Committed to Making a Difference in All 50 States Through Local Investigative Partnerships Our work with The Connecticut Mirror uncovered predatory towing practices and won the 2026 Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting

https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/2026-Impact-Report-01_Web.pdf Today we published ProPublica’s first Impact Report of 2026. (+... ++++) In the first four months of this year, our investigations continued to shape the conversation on some of the nation’s most pressing concerns: immigration, corruption and conflicts of interest, voting and election security, prescription drug safety, climate change, reproductive healthcare, and social services for those most in need. We documented the federal policies and practices being upended, the agencies and protections being dismantled and the wide-ranging implications for communities across the country. Most important, our reporting continued to inspire action and drive impact — often with bipartisan support despite a deeply polarized political climate. To appreciate the depth and breadth of our journalism’s impact, I encourage you to take a look at the full report. A few highlights include: Behind a Pulitzer-Winning Partnership: “On the Hook” with The Connecticut Mirror A Q&A with Elizabeth Hamilton, executive editor of CT Mirror, takes you behind the scenes of our groundbreaking series and collaboration investigating Connecticut’s towing industry that exposed widespread abuses by towing companies, sparked meaningful consumer protections across the state and won the 2026 Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting. https://www.propublica.org/series/on-the-hook Local Impact See how ProPublica’s local reporting continues to drive change. In addition to Connecticut, laws were passed with bipartisan support in Utah banning polygraph tests for sexual assault victims and in Tennessee reforming the state’s controversial school threats law. Following investigations on the environment and climate change, Washington state sped up its green energy development, Oklahoma lawmakers introduced a series of bills to rein in oil companies’ pollution of groundwater, New Mexico filed a lawsuit against Texas oil companies for leaking oil wells and the U.S. Forest Service ended its practice of issuing clothing to wildland firefighters that contained potentially dangerous PFAS “forever chemicals.” Partner Spotlight: “Unplugged” and “Toxic Pressure” with The Frontier Learn more about our partnership with freelance journalist Nick Bowlin, reporting for The Frontier, who has delved deep into oil and gas issues in Oklahoma, and the state’s oil field wastewater pollution problem. ProPublica’s video team also teamed up with The Frontier to co-produce a documentary, “Toxic Ground: How Oil Field Pollution Is Threatening Oklahoma,” that premiered in Tulsa this spring, with enthusiastic community participation. “We were operating in a region that is often overlooked by major media, where opportunities for community-wide civic discussions around investigative journalism are rare,” filmmaker Katie Campbell said. “The turnout showed people are hungry for this kind of work and for hearing directly from the families and journalists.” This is a time of tremendous uncertainty in the country. But ProPublica remains steadfast in our commitment to independent investigative journalism — grounded in facts and backed by data — that demands accountability and ensures that powerful institutions truly serve the public. We publish these reports three times a year to hold ourselves accountable to our mission by detailing the real-world impact spurred by our stories. https://www.propublica.org/series/unplugged https://www.propublica.org/series/toxic-pressure Thank you for sharing our belief that accountability journalism is vital to the health and resilience of our communities and part of the bedrock of a strong democracy. ProPublica has the independence and the resources to investigate those in power because we’re a nonprofit. Our newsroom persists because readers like you choose to fund it. Your support ensures that the truth gets out, no matter who it challenges. Thank you for standing with us. With gratitude, Robin Sparkman