Beth Fertig is a senior reporter covering courts and legal affairs. She focuses on how different New Yorkers interact with the civil and criminal justice systems. Her work explores whether justice is meted out fairly and whether programs within the courts can reduce incarceration and solve social problems. She also covers the federal immigration courts and how changes in immigration law affect New Yorkers under President Donald Trump's administration.
Beth started working at WNYC in 1995 covering city politics and spent many years covering public education. She is the author of Why cant u teach me 2 read? Three Students and a Mayor Put Our Schools to the Test (FSG Books) which grew out of a radio series on the low graduation rate for special education students. She also worked on the award-winning WNYC series “Being 12” and reported on efforts to promote integration in the New York City public schools. Follow her @bethfertig.
Beth is a New York City native who discovered her love for journalism at her college newspaper at the University of Michigan. She also has a Master’s degree in Social Sciences from the University of Chicago. She is a frequent contributor to National Public Radio. She’s won many local and national awards, including the prestigious Alfred I. duPont Columbia University Award for Broadcast Journalism for her series of reports in 2001 about an effort to privatize some struggling city schools.
Beth also won an Edward R. Murrow award for an investigation of a subway fire. And she’s won numerous awards from the city's Deadline Club, the Society of Professional Journalists, and the New York Press Club -- which gave her a special award after the 2001 terrorist attacks for a profile on the friendship of two WTC survivors.
Read Beth's latest reporting on Gothamist.
Beth Fertig appears in the following:
New York’s Criminal Courts Are Getting Busier, But Are They Safe in Pandemic?
Monday, September 14, 2020
Courts Try To Resume In-Person Proceedings As Safely As Possible
Thursday, September 10, 2020
What An In-Person Trial Looks Like in a Socially Distanced Brooklyn Housing Court
Friday, August 21, 2020
With Rise In Shootings, NYC Mayor Questions Role of Pandemic-Affected Court System
Wednesday, July 29, 2020
Undocumented Immigrants Out Of Work During Pandemic Get Desperately-Needed Cash Assistance
Wednesday, July 08, 2020
What the New Rollbacks to Bail Reform Mean in New York
Thursday, July 02, 2020
Calls Grow for Brooklyn Housing Court to Delay Reopening or Relocate
Thursday, July 02, 2020
Why the Lawyers Accused of Throwing a Molotov Cocktail at NYPD Police Car Are in Federal Court
Monday, June 22, 2020
SCOTUS Rules Trump Administration Can't End DACA
Thursday, June 18, 2020
Accused Looters Spark Another Round of Debate on NY's Bail Law
Thursday, June 18, 2020
As Housing Court Begins to Reopen, Tenant Advocates Fear Renewed Transmission of Coronavirus
Wednesday, June 10, 2020
Lawyers Accused of Throwing Molotov Cocktail at NYPD Vehicle Are Back In Jail
Saturday, June 06, 2020
Why Soros' $20 Million Donation For Undocumented Immigrants Is Taking So Long To Distribute
Friday, June 05, 2020
DACA Recipients Hurry to Renew Immigration Protections Before Supreme Court Ruling
Friday, May 29, 2020
New Justice Center Brings Community Court to Rockaways
Thursday, May 28, 2020
A Flood of Lawsuits Expected Over Coronavirus
Tuesday, May 26, 2020
Judge Asks Parties to Consider Mediation in Allegations that Federal Jail in Brooklyn Didn't Do Enough to Stop Spread of Coronavirus
Thursday, May 14, 2020
In Arguments, Judge Hears Competing Versions Of How Brooklyn’s Federal Jail Worked To Contain Coronavirus
Wednesday, May 13, 2020
With More Releases From Rikers Due To Coronavirus Pandemic, What’s The Real Impact On Crime?
Tuesday, May 12, 2020
Despite New Subway Cleaning, This Early Morning Commuter Fears Riding the Train
Thursday, May 07, 2020
