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Brian Nuckols

Investigative Journalist · Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Investigative journalist working from public records and data. I publish accountability stories alongside open-source packages that let a reader re-derive every figure from hashed source documents with one command. Bylines in Public Source, the West Hills Gazette, Jacobin, Pirate Wires, and the Seattle Times.

Reproducible investigations · 2025

The Pittsburgh Water Deliberation RecordPublic Source · Dec 2025

Coded two years of a public water board's votes from the minutes, then confirmed the pattern with residents, utility officials, and independent experts. At the first meeting after the story ran, the board asked about 40 questions, roughly seven times its two-year average, and issued a stop-work order.

228 votes · 0 dissents · $871.25M authorized · 69% peer unanimity
The Pittsburgh Inclusionary Zoning RecordPublic Source · Sept 2025

Six years into the policy, the city had never published a count of the affordable units the rule produced, so I built the count and separated what is finished from what is merely claimed.

35 built · 16 under construction · 100+ proposed · 3 projects downsized below the mandate line
The Pittsburgh Airport Terminal RecordWest Hills Gazette · Oct 2025

The Airport Authority named two grants at its ribbon-cutting and would not total its debt. I reconstructed it from the audited 2024 financials.

cost +54% · $1.25B bonds outstanding · $2.5B debt service to 2056 · built for 15M / 9.95M used

Selected journalism

Essays & commentary

Experience

Dec 2024 – present
Contributor
Young Voices

Op-eds and investigative pieces in national outlets on harm reduction, mental health, and tech policy. 10+ media placements and broadcast appearances.

Dec 2024 – present
Communications Director
Education Reform Project

National media campaign that lifted mentions 50% in six months; 20+ placements; grassroots strategy that mobilized 5,000+ community members.

Aug 2023 – Dec 2024
Communications Manager
Young People in Recovery

Directed national communications across 30 states and led media relations for recovery advocacy, managing program budgets over $1 million.

Oct 2020 – Aug 2023
Communications Coordinator
Young People in Recovery

Administered $2 million in grants and placed recovery and advocacy stories that raised program awareness.

2017 – 2020
Marketing Director
Praxis

Built content on career training and personal development, including bylined pieces on the Discover Praxis blog.

2018 – 2021
Content Strategist
Visme

Long-form blog content on visual communication, brand strategy, and proposal writing.

Broadcast & radio

  • Mandy Connell Show · KOA Denver — harm-reduction policy
  • Bryan Hyde Show — mental health and responsibility
  • Moving Forward — consumer choice and public policy

Education

  • MA, Clinical Mental Health Counseling
    Indiana University of Pennsylvania · 2021
  • BS, Psychology
    Penn State University

Skills

  • Data journalism and public-records reporting
  • Reproducible, source-hashed evidence packages
  • Source development and interviewing
  • Media relations and press engagement
  • Grant writing and fund management
  • Strategic communications and public relations