Hi Reader,
We are entitled to leaders who do their jobs with honesty, integrity and transparency. When they betray our trust, the press is often our first line of defense. For generations, journalists have been watching the powerful more closely than you or I ever could, checking facts and exposing injustice and breaches of the public trust.
Now, as many newsrooms are struggling, there’s a dearth of reporters left to scrutinize the powerful, and, make no mistake, the powerful still need watching. But here at ProPublica, we’re growing, pressing on and digging deeper, and we won’t stop.
In California, we reported on how Los Angeles city officials failed to stop landlords from turning residential hotels that were designated for affordable housing into tourist destinations. One day after our report was published, the mayor of Los Angeles ordered the Housing Department to investigate. In Mississippi, we revealed how the state continues to jail many people who are awaiting court-ordered mental health treatment, even if they haven’t been charged with a crime; some other states have banned the practice, and no other state appears to jail as many people who need help for as long. In Wisconsin, where many dairy farms rely on an undocumented labor force, we investigated how state laws allow undocumented immigrants to own and register cars, but not to drive them, causing workers to risk fines and arrest in order to have lives outside the farm.
There is no shortage of powerful people who would rather that ProPublica’s reporters look the other way.
How do we do it? How can we afford to be a thorn in the side of so many powerful people and institutions? How are we able to keep the public’s interest, and no one else’s, at the center of our reporting? Because readers like you donate funds to support this fearless work. Donate today and your gift will be matched up to $20,000, thanks to NewsMatch.
We’re proud to have one of the largest teams of investigative journalists in the country. Today, I ask you to join us and stand up for journalism that serves the people.
Thanks so much,
Jill Shepherd
Proud ProPublican
