Impact has been at the core of ProPublica’s mission since we launched in 2008, and that’s true for our Local Reporting Network, too. What we mean by impact is that our investigative journalism seeks to do more than expose wrongdoing and injustice; we hope to spark real-world change.
We’ve written a white paper on the topic, and examples of how the journalism of our newsroom and our Local Reporting Network partners 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 stories that show the impact of journalism produced through the Local Reporting Network.
Featured Impact
-
A Hospital Was Accused of Racially Profiling Native American Women. Staff Said Administrators Impeded an Investigation.
Federal regulators are investigating a New Mexico hospital accused of racial profiling. This comes as hospital staff said administrators appeared to hide documents and discouraged cooperation with an initial state inquiry.
-
California Takes a First Step Toward Improving Its Failing County Jails
After an investigation by McClatchy and ProPublica, a state oversight agency is proposing tougher scrutiny and consequences for dangerous conditions in California’s county jails.
-
Sex Offenders Were Becoming Cops. After Our Stories, Alaska’s Governor Wants That To End.
Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s proposed law comes after Anchorage Daily News and ProPublica found that dozens of rural Alaskan police officers had been hired despite criminal convictions.
More Impact
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
Native Students Receive Excessive Discipline in This New Mexico School District, Report Finds
The Navajo Nation report echoes a 2022 investigation by New Mexico In Depth and ProPublica that found Indigenous students were punished more harshly than other students in the state’s Gallup-McKinley school district.
-
Colorado Marijuana Regulators Consider Major Changes to How Labs Test for Contaminants
Critics say the current method of allowing manufacturers to choose the samples they send to labs is vulnerable to abuse and allows contaminated products to reach dispensaries.
-
Mass. Governor Proposes Eliminating Statute of Limitations for Rape When DNA Evidence Exists
A WBUR-ProPublica investigation found that no DNA match, testimony or even confession could allow a rape to be prosecuted after the state’s 15-year deadline. The governor aims to “help survivors who have had to wait far too long for justice.”
-
New York Homeless Families Placed in Hotels Weren’t Guaranteed Social Services. New Regulations Could Change That.
The proposal follows a ProPublica and New York Focus investigation that found counties had placed thousands of adults and children in often-dilapidated hotels as the main response to homelessness.
-
New Bills Seek to Rein In Oil Companies’ Pollution of Oklahoma Groundwater
The legislation comes after The Frontier and ProPublica found over 150 incidents where oilfield wastewater had gushed from the earth, releasing toxic chemicals — including some that cause cancer — near homes and farms and into drinking water sources.
-
Our Reporting Showed Washington Ranks Last in Green Energy Growth. Now the State Is Working to Speed It Up.
The state’s departing commerce director said there’s added urgency to get the projects done after an Oregon Public Broadcasting and ProPublica investigation showed states like Iowa and Texas have made more progress in renewable energy growth.
-
Alaska Lawmaker Calls for Hiring More Prosecutors, Public Defenders to Reduce Extreme Delay in Criminal Cases
A Judiciary Committee chair said stories by the Anchorage Daily News and ProPublica about sluggish court proceedings “stab my heart.” Fixing the problem will take more than a state Supreme Court order last year limiting new delays, he said.
-
“Step in the Right Direction”: Connecticut DMV Commissioner Calls for More Reforms to State Towing Law to Protect Drivers
The recommendations to require more notification to car owners and to streamline the process for selling unclaimed vehicles follow a Connecticut Mirror and ProPublica investigation into towing practices.
-
Oregon Faced a Huge Obstacle in Adding Green Energy. Here’s What Changed This Year.
Gov. Tina Kotek has been pushing to make progress on the state's renewable energy projects since ProPublica and Oregon Public Broadcasting highlighted obstacles.
-
A County’s Move to Protect Domestic Violence Victims Is Spreading Across Tennessee After Legislative Delay
Judges across the state are demanding more accountability from abusers who have been ordered to give up their guns in an effort to strengthen protections for domestic violence victims.
-
A Death Row Inmate Was Released on Bail After His Conviction Was Overturned. Louisiana Still Wants to Execute Him.
Months after a judge tossed out his 1998 murder conviction, Jimmie Duncan is free on bail. But prosecutors have asked the Louisiana Supreme Court to reinstate the death penalty for Duncan, even as the victim’s mother has come to support his release.
-
Connecticut DMV Fires Employee Who Made Thousands Selling Towed Cars
Investigators found the longtime employee traded favors with a towing company to purchase vehicles at a steep discount, according to a termination letter.
-
Oregon Fast-Tracks Renewable Energy Projects as Trump Bill Ends Tax Incentives
Gov. Tina Kotek ordered the move, which follows reporting by Oregon Public Broadcasting and ProPublica that highlighted impediments green energy advocates blame for the state’s poor ranking when it comes to the growth of renewables.
-
We Investigated How Oil Companies Take Millions From Mineral Owners. Now, Some Lawmakers Push for Change.
For years, North Dakota legislators rejected proposals to protect mineral owners from oil and gas companies withholding their earnings. “Something has to be done,” one lawmaker now says.
-
Connecticut DMV Committee Expands Study of Towing Law to Help Low-Income Residents Get Their Cars Back
The working group was created as part of a towing reform law passed in response to a ProPublica and Connecticut Mirror investigation into towing practices in the state.
-
Four Years After Cop Was Filmed Slamming Black Woman to the Ground, Louisiana Passes Accountability Law
Despite being caught in a 2021 video ripping out Shantel Arnold’s hair, sheriff’s Deputy Julio Alvarado failed to report the incident. A new law authored by Arnold’s attorney will mandate excessive-force reporting for all law enforcement agencies.
