How New York Times reporters trace dark money in politics

Follow the money. Journalists — not to mention anyone who has seen the movie “All the President’s Men” — know the phrase well. By tracking the money, reporters can better understand and convey the forces shaping society.

That was the approach taken by Shane Goldmacher and Theodore Schleifer of The New York Times, who recently reported that at least $1 billion in dark money — funds from anonymous donors — is flowing into midterm elections.

So how do you find something obscured by design?

To answer that question and others, Schleifer and Amy Gardner, a deputy editor on the Politics desk, took time before the final stretch of midterm races to discuss why dark money matters and how they tracked it. These are edited excerpts from the conversation.

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