How they did it: Floodlight and NPR link two U.S. power companies to news sites paid to attack their critics

The behind-the-scenes workings of the Matrix consulting firm, including payments it made to local news sites to ensure their coverage in Florida and Alabama reflected the priorities of powerful clients, might still be a secret had an anonymous source not leaked hundreds of pages of internal documents last year.

When journalists at Floodlight first reviewed the records, they had a hard time understanding what they showed. The environmental news collaborative teamed up with National Public Radio to investigate. Week by week, journalists from both newsrooms scrutinized and worked to confirmed pieces of information they found in Matrix emails, financial ledgers and other documents.

Click here to read more.