Hi Reader,

We are entitled to leaders who do their jobs with honesty, integrity and transparency. When they don’t, the press is often left with the job of exposing them. For generations, journalists have been watching the powerful more closely than you or I ever could, checking facts and shining a light on corruption and injustice.

But now, as newsrooms are downsizing and shuttering, there’s a dearth of reporters left to watch the powerful, and, make no mistake, they still need watching. But here at ProPublica, we’re growing, pressing on and digging deeper, and we won’t stop.

Facebook has been undermining privacy protections for thousands of WhatsApp users by turning over their conversations to the courts. Florida’s health officials have yet to protect their own residents from the health impact of sugar cane burning. In Massachusetts, the state’s civil asset forfeiture system allows prosecutors to keep people’s money for years, even when they haven’t been charged with a crime. There is no shortage of powerful people who would rather 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.

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. Give today to our fall fundraising campaign and help our reporters continue digging.

Thanks so much,
Jill Shepherd
Proud ProPublican