Hi Reader,
Every community deserves answers and accountability. Yet we have lost more than 3,200 local U.S. newspapers since 2005.1 Those that have survived are smaller and often lack the resources needed to produce time-consuming investigative reporting projects.
But ProPublica is helping, thanks to readers like you. As a nonprofit newsroom, we don’t depend on advertising or short-term investors. Our work is supported largely by donations from individuals, and over the past few years, we’ve grown significantly. For us, that growth comes with a responsibility: to help fill undeniable gaps in deep-dive journalism all over the country.
ProPublica has spent the past eight years refining our approach to local journalism. We’ve opened reporting hubs in the Midwest, South, Southwest, Northwest, Washington D.C., California and Texas. We created the Local Reporting Network to empower under-resourced outlets to pursue accountability reporting, underwriting local reporters’ salaries and providing them with key editorial resources through every step of the investigative process. And we’ve committed to support at least 10 new local projects a year through the end of 2029, launching investigations in all 50 states. We can’t fill all of the gaps created by the withering media landscape, but we are making a very real difference in small towns and regions across the country.
For example: The head of a small charter school network in Texas was paid $870,000 annually, our investigation with The Texas Tribune revealed just last week. By contrast, the superintendent’s salary is listed at just around $300,000 in publicly posted records that are supposed to provide transparency to taxpayers. The eye-popping compensation is a crucial data point as the Texas legislature considers a voucher-like program that would allow the use of public funds for private schools. State lawmakers have filed legislation that would cap public school superintendents’ annual salaries, but most bills would not restrict bonuses or apply to private schools that receive public funds. (The superintendent declined an interview for our story; the school board defended his compensation in a statement.)
In Connecticut, we’ve seen swift change from our series with The Connecticut Mirror revealing that state towing laws allow tow truck companies to sell some people’s cars in 15 days, one of the shortest windows in the country. Our reporting included a stunning account of a DMV employee who developed a profitable side hustle selling off towed cars and kept his job even after auditors figured out what was happening. Connecticut lawmakers are proposing new legislation that would address nearly all of the issues raised by our investigation. “This is awesome. It’s great news,” one local resident said. “I wouldn’t have lost my car, and now maybe others won’t either.”
There are critical stories worth telling in communities across the U.S., and we need to continue investing in the infrastructure supporting this work. ProPublica can help fill the gap in local investigative reporting, catalyzing ambitious, community-driven journalism that sparks change. And we need your help, too. Help us strengthen the ability of investigative journalism to right wrongs in every corner of this country by making a donation of any amount right now.
As a reader of ProPublica, you know how important it is for journalists everywhere to have the freedom, resources and ability to pursue stories that shine a light on corruption, miscarriages of justice and other wrongdoing. We’re so grateful to our supporters for giving us the ability to make a difference where it’s most needed. I’m asking you to join us today with your donation of any amount and help power one of the largest teams of investigative journalists in the country.
Thanks so much,
Jill Shepherd
Proud ProPublican
