Atlanta Movie Studio Executive Apologizes After Sending Racist, Antisemitic Texts
Ryan Millsap’s apology for his messages, which were revealed by a ProPublica and Atlanta Journal-Constitution investigation, comes as influential government and entertainment officials said they were disappointed by his derogatory rhetoric.
Reporting From the South
ProPublica’s seven-person reporting unit, based in Atlanta, covers North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee. The region plays a pivotal role in national issues including political representation, racial equity and environmental justice.
An Atlanta Movie Exec Praised for His Diversity Efforts Sent Racist, Antisemitic Texts
Ryan Millsap has built important relationships with Black leaders and Jewish colleagues. But his private communications exhibit derogatory views toward those communities.
Tennessee Is Ramping Up Penalties for Student Threats. Research Shows That’s Not the Best Way to Keep Schools Safe.
Zero-tolerance measures can counteract what some experts consider a crucial tool for protecting students and the larger community.
How Georgia’s Small Power Companies Endanger Their Most Vulnerable Customers
The state’s small electricity providers aren’t required to delay disconnecting seriously ill customers who depend on medical devices, putting lives at risk.
South News Staff
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- Max Blau, Nicole Carr, Doug Bock Clark, Jennifer Berry Hawes, Aliyya Swaby and Seth Freed Wessler
Local Reporting Network Partners
ProPublica is supporting local and regional newsrooms as they work on important investigative projects affecting their communities. Some of our past and present partners in the region:
- MLK50: Justice Through Journalism
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- Mountain State Spotlight
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- Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal
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The Family Photographs That Helped Us Investigate How a University Displaced a Black Community
A longtime resident of the Shoe Lane area in Virginia chronicled the life of his community as it was demolished by Christopher Newport University. His photographs helped a reporter seek accountability.
The EPA Has Done Nearly Everything It Can to Clean Up This Town. It Hasn’t Worked.
Despite years of air monitoring, inspections and millions in penalties for petrochemical plants, the air in Calvert City, Kentucky, remains polluted. The EPA’s inability to fix it is an indictment of the laws governing clean air, experts say.
The Flooding Will Come “No Matter What”
The complex, contradictory and heartbreaking process of American climate migration is underway.
When the Number of Bedrooms in a Home Keeps Parents From Getting Their Kids Back
Even after resolving other safety concerns, parents in Georgia can wait for months to be reunited with their children, often because of what advocates say are stringent requirements sought by the state’s Division of Family and Children Services.
“Everyone Will Die in Prison”: How Louisiana’s Plan to Lock People Up Longer Imperils Its Sickest Inmates
Janice Parker has witnessed the failing medical care at Angola, the state’s largest prison, on her frequent visits to see her paralyzed son. Laws passed at the behest of Gov. Jeff Landry threaten to further strain that system.
Tennessee Lawmakers Want More Oversight of Juvenile Detention. The Department of Children’s Services Is Pushing Back.
New legislation would shift enforcement power to an independent agency after a WPLN and ProPublica investigation found that a Knoxville detention center was illegally locking kids alone in cells.
Virginia Lawmakers Approve Commission to Examine Universities’ Displacement of Black Communities
The groundbreaking commission, which was proposed in response to our “Uprooted” series, would consider compensation for dislodged property owners and their descendants. Whether Gov. Glenn Youngkin will sign the bill is unclear.
Liberty University Hit With Record Fines for Failing to Handle Complaints of Sexual Assault, Other Crimes
Spurred by a ProPublica investigation, the federal Department of Education found the evangelical school in Virginia had discouraged students from reporting rape and other crimes.
Lawmakers Could Limit When County Officials in Mississippi Can Jail People Awaiting Psychiatric Treatment
The legislation follows reporting by Mississippi Today and ProPublica showing that hundreds of people in the state are jailed every year while awaiting court-ordered treatment simply because public mental health facilities are full or too far away.
Their States Banned Abortion. Doctors Now Say They Can't Give Women Potential Lifesaving Care.
In Tennessee and other states that banned abortion, doctors are left to debate high-risk pregnancy cases with their colleagues. ProPublica takes an exclusive look inside those discussions.
No Questions, Multiple Denials: This Mississippi Court Appoints Lawyers for Just 1 in 5 Defendants Before Indictment
Mississippi has long been known as one of the worst states for providing a lawyer to any defendant who can’t afford one. In one rural county, most defendants in a lower court went without any lawyer before their cases were sent to a grand jury.
Task Force to Consider “Restorative Justice” for Black Families Uprooted by Virginia University’s Expansion
Spurred by our “Uprooted” series, a task force created by the city of Newport News and Christopher Newport University will reexamine decades of city and university records shedding light on a Black neighborhood’s destruction.
When Families Need Housing, Georgia Will Pay for Foster Care Rather Than Provide Assistance
In more than 700 cases over five years, Georgia reported inadequate housing as the sole reason for taking a child into foster care, a WABE and ProPublica analysis found. Advocates say it would be cheaper to help families get housing.
5 Takeaways From Our Investigation Into How Mississippi Counties Jail People for Mental Illness
We’ve been reporting on the state’s civil commitment process in partnership with Mississippi Today. These are the most important findings.
How Many of Your State’s Lawmakers Are Women? If You Live in the Southeast, It Could Be Just 1 in 5.
A record number of women were elected to statehouses last year. But in the Southeast, where some legislatures are more than 80% male, representation is lagging as lawmakers pass bills that most impact women, like near-total abortion bans.
