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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Se inicia una investigación del Congreso en respuesta a las revelaciones de ProPublica sobre estadounidenses detenidos
Senadores, miembros de la Cámara de Representantes e incluso un alcalde expresaron su indignación y exigieron respuestas a partir de la investigación en la que descubrimos que este año los agentes de inmigración detuvieron por lo menos a 170 ciudadanos
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Trump’s VA Made It Harder for Male Veterans to Get Treatment for Breast Cancer. Lawmakers Want to Fix That.
After ProPublica revealed changes to how the Department of Veterans Affairs covers men with breast cancer, House members demanded the agency reverse its decision. Separately, new Senate legislation would require the VA to be more transparent.
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Senators Propose Sweeping Changes to Generic Drug Oversight
Citing a ProPublica investigation, lawmakers are calling on the FDA to conduct more drug testing and to alert hospitals and other purchasers when foreign manufacturers with safety failures are given a special pass to send their products to the U.S.
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Joint Congressional Investigation Launched in Response to ProPublica’s Revelations on Detained Americans
Senators, House members and even a mayor expressed outrage and demanded accountability after our investigation detailed how at least 170 citizens have been held by immigration agents this year.
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Ethics Watchdog Group Seeks Investigation Into Border Czar and Contracts Following ProPublica Report
The nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center has called on the Homeland Security inspector general to investigate potential conflicts of interest and ethics violations by border czar Tom Homan and his senior adviser Mark Hall.
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House Rep Demands Answers About Delayed EPA Report on PFNA, a Toxic Forever Chemical
In a letter to EPA Chief Lee Zeldin, Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, cited a recent ProPublica story that quoted government scientists saying a yet-to-be-released report on the toxicity of PFNA was ready to publish in April.
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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.
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Chicago Cop Who Falsely Blamed an Ex-Girlfriend for Dozens of Traffic Tickets Pleads Guilty but Avoids Prison
Retired officer Jeffrey Kriv acknowledged repeatedly lying under oath to avoid paying dozens of speeding and other traffic tickets. Prosecutors have dropped at least 92 cases in which Kriv was a key witness because of credibility issues.
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I Filmed the ICE Officer Who Shoved a Woman to the Floor Inside a New York Courthouse
I arrived in the U.S. eight weeks ago to report on how the administration’s immigration crackdown was playing out from the front lines. What I saw Thursday was the culmination of ICE’s aggressive behavior.
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NIH Launches New Multimillion-Dollar Initiative to Reduce U.S. Stillbirth Rate
Clinical teams across the country are forming a five-year, $37 million consortium to research stillbirth, a long-neglected public health concern. “There’s no question that the ProPublica reporting was intimately tied to this,” one expert said.
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A New Lawsuit Alleges the Gun Industry Exploited Firearm Owners’ Data for Political Gain
The federal court complaint filed this week closely mirrors the findings of a ProPublica investigation that detailed a decades-long secret program operated by the gun industry’s largest trade group.
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“Unacceptable”: Prominent U.S. Senators Demand FDA Provide Names of Troubled Foreign Drugmakers Skirting Import Bans
Citing a recent ProPublica investigation, Rick Scott, R-Fla., and Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., said they had “urgent concerns” about the agency’s oversight of foreign drugmakers and whether medications coming into the U.S. are safe.
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Pentagon Bans Tech Vendors From Using China-Based Personnel After ProPublica Investigation
The Defense Department has tightened cybersecurity requirements for its cloud services providers. The changes come after ProPublica revealed how Microsoft’s use of China-based engineers left sensitive government data vulnerable to hacking.
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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.
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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.
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New Uvalde Records Reveal How the School District Changed Course on Supporting Police Chief
The previously unreported details were revealed in the over 25,000 pages of records the school district has disclosed since Aug. 26 in response to a yearslong legal fight by news outlets, including ProPublica and The Texas Tribune.
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Pentagon Warns Microsoft: Company’s Use of China-Based Engineers Was a “Breach of Trust”
The Defense Department is opening an investigation to determine if the tech giant’s use of overseas engineers to maintain sensitive U.S. government computer systems compromised national security.
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Top Democrat on Oversight Committee Demands Trump Administration Account for Wildland Firefighter Vacancies
The request follows ProPublica reporting that DOGE cuts and voluntary resignations left thousands of vacant jobs at the Forest Service, severely hampering its ability to fight wildfires.
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Governor’s Task Force Calls on New York to Bolster Funding, Oversight of Guardianships
A panel of experts tasked by Gov. Kathy Hochul to evaluate the needs of New York’s aging population has recommended that the state permanently fund and oversee guardianship services. The governor won’t say whether she will.
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New Uvalde Records Reveal Details About School Safety Concerns and Shooter’s Behavioral Issues
The release is part of a settlement agreement in a lawsuit that news organizations brought against state and local governments. The fight continues to get the Texas Department of Public Safety to release its own records.
