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

Columbia Will Pay Survivors of Abusive Doctor $750 Million After ProPublica Revealed University’s Failures

The sweeping deal means the Ivy League school’s settlements will total more than $1 billion for over 1,000 claims of sexual abuse by former patients of OB-GYN Robert Hadden, who worked at the university for 20 years despite decades of complaints.

by Bianca Fortis

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

North Carolina Lawmakers Ask for Investigation Into Funding Disruptions for Sexual Abuse Survivors

In response to ProPublica’s reporting, a bipartisan committee of senators is asking the state auditor to investigate how $15 million intended to stop human trafficking had been spent and managed.

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

The FDA Finally Visited an Indian Drug Factory Linked to U.S. Deaths. It Found Problems.

The inspection comes after a ProPublica investigation revealed that drugs made at the Glenmark Pharmaceuticals plant accounted for an outsized share of U.S. recalls for pills that didn’t dissolve properly and could harm people.

by Patricia Callahan

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

Latest Stories from ProPublica

Democratic Lawmakers Blast Trump Administration’s VA Cuts After ProPublica Investigation

Columbia Will Pay Survivors of Abusive Doctor $750 Million After ProPublica Revealed University’s Failures

The Price of Remission

Trump’s NIH Axed Research Grants Even After a Judge Blocked the Cuts, Internal Records Show