(AP) -- A nationwide study finds state governments lack transparency and accountability to citizens, and remain at high risk for corruption.
In the ranking, not a single state received an A from the probe, done by the Center for Public Integrity, Public Radio International and Global Integrity.
There's a surprising state atop the list of most transparent and accountable governments: New Jersey.
Despite - or perhaps because of - recent corruption scandals, New Jersey gets the top ranking because of steps it took to combat corruption, including tough ethics and anti-corruption laws it adopted in response.
Reporters in each state researched 330 corruption risk indicators across 14 government categories.
Eight states got an F. They are: North Dakota, Michigan, South Carolina, Maine, Virginia, Wyoming, South Dakota and Georgia.
(Copyright ©2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
