Our reporters at the Democratic convention

Introduction

The Center for Public Integrity is your source for intelligence on who’s trying to influence the direction of U.S politics in this extraordinary presidential election year.

This week our federal political reporters Michael Beckel and Carrie Levine are at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. As always our focus is on money and politics, who is paying to get access to your politicians and what are they receiving in return.

Michael and Carrie are updating “The Influence Diaries” we kicked off last week at at the Republican convention in Cleveland, detailing the corporations vying to get their messages in front of politicians at parties, receptions and other sorts of schmoozefests. Today, they’re writing about telecommunications giant Comcast, which has a huge presence in its home town. Among others pitching to the Democrats: Microsoft, AT&T and medical care provider Blue Cross Blue Shield.

There’s a much stronger corporate presence at the DNC than there was at the Republican get-together after several major companies apparently decided the messages from candidate Donald Trump were too divisive to risk associating their brands with at this juncture in the campaign.

Federal politics reporter Dave Levinthal reported from Cleveland last week, going where those who want to influence our politicians really didn’t want him to go.

Have a tip for a member of our political team?

Reach Dave at dlevinthal@publicintegrity.org. Follow him on Twitter at @davelevinthal.

Reach Carrie at clevine@publicintegrity.org. Follow her on Twitter at @levinecarrie.

Reach Michael at mbeckel@publicintegrity.org. Follow him on Twitter at@mjbeckel.

Reach our politics czar, deputy executive editor John Dunbar at jdunbar@publicintegrity.org. Follow him on Twitter at@johndunbar14.

The Center for Public Integrity’s political reporting team also has extensive experience distilling and analyzing politics for television, radio, online and print audiences. If you represent a media outlet, these journalists are available to join you for interviews before, during and after the national conventions.

Call 202-481-1220 or email mediarelations@publicintegrity.org to book Dave, Carrie, Michael or John as guests.

During the national conventions, follow the Center for Public Integrity’s reporting at PublicIntegrity.org and on our Facebook and Twitter pages. Sign up for daily or twice-weekly news alerts by clicking here.

Founded in 1989, the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Public Integrity is one of the country’s oldest and largest nonpartisan, nonprofit investigative news organizations.

Our mission: To serve democracy by revealing abuses of power, corruption and betrayal of public trust by powerful public and private institutions, using the tools of investigative journalism.