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 you or I ever could, checking facts and exposing corruption and injustice.

Now, as newsrooms are downsizing and shuttering, 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.

Just last week we revealed that Utah makes welfare so difficult to get that many of the state’s needy residents feel pressured to join The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to receive aid. In August, we reported that Florida’s health officials have yet to protect their own residents from the health impacts of burning sugar cane. And in October, we exposed how school officials at Virginia’s Liberty University discourage, dismiss and even blame female students who have tried to come forward with claims of sexual assault.

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 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 and help our reporters continue digging.

Thanks so much,
Jill Shepherd
Proud ProPublican