Hi Reader,

ProPublica learned today that one of our ongoing investigations that began last year, “Stillbirths” by reporter Duaa Eldeib, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in explanatory reporting. In our 15-year history, we have been finalists for 16 Pulitzer Prizes (and we have won six of them). I want to take this opportunity to highlight this exceptional investigation and what it took for our reporter to bring it to you.

The series examines the lack of comprehensive attention and action that has contributed to a stillbirth crisis in the U.S. Eldeib shattered the silence around the more than 20,000 stillbirths that occur every year and uncovered a cascade of failures that have contributed to the U.S. lagging other developed nations in reducing its stillbirth rate.

To tell these stories in such breathtaking detail, Eldeib broke down the CDC’s own data in ways even the agency had not done. And when the federal data wasn’t sufficient, she went to individual states and filed more than 50 public records requests. In conjunction with the data analysis, she interviewed more than 150 people in the U.S. and around the world. Eldeib also pored over reams of academic articles and thousands of pages of medical records, which she was only able to get after earning the trust of the women she interviewed.

After Eldeib’s stories were published, one U.S. senator called the number of stillbirths that occur in this country “shocking.” Another said “we should be doing everything we can to prevent Americans from experiencing stillbirth,” but the reporting and data “clearly show that we are not living up to that promise in our nation.” The National Institutes of Health released a report that mirrored the investigation’s findings, calling the rate “unacceptably high” and issuing a series of recommendations to reduce it.

ProPublica is in the business of shining a light on injustice, and the only reason we can do that is because of readers like you. By reading our stories, keeping up with our newsletters, sharing our work on social media or donating to us, readers power ProPublica. Today, we are honored to be a finalist for one of journalism's most prestigious awards, and I’m glad to be able to share the news with you.

Best wishes,
Robin Sparkman
President & co-CEO, ProPublica