Senior Reporter

Matthew Leonard

Matthew Leonard is a senior reporter for Civil Beat, focusing on data journalism.

He joined the newsroom after more than a decade working in upstate New York and in Nashville. As the Investigations and Special Projects Editor for the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, Matthew supervised investigations into policing and justice, racial and health disparities and social and environmental justice issues across New York state. He was heavily involved in overhauling the organization’s coverage of public safety issues to be more equitable and inclusive.

Born in Sydney, Matthew worked for Australia’s national broadcaster and for several Indigenous media and cultural organizations, including in remote homeland communities. He spent five years at Radio New Zealand where he was able to pursue his interest in the cultures of the Pacific. A major project completed during his time in Aotearoa/New Zealand documented the last remnants of old growth forests and their cultural and ecological significance. 

Matthew originally studied music composition and performance before making his way into public broadcasting, and continues to have a strong interest in music, sound design and audio production. He is a keen ocean swimmer, amateur musician and cooks a mean chili. 

Follow Matthew on Twitter @mleonardmedia or email him at mleonard@civilbeat.org. Contact him for how to share news tips securely.

Taxpayers Spent $700K On These Tiny Homes. Hawaiʻi Ditched Them For $1 Jamm Aquino/Civil Beat/2026

Taxpayers Spent $700K On These Tiny Homes. Hawaiʻi Ditched Them For $1

The “jewel in the crown” of Gov. Josh Green’s kauhale initiative for the homeless was offloaded to a Kalihi church. The support services disappeared as well. 

State Law Enforcement Chief Voluntarily Demoted Craig Fujii/Civil Beat/2026

State Law Enforcement Chief Voluntarily Demoted

After an unsuccessful run for Honolulu’s top police job, Mike Lambert is staying at the state law enforcement agency, but not as its leader.

While Honolulu Waits For Permits, These Cities Are Already Building Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2023

While Honolulu Waits For Permits, These Cities Are Already Building

Permit delays are linked to increased housing costs and higher rents, as new national research confirms.

Super PACs Tire Of Spending Big On Candidates As Election Nears Kalany Omengkar/Civil Beat/2024

Super PACs Tire Of Spending Big On Candidates As Election Nears

Many candidates in Hawaiʻi won their races in the primary or face little opposition in November and just don’t need to raise money anymore.

HPD May Have Shared Your License Plate Data With The IRS Jamm Aquino/Civil Beat/2026

HPD May Have Shared Your License Plate Data With The IRS

The Honolulu police chief says the department will no longer share data with other agencies, but five months of data remain in the hands of the IRS.

Ala Wai ‘Pirate Ship’ Is Pau But Public Is Stuck With The Bill Craig Fujii/Civil Beat/2026

Ala Wai ‘Pirate Ship’ Is Pau But Public Is Stuck With The Bill

A derelict party boat is part of a longstanding problem with abandoned vessels that end up as dead weight in the budget of the state’s boating division.

Price Shock At Waikīkī Co-op Highlights Vulnerability To Housing Fees Matthew Leonard/Civil Beat/2026

Price Shock At Waikīkī Co-op Highlights Vulnerability To Housing Fees

When special assessments and maintenance fees skyrocket, residents who volunteer for housing boards rarely have training and often lack access to important documents to figure out if it’s justified.

He Was Banned From Police Work In California But Hired In Honolulu Illustration: April Estrellon/Civil Beat/2026 Photos: San Francisco Police Department and California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training

He Was Banned From Police Work In California But Hired In Honolulu

A California cop stonewalled an internal investigation into his handling of an alleged kidnapping while lining up a job in Hawai‘i as an investigator in the prosecutor’s office.

Storms Shut Down Elevators Indefinitely For Hundreds In Honolulu Craig Fujii/Civil Beat/2026

Storms Shut Down Elevators Indefinitely For Hundreds In Honolulu

This year’s storms have been disastrous for some Oʻahu residents immobilized by their building’s broken elevators. Restoration could take weeks or months.