Top MuckReads of 2011: Domestic Surveillance, Shell Companies and College Sports Corruption

by Daniel Victor
ProPublica, Dec. 29, 2011, 6:29 p.m.

Here are some of this year's top must-read stories from #MuckReads, ProPublica's ongoing collection of the best watchdog journalism.

This is far from an exhaustive list of the year's best work. Please contribute more suggestions in the comments section here, on Twitter with the #MuckReads2011 hashtag (see more worthy submissions here), or by sending an email to MuckReads@ProPublica.org. We'll continue to add links to the story.

Highlights of AP's probe into NYPD intelligence operations, Associated Press
"Mosque crawlers" who monitor sermons and "rakers" who embed themselves into minority neighborhoods are among the tactics the New York Police Department has used since 9/11. It was done with the assistance of the CIA, which is prohibited from spying on Americans.
Contributed by @srubenfeld

A little house of secrets on the Great Plains, Reuters
A 1,700-square-foot house with a manicured lawn in Wyoming is home to more than 2,000 companies, at least according to their registration addresses. It's a little taste of the Cayman Islands here in the U.S., as a business uses the home to establish shell companies, or on-paper-only companies able to hide assets.
Contributed by @claudiaparsons