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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
More Impact
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North Carolina Democrats Propose Changes to Block GOP Power Transfers and Secrecy
The legislation, prompted in part by ProPublica’s reporting, aims to protect traditional powers of the state’s governor and reform oversight of its court system.
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Lawmakers Demand Answers After the White House Initiated a $620M Loan to a Firm Tied to Donald Trump Jr.
In a letter, a group of Democratic Congress members wrote that ProPublica’s reporting on the deal “reveals a staggering level of corruption and influence.”
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More Than $100 Million Was Billed for Medically Questionable Vascular Procedures, Government Watchdog Finds
Following a ProPublica investigation, a report found that dozens of doctors routinely performed controversial vascular procedures. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said it would look into those physicians’ practices.
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Alaska’s Deteriorating Schools Could Receive More Than $148 Million for Repairs. It’s a Fraction of What They Need.
Following reporting by KYUK, ProPublica and NPR, lawmakers tripled the funding the state would allocate toward school construction and maintenance. The budget increase would still only cover about 13% of what school districts requested.
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U.S. Lawmakers Demand Reforms to Immigration Officers’ Use of Tear Gas and Pepper Spray
A ProPublica investigation found that scores of children were hurt by these chemicals during President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. Lawmakers say the findings show more restrictions are needed.
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Líderes piden a Justicia investigar presunta trama de drogas por votos tras informe de ProPublica
Cinco representantes EE. UU. pidieron al inspector general de Justicia federal investigar por qué no se radicaron cargos por fraude electoral “a pesar de los hallazgos y las pruebas reportados”.
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Albuquerque Officials Take Steps to Curb Surge in Citations, Jail Stays Related to Homelessness
The changes come after ProPublica reported that charges for crimes related to homelessness have skyrocketed under Mayor Tim Keller. In 2025, people were charged 1,256 times for obstructing sidewalks — nearly six times the number in the previous eight years combined.
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Lawmakers Ask DOJ Watchdog to Investigate Alleged Drugs-for-Votes Scheme After ProPublica Report
Led by Puerto Rico’s representative in Congress, five House members have called on the Department of Justice’s inspector general to examine why election fraud charges were not pursued “despite reported findings and evidence.”
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California Teacher Previously Fired for Sexual Harassment Is No Longer in the Classroom After New Complaints
A KQED-ProPublica report revealed how Redwood City teacher Jason Agan was allowed to keep his credentials despite being deemed “unfit to teach.” Now he’s been replaced by a substitute for the remainder of the school year.
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More Than 100,000 American Kids Have Had a Parent Detained in Immigration Sweeps, Report Estimates
Since the Trump administration doesn’t track how many children have been separated from their parents by immigration detention, a Brookings report tried to calculate it — and it cited ProPublica’s reporting.
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Líderes en Puerto Rico piden investigar presunta trama electoral después de reportaje de ProPublica
Un legislador dijo que la Cámara de Representantes tiene “un deber ineludible de investigar” después de que ProPublica reveló cómo se les dijo a los fiscales que dejaran de indagar en si la trama de drogas por votos estaba conectada a la gobernadora.
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Puerto Rico Lawmakers Call for Investigation Into Alleged Drugs-for-Votes Scheme After ProPublica Report
One said the territory’s House has “an inescapable duty to investigate” after the ProPublica report revealed how federal prosecutors had been told to stop looking into whether the scheme was linked to the island's newly elected governor.
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Lawmakers Demand Answers About Growing Number of Unfixed Mistakes on Credit Reports
Four senators wrote letters to Experian and TransUnion, requesting information on the companies’ dispute handling processes after ProPublica revealed they have been dismissing more consumer complaints without providing help.
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Connecticut Senate Approves More Towing Reforms, Expanding on Landmark 2025 Legislation
The bill, which follows a Connecticut Mirror and ProPublica investigation, would limit when towing companies can sell cars and would create an online portal to track towed cars.
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Texas Medical Board Sanctions Three Doctors for Delayed Care That Led to the Deaths of Two Pregnant Women
Porsha Ngumezi and Nevaeh Crain died during miscarriages in Texas. The state’s medical board ruled that the doctors’ substandard care led to the deaths and ordered them to complete extra training.
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Colorado Marijuana Regulators Pledge Crackdown on Intoxicating Hemp
Citing potential tax avoidance and “serious risks to public safety,” the Marijuana Enforcement Division warned companies about selling illegal chemically converted hemp as marijuana.
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Tennessee Lawmakers Pass Fix to School Threats Law After Kids Were Arrested for Jokes and Misunderstandings
Tennessee lawmakers voted to change a controversial law so school officials will now only have to report threats they deem “credible.” It comes after an investigation by ProPublica and WPLN that showed children were wrongly ensnared by the legislation.
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Utah Bans Polygraph Tests for Those Reporting Sexual Assault
A state legislator was moved to sponsor the bill — now signed into law — following a Salt Lake Tribune-ProPublica investigation that showed how polygraphs can retraumatize sexual abuse victims.
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How American Kids Have Been Collateral Damage in Trump’s Immigration Crackdown
Democrats in the House and Senate are digging into the treatment, detention and sometimes even deportation of American children at the hands of immigration agents. Families featured in ProPublica’s reporting will be speaking at a forum.
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Report Confirms Columbia Ignored Decades of Doctor’s Sexual Abuse
Columbia commissioned the report after ProPublica’s investigation into how the university protected former OB-GYN Robert Hadden. The school also announced the resignation of two top doctors who were involved in allowing Hadden to continue practicing.
