Authors
Zachary Groz

Zachary Groz is a freelance journalist based in New York. He previously served as co-editor-in-chief of The New Journal, an investigative magazine at Yale University that during his tenure was named Best Student Magazine in America by the Society of Professional Journalists. He is a two-time winner of the John Hersey Prize in Journalism.

New York City’s Multibillion-Dollar Black Box Contracts Face Scrutiny

Master agreements let the city wildly exceed spending projections while avoiding typical oversight, the city’s comptroller found.

May 6, 2026
An illustration of Eric Adams against a rack of Chromebooks
Inside Eric Adams’s School Chromebook Spending Spree

The Adams administration is shelling out north of $320 million to give public school students Chromebooks that connect to the internet through cell service. Most already have internet at home.

December 22, 2025
Two city officials at a council hearing
NYPD Plans Massive Expansion of Real-Time Surveillance in NYCHA Housing

The City Council held an emergency hearing on the NYPD’s use of a free internet program to gain real-time access to public housing cameras, in response to New York Focus’s reporting.

October 1, 2025
Adams Locks In Big Apple Connect Through 2028, One Day Before Oversight Hearing

The renewal locks New York City into well over $100 million in costs for the controversial program.

September 29, 2025
The NYC City Hall
Councilmembers Demand NYPD Halt its Public Housing Surveillance Expansion, Following New York Focus Reporting

“New Yorkers did not agree to trade their right to privacy for the promise of free internet,” key committee chairs wrote to city officials.

August 25, 2025
Mayor Eric Adams and NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch at a press conference
Five Unanswered Questions About Eric Adams’s Expanded Surveillance at NYC Public Housing

Big Apple Connect, the mayor’s flagship free internet service for public housing residents, is quietly being used to expand the NYPD’s real-time, remote surveillance. Here’s what we still don’t know about the clandestine program.

August 12, 2025
A NYPD camera set against a public housing building
Adams Quietly Uses Free Internet at NYCHA to Expand Police Surveillance

The Adams administration is using its flagship broadband program to give police real-time access to NYCHA camera feeds — without telling anyone.

August 11, 2025
How Eric Adams’s MyCity Portal Became a $100 Million Question Mark

The mayor enlisted an army of contractors to build a one-stop benefits platform. Two years and $100 million later, the website is a skeleton of what it was supposed to be.

March 19, 2025
Are Eric Adams and Kathy Hochul Still Friends?

The mayor and governor have long hailed their partnership. Will it survive federal corruption charges?

September 26, 2024