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 any individual 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 New York, we reported on how weak oversight of the state’s guardianship system has enabled court-appointed guardians to abuse, neglect and defraud the very people they’re supposed to protect. In Tennessee, we documented a difficult year in the life of a woman who was denied an abortion in a state that ranks among the strictest in abortion laws and among the weakest in services designed to help struggling families. In Idaho, we exposed how the state’s restrictive school funding policies had left students learning in rural schools with collapsing roofs, deteriorating foundations and freezing classrooms. After our story was published, Idaho Gov. Brad Little proposed a $2 billion investment in the state’s public school infrastructure, and lawmakers are considering two bills that would make it easier for school districts to repair and replace their aging buildings.

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 to support these fearless efforts. Donate today, during our spring member drive, and help fund this critical and necessary work.

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