ProPublica is an independent non-profit news organization that focuses on investigative journalism and covering the most pressing issues on a national and global scale. Based in Manhattan, ProPublica began publishing stories in June 2008 under the direction of its founder Paul Steiger,the former managing editor of the Wall Street Journal. It Is now run by Stephen Engelberg, the former investigative editor at the New York Times, and Richard Tofel, the former assistant editor of the Wall Street Journal.
One of the first things that caught my eye was a section called “MuckReads,” a nod to the “Muck Raker” journalists of the early 20th century that abandoned the sensational “yellow journalism” of the late 1800’s and focused on investigative pieces that influenced reform. Muckreads is a social media oriented page where users can submit tweeted stories that have an “accountability angle” that usually cover abuses of power or betrayal of public trust. I appreciated this aspect because it allows for an educated public conversation through social media about corruption among police, politicians, corporations, and other public officials or entities.
ProPublica treats all of their stories as ongoing investigations, lumping them together by topic and contributing to them over time. Investigation topics range from the racial divide in America, consumer and student debt, connections between doctors and ‘Big Pharma’ companies, censorship and surveillance, gender equality, and gun control to global issues such as corporate ties to a warlord in Liberia or Obama’s drone war in the Middle East.
One topic that I found interesting was titled “Disposable Army: Civilian Contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan,” which I assumed to be about the rising use of private military contractors, or mercenaries, to fight for the United States. The articles ended up focusing more on civilian translators and laborers that are neglected by government agencies upon returning, resulting in a lack of mental health support and denial of benefits, a topic I didn’t know much about. In 2010, the number of contractor casualties exceeded military casualties in the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
I like this style of aggregating their own stories into categories because it allows for older stories to resurface and it allows readers to easily follow up with topics they find interesting. Some categories have about 10 related articles while others, such as the Foreclosure Crisis, have over 150 related stories.
While mainstream media outlets like CNN are shortchanging investigative journalism and firing reporters, ProPublica upholds the tenants of journalism, truthfully informing the public by asking the tough questions that Americans want answers to and presenting them in an organized way.
Midnight in Amherst 