ProPublica

ProPublica was the brainchild of Herbert and Marion Sandler, the former chief executives of the Golden West Financial Corporation, who have committed $10 million a year to the project.{{cite news |first=Richard |last=Pérez-Peña |title=Group Plans to Provide Investigative Journalism |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/15/business/media/15publica.html |work=New York Times |date=October 15, 2007 |access-date=October 15, 2007 |archive-date=July 13, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713174852/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/15/business/media/15publica.html |url-status=live }} The Sandlers hired Paul Steiger, former managing editor of the Wall Street Journal, to create and run the organization as editor in chief.

At the time ProPublica was set up, Steiger responded to concerns about the role of the left-leaning political views of the Sandlers, saying on the Newshour with Jim Lehrer:

{{quote|Coming into this, when I talked to Herb and Marion Sandler, one of my concerns was precisely this question of independence and nonpartisanship ... My history has been doing "down the middle" reporting. And so when I talked to Herb and Marion I said, "Are you comfortable with that?" They said, "Absolutely." I said, "Well, suppose we did an exposé of some of the left leaning organizations that you have supported or that are friendly to what you've supported in the past." They said, "No problem." And when we set up our organizational structure, the board of directors, on which I sit and of which Herb is the chairman, does not know in advance what we're going to report on.PBS Newshour, 24 June 2008, [https://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/media/jan-june08/mediamodel_06-24.html "Financing Independent Journalism"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140122044216/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/media/jan-june08/mediamodel_06-24.html |date=January 22, 2014 }}}}

ProPublica had an initial news staff of 28 reporters and editors,{{cite web |last=Calderone |first=Michael |url=http://www.politico.com/blogs/michaelcalderone/0708/ProPublic_will_hire_everyone.html |title=ProPublica will hire everyone |publisher=Politico.Com |date=July 10, 2008 |access-date=October 18, 2013 |archive-date=October 17, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131017200753/http://www.politico.com/blogs/michaelcalderone/0708/ProPublic_will_hire_everyone.html |url-status=live }} including Pulitzer Prize winners Charles Ornstein, Tracy Weber, Jeff Gerth, and Marcus Stern. Steiger was reported to have received 850 applications{{cite web |last=Hirschman |first=David S. |url=https://www.mediabistro.com/articles/cache/a10060.asp |title=So What Do You Do, Paul Steiger, Editor-in-Chief, ProPublica? |publisher=Mediabistro |date=February 13, 2008|access-date=October 18, 2013 |archive-date=May 16, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080516102807/https://www.mediabistro.com/articles/cache/a10060.asp |url-status=live }} upon ProPublica's announcement. The organization appointed a 12-member advisory board of professional journalists.

The newsgroup shares its work under the Creative Commons no-derivative, non-commercial license.{{Cite news|url=https://www.propublica.org/nerds/item/happy-birthday-creative-commons|title=Why (and How) We Use Creative Commons for Our Stories|date=December 13, 2012|work=ProPublica|access-date=April 25, 2017|language=en|archive-date=April 26, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170426150742/https://www.propublica.org/nerds/item/happy-birthday-creative-commons|url-status=live}}

On August 5, 2015, Yelp announced a partnership with ProPublica to bring improved healthcare data into Yelp's statistics on healthcare providers.{{cite web |date=August 5, 2015 |title=Yelp's Consumer Protection Initiative: ProPublica Partnership Brings Medical Info to Yelp - Yelp |url=http://officialblog.yelp.com/2015/08/yelps-consumer-protection-initiative-propublica-partnership-brings-medical-info-to-yelp.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150808000439/http://officialblog.yelp.com/2015/08/yelps-consumer-protection-initiative-propublica-partnership-brings-medical-info-to-yelp.html |archive-date=August 8, 2015 |access-date=August 6, 2015}}

While the Sandler Foundation provided ProPublica with significant financial support, it also has received funding from the Knight Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, Pew Charitable Trusts, Ford Foundation, the Carnegie Corporation, and the Atlantic Philanthropies.{{cite news|last1=Shafer|first1=Jack|title=What Do Herbert and Marion Sandler Want?|url=http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/press_box/2007/10/what_do_herbert_and_marion_sandler_want.html|access-date=May 14, 2015|publisher=Slate|date=October 15, 2007|archive-date=May 18, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518082814/http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/press_box/2007/10/what_do_herbert_and_marion_sandler_want.html|url-status=live}} ProPublica and the Knight Foundation have various connections. For example, Paul Steiger, executive chairman of ProPublica, is a trustee of the Knight Foundation.{{cite web|url=http://www.knightfoundation.org/about/trustees/|title=Board of Trustees - Knight Foundation|work=Knight Foundation|access-date=January 4, 2013|archive-date=January 20, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130120001428/http://knightfoundation.org/about/trustees/|url-status=live}} In like manner, Alberto Ibarguen, the president and CEO of the Knight Foundation is on the board of ProPublica.[http://www.knightfoundation.org/staff/alberto-ibarguen/ Alberto Ibargüen, President and CEO] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160731094121/http://www.knightfoundation.org/staff/alberto-ibarguen/ |date=July 31, 2016 }}, Knight Foundation ProPublica, along with other major news outlets, received grant funding from Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of cryptocurrency exchange FTX.{{cite web |last1=Soave |first1=Robby |title=Did Sam Bankman-Fried's Millions Buy the Media's Loyalty? |url=https://reason.com/2022/11/21/sam-bankman-fried-journalism-funding-crypto-fraud-media/ |website=reason.com |date=November 21, 2022 |publisher=Reason |access-date=December 1, 2022}} Reason argues the stronger claim that Bankman-Fried encouraged the media to support left-leaning perspectives, but subsequent reporting suggests that Bankman-Fried's political position did not have a clean partisan slant; see {{cite news|url=https://www.axios.com/2022/12/14/sbf-campaign-finance-political-donations-charges|publisher=Axios|department=Politics & Policy|date=December 13, 2022|title=SBF's 'dirty money'|last=Markay|first=Lachlan}}

ProPublica has attracted attention for the salaries it pays its employees.{{cite web |last=Turner |first=Zeke |url=http://www.observer.com/2010/media/shelling-out-big-bucks-propublica |title=Shelling Out the Big Bucks at ProPublica | The New York Observer |publisher=Observer.com |access-date=February 23, 2012 |archive-date=June 16, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110616082722/http://www.observer.com/2010/media/shelling-out-big-bucks-propublica |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |last=Taylor |first=Mike |url=http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlny/new_media/propublicas_toppaid_employees_all_made_six_figures_in_2009_170212.asp |title=ProPublica's Top-Paid Employees All Made Six Figures in 2009 |publisher=Mediabistro.com (FishbowlNY) |date=August 10, 2010 |access-date=February 23, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100815045613/http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlny/new_media/propublicas_toppaid_employees_all_made_six_figures_in_2009_170212.asp |archive-date=August 15, 2010 |url-status=dead }} In 2008, Paul Steiger, the editor of ProPublica, received a salary of $570,000.{{cite news | url=http://blogs.reuters.com/felix-salmon/2009/09/30/philanthrocrat-of-the-day-propublica-edition/ | work=Reuters | title=Philanthrocrat of the day, ProPublica edition | date=September 30, 2009 | access-date=August 12, 2010 | archive-date=August 20, 2010 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100820193206/http://blogs.reuters.com/felix-salmon/2009/09/30/philanthrocrat-of-the-day-propublica-edition/ | url-status=dead }} Steiger was formerly the managing editor at The Wall Street Journal, where his total compensation (including options) was double that at ProPublica.{{cite web |url=https://www.cjr.org/news_meeting/diamonds_in_the_rough.php |title=Diamonds in the Rough |work=Columbia Journalism Review |access-date=February 23, 2012 |archive-date=February 23, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120223041702/https://www.cjr.org/news_meeting/diamonds_in_the_rough.php |url-status=live }} Steiger's stated strategy is to use a Wall Street Journal pay model to attract journalistic talent.{{cite web |last=Turner |first=Zeke |url=http://observer.com/2010/08/shelling-out-the-big-bucks-at-propublica/ |title=Shelling Out the Big Bucks at ProPublica |publisher=New York Observer |date=August 11, 2010 |access-date=January 31, 2016 |archive-date=February 8, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160208004714/http://observer.com/2010/08/shelling-out-the-big-bucks-at-propublica/ |url-status=live }} In 2010, eight ProPublica employees made more than $160,000, including managing editor Stephen Engelberg ($343,463) and the highest-paid reporter, Dafna Linzer, formerly of the Washington Post ($205,445).{{cite web |url=http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlny/new_media/propublicas_toppaid_employees_all_made_six_figures_in_2009_170212.asp |title=ProPublica's Top-Paid Employees All Made Six Figures in 2009 |publisher=Mediabistro.com |date=August 10, 2010 |access-date=January 4, 2013 |archive-date=August 15, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100815045613/http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlny/new_media/propublicas_toppaid_employees_all_made_six_figures_in_2009_170212.asp |url-status=live }}

In 2010, ProPublica jointly won the Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting (it was also awarded to the Philadelphia Daily News for an unrelated story) for "The Deadly Choices at Memorial", "a story that chronicles the urgent life-and-death decisions made by one hospital's exhausted doctors when they were cut off by the floodwaters of Hurricane Katrina."Pulitzer.org [http://www.pulitzer.org/citation/2010-Investigative-Reporting The 2010 Pulitzer Prize Winners: Investigative Reporting] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100415132305/http://www.pulitzer.org/citation/2010-Investigative-Reporting |date=April 15, 2010 }}, accessed April 13, 2010 It was written by ProPublica's Sheri Fink and published in The New York Times Magazine as well as on ProPublica.org. This was the first Pulitzer awarded to an online news source. The article also won the 2010 National Magazine Award for Reporting.{{cite web|url=http://www.magazine.org/asme/national-magazine-award-winners-1966-2015#Reporting|title=National Magazine Award Winners 1966-2015|publisher=American Society of Magazine Editors|access-date=May 9, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150909225146/http://www.magazine.org/asme/national-magazine-award-winners-1966-2015#Reporting|archive-date=September 9, 2015|url-status=dead}}

In 2011, ProPublica won its second Pulitzer Prize.{{cite web |url=https://www.propublica.org/article/a-note-on-propublicas-second-pulitzer-prize |title=A Note on ProPublica's Second Pulitzer Prize |publisher=ProPublica |date=April 18, 2011 |access-date=February 23, 2012 |archive-date=February 23, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120223084657/http://www.propublica.org/article/a-note-on-propublicas-second-pulitzer-prize |url-status=live }} Reporters Jesse Eisinger and Jake Bernstein won the Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting for their series, The Wall Street Money Machine. This was the first time a Pulitzer was awarded to a group of stories not published in print.

In 2016, ProPublica won its third Pulitzer Prize, this time for Explanatory Reporting, in collaboration with The Marshall Project for "a startling examination and exposé of law enforcement's enduring failures to investigate reports of rape properly and to comprehend the traumatic effects on its victims."{{cite web |url=http://www.pulitzer.org/winners/t-christian-miller-propublica-and-ken-armstrong-marshall-project |title=T. Christian Miller of ProPublica and Ken Armstrong of The Marshall Project |access-date=February 8, 2017 |archive-date=February 19, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170219170044/http://www.pulitzer.org/winners/t-christian-miller-propublica-and-ken-armstrong-marshall-project |url-status=live }}

In 2017, ProPublica and the New York Daily News were awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for a series of reports on the use of eviction rules by the New York City Police Department.{{cite web |url=http://www.pulitzer.org/prize-winners-by-category/204 |title=The Pulitzer Prizes: Public Service |access-date=April 11, 2017 |archive-date=April 28, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190428204122/https://www.pulitzer.org/prize-winners-by-category/204 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=http://www.pulitzer.org/winners/new-york-daily-news-and-propublica |title=The 2017 Pulitzer Prize Winner in Public Service |access-date=April 11, 2017 |archive-date=April 11, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170411092053/http://www.pulitzer.org/winners/new-york-daily-news-and-propublica |url-status=live }}{{cite news |title=2017 Pulitzer Prize Winners |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/10/business/media/pulitzer-prize-winners.html |work=The New York Times |date=April 10, 2017 |access-date=April 11, 2017 |archive-date=April 11, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170411013409/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/10/business/media/pulitzer-prize-winners.html |url-status=live }}

In 2019, the Peabody Awards honored ProPublica with the first-ever Peabody Catalyst Award for releasing audio in 2018 that brought immediate change to a controversial government practice of family separation at the southern border.{{cite web |url=http://www.peabodyawards.com/award-profile/cataylst-award-propublica-2018 |title=Catalyst Award: ProPublica |access-date=February 28, 2020 |archive-date=February 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200228154742/http://www.peabodyawards.com/award-profile/cataylst-award-propublica-2018 |url-status=live }}

Also in 2019, ProPublica reporter Hannah Dreier was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing for her series that followed immigrants on Long Island whose lives were shattered by a botched crackdown on MS-13.{{cite web |url=https://www.pulitzer.org/winners/hannah-dreier-propublica |title=The 2019 Pulitzer Prize Winner in Feature Writing |access-date=June 11, 2019 |archive-date=April 16, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190416150526/https://www.pulitzer.org/winners/hannah-dreier-propublica |url-status=live }}

In May 2020, ProPublica won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for illuminating public safety gaps in Alaska.{{cite news |last1=Peltz |first1=Jennifer |title='Riveting' coverage of Alaska policing wins Pulitzer Prize |url=https://bangordailynews.com/2020/05/04/news/nation/anchorage-daily-news-propublica-win-public-service-pulitzer-prize-for-coverage-of-policing-in-alaska-villages/ |publisher=Bangor Daily News |date=May 4, 2020 |access-date=May 5, 2020 |archive-date=May 20, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200520015229/https://bangordailynews.com/2020/05/04/news/nation/anchorage-daily-news-propublica-win-public-service-pulitzer-prize-for-coverage-of-policing-in-alaska-villages/ |url-status=live }}

In that same year, ProPublica also won the Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting for coverage of the United States Navy and the collisions of the USS Fitzgerald and USS John S. McCain (DDG-56) with civilian vessels in separate incidents in the western Pacific. The stories were written by T. Christian Miller, Megan Rose and Robert Faturechi.{{cite web |url=https://www.pulitzer.org/winners/t-christian-miller-megan-rose-and-robert-faturechi-propublica |title=T. Christian Miller, Megan Rose and Robert Faturechi of ProPublica |website=pulitzer.org |access-date=April 15, 2022}}

In 2021 and 2022, ProPublica journalists Lisa Song and Mark Olalde won SEAL Awards for consistent excellence in environmental reporting.{{cite web | url=https://sealawards.com/environmental-journalism-award-2021/ | title=Twelve Journalists Recognized as 2021 SEAL Environmental Journalism Award Winners | website=SEAL Awards | date=2022-06-21 |access-date=2023-12-19}}{{cite web | url=https://sealawards.com/twelve-journalists-recognized-as-2022-seal-environmental-journalism-award-winners/ | title=Twelve Journalists Recognized as 2022 SEAL Environmental Journalism Award Winners | website=SEAL Awards | date=2023-02-08 |access-date=2023-12-19}}

In May 2024, ProPublica won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for reporting on the billionaires giving gifts to the US Supreme Court's justices and covering their travel expenses. The stories were written by Joshua Kaplan, Justin Elliott, Brett Murphy, Alex Mierjeski and Kirsten Berg.{{cite web |url=https://www.pulitzer.org/winners/propublica-work-joshua-kaplan-justin-elliott-brett-murphy-alex-mierjeski-and-kirsten-berg |title=ProPublica, for the work of Joshua Kaplan, Justin Elliott, Brett Murphy, Alex Mierjeski and Kirsten Berg |website=pulitzer.org |access-date=2024-05-07}}

In July 2024, Mary Hudetz was presented with the Richard LaCourse Award for Investigative Journalism by the Indigenous Journalists Association for her work on ProPublica’s "The Repatriation Project."{{cite web |title=The Repatriation Project |url=https://www.propublica.org/series/the-repatriation-project |website=ProPublica |access-date=19 August 2024 |language=en |date=11 January 2023}} Her reporting, which focused on the complexities and obstacles in repatriating Native American remains and sacred objects from museums and universities "had rippling effects at the institutional level down to Indigenous communities and peoples".{{cite web |title=IJA selects Mary Hudetz as 2024 Richard LaCourse Award for Investigative Journalism recipient – IJA |url=https://indigenousjournalists.org/2024/06/ija-selects-mary-hudetz-as-2024-richard-lacourse-award-for-investigative-journalism-recipient/ |publisher=indigenousjournalists.org |access-date=19 August 2024}}

{{main|An Unbelievable Story of Rape}}

T. Christian Miller of ProPublica and Ken Armstrong of The Marshall Project collaborated on this piece about the process that discovered a serial rapist in Colorado and Washington state.{{cite news|url=https://www.propublica.org/article/false-rape-accusations-an-unbelievable-story|title=An Unbelievable Story of Rape|last1=Miller|first1=T Christian|last2=Armstrong|first2=Ken|work=ProPublica and The Marshall Project|date=December 16, 2015|access-date=February 28, 2018|archive-date=July 18, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190718061310/https://www.propublica.org/article/false-rape-accusations-an-unbelievable-story|url-status=live}} The piece won a 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting.{{cite web|url=https://www.propublica.org/article/false-rape-accusations-an-unbelievable-story|title=T. Christian Miller of ProPublica and Ken Armstrong of The Marshall Project|date=December 16, 2015|access-date=February 28, 2018|archive-date=July 18, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190718061310/https://www.propublica.org/article/false-rape-accusations-an-unbelievable-story|url-status=live}} This piece was adapted into the 2019 Netflix series Unbelievable.{{cite news|url=https://www.avclub.com/netflix-unveils-trailer-for-unbelievable-a-limited-ser-1836491788|title=Netflix unveils trailer for Unbelievable, a limited series based on Pulitzer Prize-winning reporting|last1=Colburn|first1=Randall|work=AV Club|date=July 18, 2019|access-date=July 19, 2019|archive-date=January 3, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200103041724/https://news.avclub.com/netflix-unveils-trailer-for-unbelievable-a-limited-ser-1836491788|url-status=live}}

In 2016, ProPublica published an investigation of the COMPAS algorithm used by U.S. courts to assess the likelihood of a defendant becoming a recidivist.{{cite journal |last1=Angwin |first1=Julia |last2=Larson |first2=Jeff |date=2016-05-23 |title=Machine Bias |url=https://www.propublica.org/article/machine-bias-risk-assessments-in-criminal-sentencing |journal=ProPublica |access-date=2019-11-21 }} Led by Julia Angwin, the investigation found that "blacks are almost twice as likely as whites to be labeled a higher risk but not actually re-offend," whereas COMPAS "makes the opposite mistake among whites: They are much more likely than blacks to be labeled lower-risk but go on to commit other crimes."{{cite news |last=Yong |first=Ed |date=2018-01-17 |title=A Popular Algorithm Is No Better at Predicting Crimes Than Random People |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2018/01/equivant-compas-algorithm/550646/ |access-date=2019-11-21 }}{{cite news |last=Israni |first=Ellora |date=2017-10-26 |title=When an Algorithm Helps Send You to Prison (Opinion)|work=The New York Times | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/26/opinion/algorithm-compas-sentencing-bias.html |access-date=2019-11-21 }} They also found that only 20 percent of people predicted to commit violent crimes actually went on to do so.

COMPAS developer Northpointe criticized ProPublica’s methodology, while a team at the Community Resources for Justice, a criminal justice think tank, published a rebuttal of the investigation's findings.{{cite web |url=http://www.crj.org/assets/2017/07/9_Machine_bias_rejoinder.pdf |title=False Positives, False Negatives, and False Analyses |last1=Flores |first1=Anthony |last2=Lowenkamp |first2=Christopher |last3=Bechtel |first3=Kristin | website=Community Resources for Justice |access-date=2019-11-21}}

ProPublica conducted a large-scale, circumscribed investigation on Psychiatric Solutions, a company based in Tennessee that buys failing hospitals, cuts staff, and accumulates profit.{{Cite news |first1=Christina |last1=Jewett |last2=Robin Fields |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-nov-23-me-psi23-story.html |date=November 23, 2008 |title=Psychiatric care's perils and profits |agency=ProPublica |work=Los Angeles Times |access-date=May 29, 2015 |archive-date=May 18, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518142055/http://articles.latimes.com/2008/nov/23/local/me-psi23 |url-status=live }} The report covered patient deaths at numerous Psychiatric Solutions facilities, the failing physical plant at many of their facilities, and covered the State of Florida's first closure of Manatee Palms Youth Services, which has since been shut down{{Cite news |first1=Timothy R. |last1=Wolfrum |url=http://www.bradenton.com/2010/05/06/2263147/manatee-palms-hospital-slammed.html |title=State slams Manatee Palms psychiatric hospital |work=The Bradenton Herald |date=May 6, 2010 |access-date=May 29, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113123430/http://www.bradenton.com/2010/05/06/2263147/manatee-palms-hospital-slammed.html |archive-date=November 13, 2013 |url-status=dead }} by Florida officials once again.{{cite web |url=http://www.floridahealthfinder.gov/FacilityLocator/FacilityProfilePage.aspx?id=10113 |title=Manatee Palms Youth Services Facility Profile |publisher=FloridaHealthFinder.gov |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721040302/http://www.floridahealthfinder.gov/FacilityLocator/FacilityProfilePage.aspx?id=10113 |archive-date=July 21, 2011 |access-date=May 29, 2015}} Their report was published in conjunction with the Los Angeles Times.

In 2017, ProPublica launched the Documenting Hate project for systematic tracking of hate crimes and bias incidents.

{{cite web

|url = http://www.niemanlab.org/2017/01/propublica-is-leading-a-nationwide-effort-to-document-hate-crimes-with-local-and-national-partners/

|last = Wang

|first = Shan

|date = January 23, 2017

|title = ProPublica is leading a nationwide effort to document hate crimes, with local and national partners

|website = Nieman Lab

|access-date = August 9, 2017

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170805165410/http://www.niemanlab.org/2017/01/propublica-is-leading-a-nationwide-effort-to-document-hate-crimes-with-local-and-national-partners/

|url-status = live

|archive-date = August 5, 2017

|df = mdy-all

}} The project is part of their Civil Rights beat, and allows victims or witnesses of hate crime incidents to submit stories. The project also allows journalists and newsrooms to partner with ProPublica to write stories based on the dataset they are collecting. For example, the Minneapolis Star Tribune partnered with ProPublica to write about reporting of hate crimes in Minnesota.{{cite news|url=http://www.startribune.com/confusion-varying-thresholds-keep-many-minnesota-agencies-from-reporting-hate-crime-data/470579163/|title=Confusion, varying thresholds keep many Minnesota agencies from reporting hate crime data|publisher=StarTribune|author=Stephen Montemayor|date=January 23, 2018|access-date=February 28, 2018|archive-date=March 1, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180301044723/http://www.startribune.com/confusion-varying-thresholds-keep-many-minnesota-agencies-from-reporting-hate-crime-data/470579163/|url-status=live}}

In 2015, ProPublica launched Surgeon Scorecard, an interactive database that allows users to view complication rates for eight common elective procedures. The tool allows users to find surgeons and hospitals, and see their complication rates.{{cite news|url=https://projects.propublica.org/surgeons/|title=Surgeon Scorecard|last1=Wei|first1=Sisi|last2=Pierce|first2=Olga|last3=Allen|first3=Marshall|date=July 15, 2015|publisher=ProPublica|access-date=February 28, 2018|archive-date=February 15, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180215092347/https://projects.propublica.org/surgeons/|url-status=live}} The database was controversial, drawing criticism from doctors and prompting a critique from RAND.{{cite journal|url=https://www.rand.org/pubs/perspectives/PE170.html|title=A Methodological Critique of the ProPublica Surgeon Scorecard|vauthors=Friedberg M, Pronovost P, Shahian D, Safran D, Bilimoria K, Elliott M, Damberg C, Dimick J, Zaslavsky A|journal=Rand Health Quarterly|year=2015|volume=5|issue=4|pages=1|publisher=RAND Corporation|pmid=28083411|pmc=5158216|access-date=February 28, 2018|archive-date=February 15, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180215112842/https://www.rand.org/pubs/perspectives/PE170.html|url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=https://health.usnews.com/health-news/blogs/second-opinion/2015/08/26/the-us-news-take-on-propublicas-surgeon-scorecard|title=The U.S. News Take on ProPublica's Surgeon Scorecard|last1=Dougherty|first1=Geoff|last2=Harder|first2=Ben|date=August 25, 2015|publisher=US News|access-date=February 28, 2018|archive-date=March 1, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180301044454/https://health.usnews.com/health-news/blogs/second-opinion/2015/08/26/the-us-news-take-on-propublicas-surgeon-scorecard|url-status=live}} However, statisticians, including Andrew Gelman, stood behind their decision to attempt to shine light on an opaque aspect of the medical field,{{cite web|url=http://andrewgelman.com/2015/08/04/pro-publicas-new-surgeon-scorecards/|title=Pro Publica's New Surgeon Scorecards|author=Andrew Gelman|date=August 4, 2015|access-date=February 28, 2018|archive-date=March 1, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180301104055/http://andrewgelman.com/2015/08/04/pro-publicas-new-surgeon-scorecards/|url-status=live}} and ProPublica offered specific rebuttals to RAND's claims.{{cite news|url=https://www.propublica.org/article/our-rebuttal-to-rands-critique-of-surgeon-scorecard|title=Our Rebuttal to RAND's Critique of Surgeon Scorecard|last1=Engelberg|first1=Stephen|last2=Pierce|first2=Olga|date=October 7, 2015|publisher=ProPublica|access-date=February 28, 2018|archive-date=February 28, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180228203747/https://www.propublica.org/article/our-rebuttal-to-rands-critique-of-surgeon-scorecard|url-status=live}}

ProPublica has created an interactive map that allows people to search for addresses in New York City to see the effects of eviction cases.{{cite news|url=https://projects.propublica.org/evictions/|title=Tracking Evictions and Rent Stabilization in NYC|last1=Wei|first1=Sisi|last2=Groeger|first2=Lena|last3=Podkul|first3=Cezary|last4=Schwencke|first4=Ken|date=December 15, 2016|publisher=ProPublica|access-date=February 28, 2018|archive-date=March 1, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180301164352/https://projects.propublica.org/evictions/|url-status=live}} The app was nominated for a Livingston Award.{{cite web|url=https://wallacehouse.umich.edu/library/tracking-evictions-and-rent-stabilization-in-nyc/|title=Tracking Evictions and Rent Stabilization in NYC|publisher=Knight-Wallace Fellowships for Journalists and the Livingston Awards|access-date=February 28, 2018|archive-date=August 17, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180817210239/https://wallacehouse.umich.edu/library/tracking-evictions-and-rent-stabilization-in-nyc/|url-status=live}}

In June 2021, after receiving leaked, hacked, or stolen{{Cite web|title=Why We Are Publishing the Tax Secrets of the .001%|url=https://www.propublica.org/article/why-we-are-publishing-the-tax-secrets-of-the-001|last1=Engelberg|first1=Stephen|last2=Tofel|first2=Richard|date=June 8, 2021|work=ProPublica|access-date=July 5, 2021}}{{Cite web|title=Your Stolen Tax Records Are News|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/your-stolen-tax-records-are-news-11623795807|url-access=subscription|last=Jenkins|first=Holman|author-link=Holman W. Jenkins Jr.|date=June 15, 2021|work=The Wall Street Journal|access-date=July 5, 2021}} IRS documents, ProPublica published a report which claimed that tax rates for the wealthiest Americans were significantly lower than the average middle class tax rate, if unrealized capital gains are considered as equivalent to earned income.{{Cite web|title=An Exposé Has Congress Rethinking How to Tax the Superrich|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/09/us/politics/propublica-taxes-jeff-bezos-elon-musk.html|last1=Weisman|first1=Jonathan|last2=Rappeport|first2=Alan|date=June 16, 2021|work=The New York Times|access-date=July 5, 2021}} ProPublica would later reveal that technology investor and political donor Peter Thiel legally earned more than $5 billion in a tax-free Roth IRA account through his investments in private companies.{{Cite news|title=Billionaire investor Peter Thiel has $5B in his tax-free retirement account, report finds|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/billionaire-investor-peter-thiel-has-5b-his-tax-free-retirement-n1272317|last=Farivar|first=Cyrus|date=June 25, 2021|work=NBC News|access-date=July 5, 2021}} Attorney General Merrick Garland told lawmakers that investigating the source of the release would be a top priority for the Justice Department.{{Cite news|title=Attorney General Garland vows billionaire tax leak to ProPublica will be 'top of my list' to investigate|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2021/06/09/propublica-tax-leak-investigation-will-be-priority-attorney-general-garland-says.html|last=Higgins|first=Tucker|date=June 9, 2021|work=CNBC|access-date=July 5, 2021}}

{{main|Rutherford County, Tennessee juvenile arrest and incarceration scandal}}

Research by ProPublica and Nashville Public Radio found juvenile incarcerations in Rutherford County, Tennessee, to be far higher than the national average. The investigation, published in October 2021 as "Black Children Were Jailed for a Crime That Doesn’t Exist. Almost Nothing Happened to the Adults in Charge", revealed that county authorities had charged some of the children under non-existent laws, as directed by Judge Donna Scott Davenport, and that, among Tennessee children referred to juvenile court, the statewide rate of incarceration was five percent, while in Rutherford County it was 48 percent.Knight, Meribah (Nashville Public Radio) and Armstrong, Ken (ProPublica) [https://www.propublica.org/article/black-children-were-jailed-for-a-crime-that-doesnt-exist "Black Children Were Jailed for a Crime That Doesn’t Exist. Almost Nothing Happened to the Adults in Charge,"] ProPublica, October 8, 2021. Retrieved May 6, 2024. The article was a finalist in the 2022 National Magazine Awards.[https://www.asme.media/feature-writing-2022 "ASME Awards 2022" — "FEATURE WRITING"] American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME), April 2, 2024. Retrieved May 6, 2024. Reportage continued by podcast, with The Kids of Rutherford County.Praino, Nicolle S. [https://www.nashvillescene.com/news/pithinthewind/wpln-s-meribah-knight-launches-the-kids-of-rutherford-county/article_7df47b30-74ff-11ee-ae9a-4b3564e7dcf5.html "WPLN's Meribah Knight Launches 'The Kids of Rutherford County{{'}}"] Nashville Scene, October 27, 2023. Retrieved May 6, 2024.

In 2021, ProPublica published the results of a two-year analytical project involving examining billions of rows of EPA data to create a map to chart industrial pollution at the neighborhood level – the first of its kind. In five years' worth of EPA data, ProPublica identified over 1,000 toxic hotspots nationwide, estimating that 250,000 people living near these areas may have been exposed to levels of cancer risk that the EPA deems unacceptable.{{Cite web |date=2021-11-02 |title=The Most Detailed Map of Cancer-Causing Industrial Air Pollution in the U.S. |url=https://projects.propublica.org/toxmap/ |access-date=2023-04-21 |website=ProPublica |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Kofman |first=Lylla Younes, Al Shaw, Ava |title=How We Created the Most Detailed Map Ever of Cancer-Causing Industrial Air Pollution |url=https://www.propublica.org/article/how-we-created-the-most-detailed-map-ever-of-cancer-causing-industrial-air-pollution |access-date=2023-04-21 |website=ProPublica |date=November 2, 2021 |language=en}} ProPublica intended to represent data in a way where the public can understand the risk of breathing the air where they live. Through the map, the town of Verona, Missouri was identified to have an industrial cancer risk 27 times larger than the acceptable value. Subsequently, the EPA agreed to install three air monitors to track ethylene oxide concentration in Verona.{{cite web |last=Zayas |first=Lisa Song, Alexandra |title=New Air Monitors Among Major Impacts of ProPublica Toxic Air Pollution Reporting |url=https://www.propublica.org/article/missouri-epa-air-monitors-louisiana-cancer-alley |access-date=2023-04-21 |website=ProPublica |date=September 29, 2022 |language=en}}{{bsn|reason=Claimed by ProPublica without evidence, EPA was the source of the data as well as inspections. Further the idea that ProPublica somehow influenced the EPA to "agree" to action is likely dubious|date=May 2023}} Additional "hot spots" identified on the map include the city of Longview in eastern Texas; the most high-risk area of Longview has a risk level 72 times greater than the EPA's acceptable risk. This most high-risk area is the home of Texas Eastman Chemical Plant. According to ProPublica, its analysis of the plant's emissions detected ethylene oxide and 1-3 butadiene. The Texas Eastman Chemical Plant says it has conducted its own tests which "have revealed no areas of concern."{{Cite web |last1=Holl |first1=Blake |last2=Goodwin |first2=Jason |date=2021-11-19 |title=Longview has 'hot spot' for cancer-causing air, according to ProPublica report |url=https://www.kltv.com/2021/11/19/longview-has-hot-spot-cancer-causing-air-according-propublica-report/ |access-date=2023-04-22 |website=KLTV |language=en}}

In 2017, ProPublica published an investigative report detailing the involvement of Gina Haspel in enhanced interrogation techniques at a black site in Thailand. The report focused particularly on the harsh methods used on Abu Zubaydah, including waterboarding, confinement in small boxes, and wall slamming. In 2018, ProPublica retracted part of its 2017 report and said that Haspel had not taken over control of the black site until after Abu Zubaydah interrogation had ended. This retraction came after Haspel was nominated to lead the CIA, sparking renewed scrutiny of her record.{{cite web |last1=Bonner |first1=Raymond |title=Correction: Trump's Pick to Head CIA Did Not Oversee Waterboarding of Abu Zubaydah |url=https://www.propublica.org/article/cia-cables-detail-its-new-deputy-directors-role-in-torture |website=ProPublica |access-date=19 August 2024 |language=en |date=15 March 2018}} AP News, The New York Times, NBC and The Atlantic made similar corrections to stories they had published about Haspel's time as head of the Thai black site.{{cite web |last1=Bauder |first1=David |title=ProPublica leads media into correction of murky CIA story |url=https://apnews.com/general-news-3775a99976494e9391ddb5555b7ad5fb |website=AP News |access-date=19 August 2024 |language=en |date=17 March 2018}}

In 2023, ProPublica launched an investigative series uncovering the complexities and delays in repatriating Native American remains and cultural items under the 1990 Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). The series exposed institutional resistance from museums and universities, driving significant policy discussions{{cite web |title=Senator Urges Museums to Return Native Remains and Objects: "Give the Items Back. Comply With Federal Law. Hurry." {{!}} U.S. Senator Brian Schatz of Hawaii |url=https://www.schatz.senate.gov/news/in-the-news/senator-urges-museums-to-return-native-remains-and-objects-give-the-items-back-comply-with-federal-law-hurry |website=www.schatz.senate.gov |access-date=19 August 2024 |language=en |date=2 February 2024}} and increased efforts toward compliance. This investigative work earned Mary Hudetz the Richard LaCourse Award for Investigative Journalism from the Indigenous Journalists Association in July 2024.

• {{Portal-inline|Journalism}}

{{Reflist|2}}

• {{Official website}}
• {{ProPublicaNonprofitExplorer|142007220}}

{{PulitzerPrize PublicService 2001–2025}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Propublica}}

Category:2007 establishments in New York City

Category:501(c)(3) organizations

Category:American journalism organizations

Category:American news websites

Category:Crowdfunded journalism

Category:Investigative journalism

Category:Non-profit organizations based in New York City

Category:Organizations based in Manhattan

Category:Organizations established in 2007

Category:Pulitzer Prize for Public Service winners

Category:Tor onion services

Category:Nonprofit newspapers