During my early years living in New Jersey, I distinctly remember Newark’s Star-Telegram reporting on how hundreds of police officers and firefighters were using taxpayer dollars to obtain anabolic steroids, human Growth hormone and other forms of testosterone. This is a masterpiece of local journalism. This deepened my understanding of the state where I live.
Sadly, this kind of journalism is increasingly difficult to find due to the financial difficulties of newspapers covering Jersey. With the state sandwiched between two large television media markets—New York City and Philadelphia—the issues facing our cities and towns receive far less attention.
In fact, in February, The Star Ledger ceased print publication entirely, switching to an online-only format. The decision follows multiple rounds of layoffs at the paper in the years leading up to its content reduction, although remaining staff continue to produce important journalism. The company’s leaders said they would reinvest the money gained from ending the print publication into core newsrooms.
I hope so. Because as time goes on, the decline of local journalism becomes more and more apparent. Layoffs. Newspapers are closed. There are fewer investigative stories.
That’s why I’m so proud to share how ProPublica is helping to fill this gap through a series of new initiatives we have launched and will continue to roll out in the new year.
In early 2024, we announced the 50-State Initiative, committing to telling accountability stories with partners in all 50 states over the next five years. We are currently working with the first 10 local newsrooms, including a project in North Dakota (the first time we have worked with media in that state), and we will select an additional 10 newsrooms in 2025.
As part of this work, we pay journalists a year’s salary and benefits so they can delve deeper into projects that are important to their communities or regions. We also pair these reporters with editors here and members of ProPublica’s data, research, crowdsourcing, and news applications teams so that they can apply new and innovative techniques to their reporting. One consequence of newsroom layoffs is the significant reduction or elimination of research and data teams. Giving partners access to these resources can greatly expand the story possibilities.
The 50 State Initiative is an outgrowth of our local reporting network, which launched in 2018 and has produced approximately 100 projects to date. These stories change laws and change lives. They resulted in Alaska declaring a national emergency, Memphis, Tennessee, having its debt forgiven, and Idaho and Hawaii allocating significant funds to address long-standing problems. Almost every week, we see the impact of news reporting by online journalists. We’re seeing shifts in blue and red states; many issues transcend partisanship. When people become aware of a problem, they want solutions to the problems they live with.
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Sarabeth Mani/ProPublica
This success is made possible because we work with a broad range of publications: traditional newspapers, radio and television stations, and a new crop of nonprofit newsrooms that have sprung up to increase local News source for residents. We’ve learned time and time again that people in different communities get their news differently, but interest in fact-based reporting transcends geography.
Good journalism makes a difference:
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Next year, we will build on this successful record. In January, we will launch what we call the Sustainability Desk, which will work with previous partners to produce stories even after the journalists’ one-year fellowship ends. We are hiring an editor and several other staff members to maintain these relationships and look for opportunities to match our partners’ local knowledge with ProPublica’s investigative expertise. Look out for stories from these partners early in the year.
We’re also launching a new initiative with our partners at The Texas Tribune. In addition to continuing the work of our joint investigative unit, we will identify the critical issues facing the country and work with five local newsrooms each year to report on one of those issues from a different perspective.
Texas is helping to start a national conversation on issues like education, health care and immigration. Gov. Greg Abbott has focused the nation’s attention on the border as he sent more than 100,000 newly arrived immigrants to New York, Chicago and other major cities. The state is preparing to adopt private school vouchers in the upcoming legislative session. The state also has the highest percentage of residents without health insurance in the country. We will provide financial, editorial and audience support to five newsrooms across the state, and we hope our investments in journalism will meet current needs. As Texas lawmakers consolidate power in Austin and newsrooms cut their presence in the nation’s capital, this new approach will help ensure newsrooms from El Paso to Tyler, Lubbock to Laredo are informed How people in different parts of the state deal with similar problems.
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Nick Bowling/Capital & Main
Finally, we will hire a reporter based in Florida. This will be our first dedicated reporting effort in the state, although we have done memorable work there, including the Local Reporting Network’s work with the Palm Beach Post on the harm caused by sugar cane burning and our partnership with the Miami The Herald collaborates to report that a program being implemented in Florida to care for children born with brain injuries is doing a disastrous job.
The changes Donald Trump has promised as he prepares for his second administration are sure to have an impact that will be felt locally. We are prepared to document the consequences for communities like never before. When Trump was first sworn in, we had no regional offices and had not yet launched a local reporting network.
Today, our ProPublica reporters are spread across 17 states: Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Washington and Wisconsin. Florida will reach 18th.
We have 21 active local reporting network partners across the country. All told, ProPublica has nearly 50 reporters in various communities, covering local news through an investigative lens.
We may never fully replace hyperlocal coverage of high school sports, police blotters and city councils. But we do believe that every American deserves the benefits of responsible journalism, no matter where they live.
