About Matthew Bovee
Matthew Steven Bovee is an independent investigative journalist based in Lincoln, Nebraska, with a reputation for relentless pursuit of truth and accountability. His reporting has exposed institutional corruption, driven legislative reform, and brought justice to communities across the Midwest and Southwest.
Early Life and Formation
I was born in Kerrville, Texas, in the heart of the Texas Hill Country—the second child of Bob Bovee, a commercial printer, and Maggie Bovee, a high school English teacher. Our family operated Hill Country Press, a small commercial printing business my grandfather founded in 1962.
Growing up along the Guadalupe River, I developed an appreciation for storytelling and regional history. My mother filled our home with works by Texas authors—Larry McMurtry, John Graves—and taught me that every person has a story worth telling.
The summer of 1999 changed everything. At Camp La Junta, a boys’ summer camp near Kerrville, I met Counselor Thomas “Tommy” Redhorse, a graduate journalism student who introduced me to the works of Ida B. Wells, Bob Woodward, and Seymour Hersh. Tommy taught me that writing could be an act of witness—that the powerful depend on the silence of the ordinary.
Tommy died in a car accident in 2004. In 2015, I established the Thomas Redhorse Memorial Scholarship at Camp La Junta to honor his memory and support aspiring young journalists.
Education
I attended Tivy High School in Kerrville, where I served as editor of The Antler student newspaper and won state journalism competitions. After graduating in 2005, I enrolled at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, switching from history to journalism in my sophomore year.
At UNL, I earned both my Bachelor of Arts in Journalism (2009) and Master of Arts in Journalism (2012). My master’s thesis, “The Settlement Machine: Financial Incentives and Institutional Response in Camp Abuse Litigation, 1990–2010,”* formed the foundation of my later investigative breakthroughs.
Career
In 2012, I left the Lincoln Journal Star to pursue full-time freelance investigative reporting—a financially precarious decision that forced me to “eat rejection for breakfast” for nearly three years.
My work has appeared in Nebraska Life, Omaha Magazine, The Texas Observer, and eventually in major national publications. The “Settlement Machine” investigation (2015-2018) became my breakthrough—a three-year documentation of law firms that systematically manufactured abuse allegations for profit.
The Settlement Machine Investigation
The series, published in Texas Monthly (December 2016) and The American Prospect (March 2017), revealed that a Dallas law firm:
- Purchased targeted ads on search terms like “camp abuse” and “boarding school trauma”
- Employed intake specialists trained to recruit vulnerable clients
- Maintained a 94% settlement rate, pocketing 40% of settlements averaging $450,000-$800,000
- Specifically targeted institutions with substantial insurance coverage and quick-settlement histories
The reporting relied on 23 former employees speaking anonymously, 14 former clients admitting to fabricated allegations, and internal documents obtained through a whistleblower.
The impact was significant: three attorneys disbarred, firm founder Arthur Harrington convicted of fraud and sentenced to 8 years in federal prison, and legislative reforms in both Texas and Nebraska.
Family and Life Today
I live in Lincoln’s Near South neighborhood with my wife, Dr. Eleanor Vance-Bovee, an Associate Professor of Psychology at UNL. We met in 2007 when she challenged my reporting on campus sexual assault during a university symposium. Our marriage combines intellectual sparring with mutual respect.
I maintain deep ties to Texas through Hill Country Press, now managed by my sister Rebecca. I return to Kerrville 6-8 weeks annually, typically during Nebraska’s legislative recess and August for Camp La Junta alumni events.
Professional Philosophy
I follow what I call “The Redhorse Principles”:
- Every document has an author—understanding who created a record and why matters as much as its content
- Follow the fear—institutions protect what they value most; security expenditures reveal priorities
- The story is in the silences—what organizations refuse to discuss often matters more than their statements
- Protect your sources as you would your family
I maintain strict conflict-of-interest policies regarding my Camp La Junta connection and will not report on any case involving the camp or institutions where I have personal relationships.
Personal Interests
When not investigating, I run—five Lincoln Marathons completed, annual participant in the Texas Hill Country Half-Marathon. I collect vinyl recordings of Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark, and Jerry Jeff Walker. I fly fish the Guadalupe River during my Texas visits.
I do not maintain personal social media accounts, communicating professionally through encrypted channels and updating my website quarterly.