COVID

Wednesday, April 14, 2021

As Corona, Queens tries to recover from the loss, an incumbent defends his record as he faces a challenge from a political newcomer. 

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NYC Schools With Worst Attendance Are In COVID Hot Zones

Sunday, March 14, 2021

WNYC/Gothamist worked with the Independent Budget Office to map where attendance is lowest in public schools.

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Advocates Say Governor Didn't Tell Families About "COVID-Only" Nursing Homes

Wednesday, March 10, 2021

WNYC
Vulnerable nursing home residents are being moved between facilities with little notice to families or elected officials.  

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A Former Councilman Convicted of Fraud Considers A Comeback After His Conviction Gets Reversed

Tuesday, February 23, 2021

Former City Council member Ruben Wills, who was convicted of fraud and grand larceny and served two years in prison, is eyeing a political comeback.

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Breaking Down the Legal Challenges That Lie Ahead for Donald Trump

Monday, February 15, 2021

Going forward, the former president could face a range of potential legal challenges for actions that extend far beyond his role in the Capitol insurrection.

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Outsiders Influence Special Election In Queens

Friday, February 05, 2021

Ranked choice voting may have deterred candidates from going negative in the city's first election of the year but it didn't stop an outside group backed by wealthy donors. 

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Four Bangladeshi Candidates Challenge A Former Long Time Councilmember For A Seat In Queens

Thursday, January 28, 2021

A special election is underway right now in Queens. One candidate held the seat a decade ago: James Gennaro. But he's got several challengers including four Bangladeshi candidates.

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Community Members Grieve and Protest After Police Shooting of Andre Hill

Wednesday, January 06, 2021

Police did not provide first aid to Andre Hill after fatally shooting him in Columbus, Ohio. 

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In Kenosha, District Attorney Decides Not to Charge Officers Behind Jacob Blake's Shooting

Wednesday, January 06, 2021

In August, a white police officer in Kenosha, Wisconsin, shot a Black man, Jacob Blake, seven times, while responding to a domestic violence call.

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States Struggle to Get COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution on Track

Wednesday, January 06, 2021

The development of effective COVID-19 vaccines happened faster than even many experts predicted, but now that these vaccines are ready for distribution, the rollout has been bumpy.

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In Joint Session, Congress Readies to Count Electoral College Votes

Wednesday, January 06, 2021

On Wednesday, Congress will meet to count the Electoral College votes from every state—the final step post-election ahead of the presidential inauguration. 

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Changes to Iran's Nuclear Program Could Complicate Negotiations Under Biden

Tuesday, January 05, 2021

A series of recent escalations by Iranian officials could make negotiations with the incoming Biden administration more challenging.

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From Consent to Staff Mistrust, Long-term Care Facilities Face Roadblocks During Vaccine Rollout

Tuesday, January 05, 2021

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that about 365,000 people in long-term care facilities have gotten vaccine shots so far. 

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The Music That Helped Us Survive 2020

Monday, January 04, 2021

In 2020, music helped people survive and process the grief, anxiety, and loneliness of the pandemic.

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How Organizers in Georgia Are Pushing Youth Turnout Ahead of the Senate Runoff Election

Monday, January 04, 2021

A day ahead of Georgia's runoff elections, The Takeaway examines the role that young voters will play in one of the most consequential elections in modern history. 

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In Shocking Phone Call, President Trump Pressures Georgia Secretary of State to Overturn Election Results

Monday, January 04, 2021

In the phone call, Trump essentially demands that Raffensperger overturn the state’s election result and hand him Georgia’s 16 electoral votes. 

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Looking Back: Reflections From Two Daughters With Mothers In A Brooklyn Nursing Home

Friday, January 01, 2021

Melinda Lightburn and Pamela Anderson were used to seeing their mothers several times a week but the pandemic changed that. It's been a grueling year for both. 

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Sick And Dying In Prison While Covid Looms: Prisoners Ask For Medical Parole But Rarely Get Released

Monday, December 28, 2020

Gothamist
More than a thousand incarcerated people have asked to be released because they are too sick to survive COVID-19. But medical parole is rare and clemency is their only other alternative.

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Lessons From a Year in Isolation

Monday, December 28, 2020

A first draft of history for 2020, told through three very personal efforts to find -- and keep -- human connection amid a pandemic.