WGBH’s “The Color of Public Money” investigative series

Map of Massachusetts overplayed onto image of money with green background.

This is the latest update on WGBH’s “The Color of Public Money” investigative series. Yesterday, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker said that he is launching a new effort to expand the opportunities for minority- and women-owned businesses to win government contracts, with legislation that will allow state agencies to set new targets for including diverse businesses.

The announcement comes six weeks after an investigation by WGBH News’ New England Center for Investigative Reporting found that the value of state contracts won by minority-owned businesses declined since the 1990s. Thanks to the important engagement we got from the community, including from you, we are seeing the story have real impact.

Baker had previously disputed the conclusions of that investigation, telling Boston Public Radio that “I’m pretty sure we are doing better than we were doing when we took office.”

But Thursday he acknowledged "we recognize that there is more work to be done to further encourage participation by diverse business owners."