Hi Reader,
Our newsroom has a singular focus: to publish investigative journalism that’s well-researched, nonpartisan, fact-checked and devoted to revealing what’s going on behind the scenes with our elected officials, government institutions, big corporations and more. When journalism like this gets into the hands of readers, change can follow. In just the last few months, we’ve seen our reporting spur some pretty significant developments.
The Supreme Court Has Adopted a Conduct Code, but Who Will Enforce It?: For months, ProPublica’s Supreme Court investigations have sparked discussions and outrage all over the country. Our first bombshell investigation in April detailed Justice Clarence Thomas’ decadeslong relationship with Republican megadonor Harlan Crow. Since then, ProPublica and other news outlets have revealed a stream of undisclosed gifts to Thomas by a set of billionaire benefactors and a private jet flight provided to Justice Samuel Alito by a businessman who later had cases before the court. Last month, the Supreme Court announced a new code of conduct governing their behavior.
Columbia University to Set Up $100 Million Fund for Patients of Predator OB-GYN: A ProPublica investigation with New York Magazine revealed that Columbia had failed to act on years of warnings as Robert Hadden, an OB-GYN, abused at least hundreds of patients during his 25-year career at the university. In 2012, administrators allowed Hadden to continue seeing patients even after he was arrested for assaulting a patient. In a shift from its previous stance, Columbia announced a number of major initiatives last month, including a settlement fund for survivors and an independent investigation.
DOJ Backs Tenants in Case Alleging Price-Fixing by Big Landlords and a Real Estate Tech Company: Last year, ProPublica reported on RealPage, a Texas-based software provider that utilized algorithms to recommend rents to landlords across the country to maximize profits — a practice that experts said may violate antitrust laws. After our first story was published, a massive antitrust lawsuit was filed by dozens of tenants accusing the tech company of helping landlords collude to inflate rents. Now, the U.S. Department of Justice has stepped in to back the tenants in this case, saying it has broader significance because of the growing use of algorithms that could enable anticompetitive behavior.
Investigations like these are time-consuming and expensive. We’re able to produce this kind of journalism because of readers like you. As a nonprofit newsroom, we rely on donations from individuals for the majority of our funding. Today, I’m asking you to join ProPublica with a donation of any amount.
Our members’ financial support gives us a dependable source of funding, and that matters for an organization like ours — many of our investigations can take months or even years to fully report. We need folks like you to stand with us.
Give today and stand up for powerful journalism that shines a light on stories that make a real difference.
Thanks so much,
Jill Shepherd
Proud ProPublican
