Hi Reader, 

ProPublica’s investigations last year repeatedly uncovered the heartbreaking realities of restrictive abortion laws, breaking story after story that laid bare their life-threatening consequences and sparked urgent calls for change. Today, we learned that this series was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for public service, journalism’s highest honor.

This is ProPublica’s third public service Pulitzer in our 17-year history and eighth Pulitzer overall. The public service Pulitzer is a unique prize, one that validates our conviction that a functioning democracy depends on investigative journalism to expose abuses of power and breaches of the public trust. As this series shows, with the collective might of our readers and supporters, ProPublica can expose unsafe laws, bring these hidden crises and preventable deaths into the national spotlight and spur change.

The foundational impact of our reporting is that, going forward, every legislative, prosecutorial, judicial and electoral decision on abortion bans in America will be made amid the truth our work exposed: Restrictive abortion laws have contributed to the deaths of multiple women in multiple states, in a variety of circumstances. From the tragic death of Amber Thurman in Georgia to heart-wrenching accounts of women denied critical care during medical emergencies in Texas, our investigations illuminated the profound human cost of these policies. We exposed the chilling impact on medical professionals forced to choose between their oath and the law. We documented the anguish experienced by families seeking treatment for life-threatening conditions as well as the broader erosion of women’s ability to access health care.

Our stories ignited outrage around the country, became talking points during the presidential election and inspired action. Lawmakers are filing more than a dozen bills to expand abortion access in at least seven states. Some were filed in direct response to ProPublica’s reporting on the fatal consequences of restrictive abortion laws, including in Texas, Florida, Kentucky and North Dakota. A Senate Finance Committee investigation, launched in response to our reporting, released a 29-page report in December that found that hospitals are providing minimal guidance to doctors navigating abortion restrictions, often leaving them without clear protocols in life-or-death situations. The report provides a new layer of insight into the sometimes chaotic and dysfunctional hospital landscape in states with abortion bans, as well as a fresh opportunity for hospitals to consider reforms and provide proactive and transparent guidance to patients, doctors and other hospital staff. And reader support helped make that possible.

The Pulitzer Board also recognized ProPublica’s work in the explanatory reporting category for our series exposing the systemic obstacles preventing millions of Americans from accessing essential mental health care. Our investigations uncovered the labyrinthine “ghost networks” that left patients searching in vain for care and the devastating consequences for those unable to find help. Our reporting further revealed how insurers leveraged a patient’s progress as grounds to deny continued mental health coverage, often overruling therapists’ recommendations and leaving patients vulnerable to setbacks when treatment was abruptly cut off. ProPublica not only gave voice to those struggling in silence but also compelled policymakers and regulators to confront a mental health system designed to deny rather than deliver care. 

With these honors, ProPublica has been a Pulitzer finalist 12 times in 17 years.

ProPublica consistently earns some of journalism’s most prestigious awards because we’re powered by readers who believe in the value of independent, investigative reporting. That support gives us the resources and freedom to dig into the systemic inequalities, policy failures and deceptive practices that pervade America’s health care system. Donate today to help sustain this work for the public good.

Best wishes,
Robin Sparkman
President, ProPublica

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