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

Lawmakers in at Least Seven States Seek Expanded Abortion Access

Some of the bills were filed in direct response to ProPublica’s reporting on the fatal consequences of abortion bans.

by Ziva Branstetter and Cassandra Jaramillo

Justice Department Sues Six of the Nation’s Largest Landlords in Effort to Stop Alleged Price-Fixing in Rental Markets

Federal prosecutors allege that the landlords have used RealPage pricing software to collude and artificially raise rents. The legal action is the latest development stemming from a 2022 ProPublica investigation.

by Heather Vogell

EPA Finalizes New Standards for Cancer-Causing Chemicals

The regulation specifically targets ethylene oxide, which a ProPublica analysis found was the single biggest contributor to excess industrial cancer risk from air pollutants nationwide.

by Ava Kofman

Idaho Legislature Approves $2 Billion for Schools to Repair and Replace Aging Buildings

The funding was pledged by Gov. Brad Little after an Idaho Statesman and ProPublica investigation showed students learning in poor conditions. Educators say it’s only a start to fixing decades-old problems.

by Becca Savransky, Idaho Statesman

More Impact

Texas Senate Approves Legislation to Clarify Exceptions to Abortion Ban

Following ProPublica’s reporting, Republicans acknowledged women were denied care because medical providers were unsure what Texas’ abortion ban allowed. But the new legislation doesn’t remove what doctors say are the biggest impediments to care.

by Cassandra Jaramillo and Lizzie Presser

Gun Owners Group Calls for Federal Inquiry Into Firearms Industry’s Secret Sharing of Customer Data

Citing a ProPublica investigation, Gun Owners for Safety called the secret program that spanned nearly two decades “underhanded.” “Gun owners’ privacy is not a partisan or ideological issue,” a member of the group wrote.

by Corey G. Johnson

Louisiana Judge Nullifies Death Row Inmate’s Murder Conviction That Was Based on Junk Science

Following a Verite News and ProPublica investigation, a district judge vacated the death sentence of Jimmie Duncan, whose 1998 murder conviction was based on allegedly fabricated bite mark analysis. It remains unclear if Duncan will walk free.

by Richard A. Webster, Verite News

ICE Air Has a New Contractor. This State Is Asking How It Will Protect the Detainees on Board.

A letter to the airline from Connecticut’s attorney general cited ProPublica’s reporting on ICE Air flight attendants, who said it was unclear how shackled detainees would get off a plane in an emergency.

by McKenzie Funk

New Law Increases Oversight of Arizona Sober Living Homes

The legislation follows a ProPublica and Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting investigation on a $2 billion Medicaid fraud scheme that targeted Native Americans seeking drug and alcohol treatment.

by Mary Hudetz

An Indian Drugmaker, Investigated by ProPublica Last Year, Has Recalled Two Dozen Medications Sold to U.S. Patients

FDA inspectors found serious problems at a Glenmark factory in India that manufactured the recalled drugs. Another medication made there has been tied to deaths of U.S. patients.

by Patricia Callahan

N.C. Lawmakers Move to Stop Votes From Being Discarded Based on Postelection Rule Changes

Spurred by ProPublica’s reporting, Democrats have introduced a measure designed to block a right-wing strategy to disallow ballots after they were cast. It’s being used to try to upend the results of a key state Supreme Court race.

by Doug Bock Clark

Utah Ex-Therapist Scott Owen Sentenced to Prison for Sexually Abusing Patients

Owen’s 15-year-to-life prison term follows a 2023 investigation by The Salt Lake Tribune and ProPublica that uncovered a range of sex abuse allegations against the ex-therapist, who claimed to be a specialist for struggling gay Latter-day Saints men.

by Jessica Schreifels, The Salt Lake Tribune

Representatives Demand Housing Agency Halt Any Cryptocurrency Experiments

Following reporting by ProPublica, three Democrats on the House Financial Services Committee have warned HUD against using crypto, which they said could be “dangerous, speculative, and harmful to working families.”

by Jesse Coburn

The Art Institute of Chicago Returned a Sculpture to Nepal But Obscured Its Connection to a Wealthy Donor

The famed museum recently returned a 12th-century Buddha sculpture that it says was stolen from the Kathmandu Valley. However, the institute’s announcement failed to mention the statue had once belonged to wealthy donor Marilynn Alsdorf.

by Steve Mills

We Detailed Mayor Adams’ Embrace of an Abuse-Ridden NYPD Unit. Now Lawmakers and Advocates Demand Change.

In the wake of ProPublica’s expose of the Community Response Team, critics are calling for the unit to be disbanded. New York City’s police commissioner may also be reducing the team’s role.

by Eric Umansky

Alaska Supreme Court Places New Limits on Pretrial Delays

The move follows an investigation by ProPublica and the Anchorage Daily News that found some cases have taken as long as a decade to reach juries, potentially violating the rights of victims and defendants alike.

by Kyle Hopkins, Anchorage Daily News

Texas GOP Lawmakers Propose Amending Abortion Ban Linked to Deaths and a Rise in Sepsis Cases

The bill comes after ProPublica’s reporting on the deaths of three Texas women. It specifies that doctors don’t need to wait until an emergency is “imminent” to terminate pregnancies but leaves in steep penalties for those who violate the law.

by Kavitha Surana and Cassandra Jaramillo

We Found Widespread Abuse of Disabled Patients at an Illinois Facility. The DOJ Is Investigating.

A federal probe into Illinois’ treatment of disabled people will examine abuse and neglect allegations at state-run residential institutions — including Choate, the subject of a yearlong Capitol News Illinois and ProPublica investigation.

by Beth Hundsdorfer and Molly Parker, Capitol News Illinois

Texas Lawmakers Want a Charter School Network to Stop Paying Its Superintendent Nearly $900K. The School Board Says No.

The rebuke from lawmakers and charter school leaders came after an investigation from ProPublica and The Texas Tribune revealed that Salvador Cavazos, who oversees fewer than 1,000 students, is among the most well-paid superintendents in the country.

by Lexi Churchill, ProPublica and The Texas Tribune, and Ellis Simani, ProPublica

Connecticut Lawmakers Seek Overhaul of Towing Laws

A new bill addresses nearly all of the issues raised in a Connecticut Mirror and ProPublica investigation that found people’s cars were being sold shortly after they were towed.

by Ginny Monk and Dave Altimari, The Connecticut Mirror

As Idaho Pushes to Reform Its Coroner System, Counties Seek to Make It Less Transparent

A bill moving forward with bipartisan support is described as a first step to addressing problems highlighted in a state report and by ProPublica. Meanwhile, counties seek to end access to coroners’ records that were key to ProPublica’s findings.

by Audrey Dutton

Illinois Has Virtually No Homeschooling Rules. A New Bill Aims to Change That.

Following a ProPublica and Capitol News Illinois investigation, an Illinois lawmaker has introduced legislation that would require families to tell their public school districts if they are homeschooling.

by Molly Parker and Beth Hundsdorfer, Capitol News Illinois

ProPublica Updates Its Database of Museums’ and Universities’ Compliance With Federal Repatriation Law

Institutions across the U.S. returned more than 10,300 Native American ancestors to tribes in 2024, making it the third-biggest year for repatriation under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act.

by Mary Hudetz

Alaska Judge Vows to Reduce Trial Delays: “We Must, and We Will, Improve”

Chief Justice Susan M. Carney’s comments follow ProPublica and Anchorage Daily News reporting that found the median time to resolve the most serious felonies in Alaska was three years in 2023 — triple the time it took a decade before.

by Kyle Hopkins, Anchorage Daily News

Latest Stories from ProPublica

Arizona Has Recovered Just 5% of Taxpayer Dollars Lost in a $2.5 Billion Medicaid Fraud Scheme

Millions of People Depend on the Great Lakes’ Water Supply. Trump Decimated the Lab Protecting It.

Have You Been Affected by Changes at the Department of Veterans Affairs? Tell Us About It.

Internal VA Emails Reveal How Trump Cuts Jeopardize Veterans’ Care, Including To “Life-Saving Cancer Trials”