Hi Reader,
ProPublica isn’t like most newsrooms, because our reporters only do one thing: investigative journalism in the public interest.
That means taking the time to uncover serious problems that might otherwise remain hidden or misunderstood. Just look at what happened when we investigated the vitamin K shot, a potentially lifesaving injection given at birth to prevent severe bleeding that has become caught up in the growing distrust of vaccines and public health advice.
Our reporting found that across the country, families are declining the single, inexpensive injection given at birth to newborns to help their blood clot. Babies are bleeding to death because of it. And in almost every case, the babies’ deaths could have been prevented.
Why is this happening? Although it is not a vaccine, the vitamin K shot has been swept up in the same post-pandemic tide that has led to a drop in key childhood vaccines, including for measles and whooping cough. Social media algorithms are inundating parents with advice from self-proclaimed experts who insist that the shot could put their newborns at risk of grave harm. And many families are declining the long-standard treatment out of a well-meaning but ill-informed abundance of caution.
However, our reporting found that babies who don’t get the shot are 81 times more likely than those who do to develop late vitamin K deficiency bleeding. Perhaps most alarming is that, according to the CDC, 1 in every 5 babies with vitamin K deficiency bleeding will die.
When misinformation is rampant, and causing real harm to families across the country, we need a reliable, independent source of truth. ProPublica’s newsroom is entirely dedicated to rooting out the facts and making them available to everyone.
And thankfully, the unflinching truths revealed through ProPublica’s stories often inspire meaningful change:
After more than a decade of insisting that vitamin K shots weren’t necessary for newborns, Dr. Joseph Mercola, a leading vaccine skeptic, publicly reversed course. This happened two days after a ProPublica reporter contacted him for our investigations into the preventable deaths of babies whose parents had refused vitamin K injections. He wrote on his website, “The data is clear: vitamin K saves lives.”
And, spurred by our reporting, two members of Congress urged federal officials to monitor vitamin K shot refusals by parents and the potential consequences for their newborns. As families continue to navigate crowded fields of untrustworthy and inaccurate information regarding their children’s health and safety, ProPublica will be there surfacing the facts, for the public good.
We can investigate in the public interest because readers like you — people who believe ProPublica’s journalism is a public service that should be free for everyone — choose to donate.
ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom without a paywall, so we survive thanks to the generosity of the public. Our business model works: In the last year, around 90,000 people donated to support investigative journalism for the people, not for profit. You can, too. Our fall member drive ends next week. Join us.
Thanks so much,
Jessica Rojas
Proud ProPublican
