About Me

My name is Michael Korsh, and I'm an Investigative Data Reporter at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in Pittsburgh, PA. I use advanced data analysis and computer-assisted reporting to lead ambitious, high-impact investigative journalism on a wide variety of subjects — from dangerous and defective medical devices to Pittsburgh's wasteland of vacant and abandoned housing.

For the past year, I've worked as the lead Data Reporter on With Every Breath, a groundbreaking joint investigation between the Post-Gazette and ProPublica, that discovered Philips Respironics received thousands of complaints about a dangerous defect in its breathing machines but kept them secret for years as stock prices soared. The devices, including the popular DreamStation for sleep apnea, went to children, the elderly and veterans before the global giant announced a massive recall.

In the aftermath of the stories, federal lawmakers have called for a GAO investigation into the FDA’s oversight of the medical device industry and a criminal investigation of Philips by the DOJ. In January 2024, Philips agreed to stop making the devices a consent decree with the Justice Department.

At the same time, I co-authored Left to Rot, an investigative series exposing the city of Pittsburgh's wasteland of vacant and abandoned properties. The series led to the revitalization of the long-flailing Pittsburgh Land Bank, and won a 2023 Best in Business Award from the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing (SABEW) in the Real Estate category.

Before I joined the Post-Gazette, I produced data-driven investigations for ProPublica and The Washington Post through the Medill Investigative Lab. There, my reporting laid the groundwork for ProPublica and ICIJ’s Shadow Diplomats series, a first-of-its-kind investigation into the global network of honorary consuls that spurred reforms in 10 countries. The series received an Overseas Press Club award and was named a semifinalist for the Goldsmith Prize in Investigative Reporting.

In addition, I was a lead reporter for an investigation into registered agents — gatekeepers of the U.S. financial system that have opened tax havens like Wyoming to shell companies and secret owners — as part of the Washington Post and ICIJ’s Pandora Papers series.

I received both my BSJ and MSJ from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, where I earned the Medill Valedictorian Award and graduated summa cum laude after three years of undergraduate education. I've held internships at Kiplinger's Personal Finance, Injustice Watch and Moment magazine.