Miranda Spivack

Dan Gross

Miranda S. Spivack, a veteran reporter and editor who specializes in stories about government accountability and secrecy, spent 20 years with The Washington Post. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Reveal from the Center for Investigative Reporting, USA Today and the McClatchy newspapers. A former Fulbright Scholar, she is now a fellow at Syracuse University's Institute for Democracy, Journalism and Citizenship,

Spivack's newest book is "Backroom Deals in Our Backyards," a look at the ways people can make positive changes in their communities and help preserve democracy.

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Awards: Studs and Ida Terkel Prize, Shortlisted. 2025 Goddard Riverside Stephan Russo Book Prize for Social Justice. Logan Non-fiction fellow 2019

Backroom Deals in Our Own Backyards

Remember Project Blue? The secrecy-shrouded attempt by Amazon to build a large data center near the Pima County Fairgrounds? Miranda Spivack has spent years peeking behind the curtain of local governments and is here to report what she has found.

Arizona Daily Star Stage (Seats 250)  
Sat, Mar 14, 10:00 am - 10:55 am
Current Issues / Politics / Social Science
Signing area: Signing - Arizona Daily Star (following presentation)  

Panelist: Miranda Spivack
Moderator: Charlie Borla
Sponsor: Session made possible courtesy of Arizona Daily Star

Investigative Reporting

A free and adversarial press is essential to a fully functioning democracy, holding those in power to accountability and educating the public. Meet three authors on the front lines of investigative reporting, covering difficult subjects and risking their safety to bring us the truth.

Student Union Gallagher Theater (Seats 337)  
Sat, Mar 14, 1:00 pm - 1:55 pm
Current Issues / Politics / Social Science
Signing area: Sales & Signing - UA Campus Store (Mall) (following presentation)  

Panelists: Aaron Davis, Jacob Soboroff, Miranda Spivack
Moderator: Dan Balz
Sponsors: Session made possible courtesy of Beach Fleischman, C-SPAN / BookTV, Sandra Borg and Michael Doubleday

Book:

Backroom Deals in Our Backyards

How Government Secrecy Harms Our Communities and the Local Heroes Fighting Back
Current Issues / Politics / Social Science
New Press
May 2025
ISBN 9781620978559
256 pages