Impact

Journalism in the Public Interest

Impact has been at the core of ProPublica’s mission since we launched in 2008, and it remains the principal yardstick for our success today. Our investigative journalism does more than expose wrongdoing and injustice; we intend for it to spark real-world change.

We’ve written a whole white paper on the topic, and examples of how our stories have produced such change — from the resignation of corrupt officials to the passage of new laws — are compiled in our annual reports. On this page, you’ll find our reporting on the impact of our work.

Featured Impact

EPA Takes Action to Combat Industrial Air Pollution

The EPA announced a raft of targeted actions and specific reforms including stepped-up air monitoring and scrutiny of industrial polluters in the wake of ProPublica’s investigation into toxic hot spots.

by Ava Kofman and Lisa Song

Intuit Will Pay Millions to Customers Tricked Into Paying for TurboTax

State attorneys general just reached a $141 million settlement with the Silicon Valley juggernaut. Victims will receive up to $90 each.

by Justin Elliott

Tennessee Judge Who Illegally Jailed Children Plans to Retire, Will Not Seek Reelection

Since 2000, Judge Donna Scott Davenport has overseen juvenile justice in Rutherford County. Following reporting from Nashville Public Radio and ProPublica, public outcry and a bill seeking to oust the judge, Davenport announced her retirement.

by Alexis Marshall and Meribah Knight, Nashville Public Radio, and Ken Armstrong, ProPublica

House Bill Would Blow Up the Massive IRAs of the Superwealthy

The proposed reform stems from a ProPublica story that detailed how PayPal founder Peter Thiel had amassed $5 billion, tax-free, in a Roth IRA. If the bill passes, Roth accounts would be capped at $20 million for high-income individuals.

by Justin Elliott, Patricia Callahan and James Bandler

More Impact

Alaska Charges Former Acting Attorney General With Sexual Abuse of a Minor

Ed Sniffen faces three counts of sexual abuse of a minor for having sex with a 17-year-old girl he coached in high school in 1991.

by Kyle Hopkins, Anchorage Daily News

Federal Probe of COVID Testing Company With Stunning Error Rate Expands to Nevada

A federal investigator emailed Nevada officials, notifying them that he would subpoena documents related to Northshore Clinical Labs’ operations in the state.

by Anjeanette Damon

Illinois Will Investigate Possible Civil Rights Violations in Student Ticketing

The Illinois attorney general’s office said it is trying to determine if a suburban Chicago school district violated students’ civil rights when police ticketed them for minor misbehavior.

by Jennifer Smith Richards, Chicago Tribune, and Jodi S. Cohen, ProPublica

Illinois Will Stop Helping Cities Collect Some School Ticket Debt From Students

Since a Chicago Tribune-ProPublica investigation, school officials say they’re reevaluating when to involve law enforcement in student discipline.

by Jodi S. Cohen, ProPublica, and Jennifer Smith Richards, Chicago Tribune

Lawmakers Demand Action on Child Welfare Failures

Calls for improved access to mental health and substance abuse treatment follow reporting by ProPublica and The Southern Illinoisan on the large number of parents investigated repeatedly by Illinois’ Department of Children and Family Services.

by Molly Parker, The Southern Illinoisan

Lawmakers Approve $600 Million to Help Fix Housing Program for Native Hawaiians

State legislators passed landmark legislation to help buoy a long-troubled program for making reparations to Native Hawaiians. The move follows a ProPublica and Star-Advertiser investigation.

by Rob Perez, Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Illinois’ Education Chief Urges Schools to Stop Working With Police to Ticket Students for Misbehavior

Responding to a ProPublica-Chicago Tribune investigation, Illinois’ schools superintendent says ticketing students hurts children and their families.

by Jennifer Smith Richards, Chicago Tribune, and Jodi S. Cohen, ProPublica

Liberty University’s Handling of Sexual Assaults Under Investigation by Department of Education

ProPublica previously detailed how the evangelical school had dismissed reports of rape and threatened to punish accusers for running afoul of its moral code. Investigators are now looking into whether Liberty violated federal law.

by Hannah Dreyfus

Louisiana Lawmakers Could Limit Solitary Confinement for Teens Following Alarming Revelations

An investigation by ProPublica, NBC News and The Marshall Project found that youth in a Louisiana lockup were held in solitary around the clock for weeks.

by Annie Waldman, ProPublica, Beth Schwartzapfel, The Marshall Project, and Erin Einhorn, NBC News

Maine Will Soon Hire Its First Five Public Defenders. Most of the State Remains Without Them.

The only state in the country with no public defenders will still need an estimated $51 million to provide the service to indigent defendants in all 16 of Maine’s counties. It’s “not a solution, it’s a patch,” says the agency’s director.

by Samantha Hogan, The Maine Monitor

Conditions at Mississippi’s Most Notorious Prison Violate the Constitution, DOJ Says

“The problems at Parchman are severe, systemic, and exacerbated by serious deficiencies in staffing and supervision,” the report said.

by Jerry Mitchell, Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting

Detroit City Council Calls on Michigan’s Largest Utility to Pause Shut-offs, Explain Its High Electricity Rates

The council resolution follows revelations by Outlier Media and ProPublica on the high number of DTE customers whose accounts were disconnected during the pandemic.

by Sarah Alvarez, Outlier Media

Child Advocates Sue New York Over Proposed Shadow Foster Care System

Child advocates are suing New York for a program they say would create an unlawful shadow foster system that deprives families of their rights, saying a ProPublica investigation made the dangers “abundantly clear.”

by Lizzie Presser

Changes in Police Policy, Payouts to Latino Victims of Traffic Stops and Arrests Following Investigations

The state of Pennsylvania paid $865,000 to settle a federal lawsuit filed in the wake of a 2018 ProPublica investigation of traffic stops of Latino drivers by its state police working with immigration authorities.

by Dale Russakoff and Deborah Sontag

Citing ProPublica’s Reporting on McKinsey, Senators Propose Bill Addressing Contractors’ Conflicts of Interest

McKinsey consulted for the FDA without informing the agency of its work for opioid makers. Now lawmakers have introduced a bill to ensure federal contractors disclose conflicts of interest arising from private-sector work.

by Ian MacDougall

FTC Sues to Stop “Deceptive” TurboTax “Free” Ad Campaign

Following an investigation sparked by ProPublica’s coverage, the Federal Trade Commission is asking a federal court for a restraining order barring Intuit from marketing TurboTax as “free.”

by Justin Elliott

Congressional Chair Asks Google and Apple to Help Stop Fraud Against U.S. Taxpayers on Telegram

After ProPublica investigations revealed thriving cybermarkets on Telegram where fraudsters buy and sell stolen personal information for unemployment insurance fraud, Rep. James Clyburn is hoping to enlist Apple and Google in the fight.

by Cezary Podkul

State Launches Cancer Study After ProPublica Identifies Toxic Air Pollution Hot Spot

After learning from a ProPublica analysis that his Missouri city had a high estimated cancer risk from toxic air, Verona Mayor Joseph Heck demanded that the state investigate. Health officials confirmed his worst fears and want to learn more.

by Lisa Song

Congress Opens Investigation Into FDA’s Handling of a Problematic Heart Device

The investigation follows ProPublica’s reporting on safety problems surrounding the FDA and the HeartWare Ventricular Assist Device.

by Neil Bedi

Lawmakers Approve Payments to Parents of Children Who Died of Catastrophic Brain Injuries

A year after reforming a program for children who suffered devastating brain injuries at birth, Florida lawmakers voted to extend help to families whose children died.

by Carol Marbin Miller and Daniel Chang, Miami Herald

Latest Stories from ProPublica

Alaska Charges Former Acting Attorney General With Sexual Abuse of a Minor

A Republican Tried to Introduce a Commonsense Gun Law. Then the Gun Lobby Got Involved.

Native Hawaiians Are Split Over How to Spend $600 Million to Help Those Who Need Housing

How the U.S. Has Struggled to Stop the Growth of a Shadowy Russian Private Army