Please inquire about re-publishing Originals, Opinions, and DocuDrop NYC for a modest licensing fee.
Hello! My name is John Bolger, I’m an investigative reporter, and software developer, from New York City. I moved to Kyiv and then Russia invaded. Now I’m in Europe somewhere, still figuring out what’s next.
Most of my work has been focused on New York City, it’s government, it’s police department, it’s real estate developers, and its crime. (Non-mutually exclusive categories.) But now I am reporting on the war in Ukraine. When I was still in the States, I traveled nationally when the story takes me there. I have covered protests in Portland, Oakland, Washington DC, Philadelphia, Charlotte, Tampa, and Cleveland – not to mention my hometown, of course. I’ve written exposes on the NYPD, the mayor, the MTA, and even the FBI.
I have works appearing in The Intercept, DNAinfo, Inside Climate News, Indypendent, LIC Post, and others. Besides hard investigative and breaking news reporting, I’ve also provided database services and developed interactive maps for myself and other journalists. I take digital, physical, and operational security extremely seriously. I’ve plugged at least one security vulnerability in a popular journalist software tool. My technical skill is one of my most valuable assets as a reporter.
But, one thing you should know upfront – I do not write exclusively for Substack, and I freelance. I do not charge for this newsletter or any of its content, but accept payment on the basis of DONATION ONLY! I will post original material here, but I will also post links to pieces I publish in other outlets. I also maintain the sister publication DocuDrop NYC, where I post and analyze raw government documents from my ongoing FOIL efforts.
Please inquire if you want to re-publish any of my work. It can be licensed.
You can expect to find a few categories of content here. Any clips I land in the papers will be posted here under Commissions. Self-published works are under Originals. Rants and opinion writing are under Opinions, including tech rants from time to time. There will also be cross-posts from DocuDrop NYC.
Before I leave you, I also must state this clearly: I have no political allegiances; I am a reporter; I report facts. I hate bullshit. Don’t expect any fealty to “left” or “right” sensibilities here. Both are wrong. Get over it!
Check out DocuDrop NYC, a sister publication focusing on raw government documents. Content available for license.
(License fee can be waived for non-profit publications.)
