A Closer Look

Finding Focus: How a Visual Storyteller Gets the Right Image — and the Right Tone

Photography is a powerful journalistic tool, providing visual evidence and evoking emotions that urge us to understand the experiences of others. Here, ProPublica’s Sarahbeth Maney offers suggestions for aspiring visual storytellers.

America’s Mental Barrier

How UnitedHealth’s Playbook for Limiting Mental Health Coverage Puts Countless Americans’ Treatment at Risk

United used an algorithm system to identify patients who it determined were getting too much therapy and then limited coverage. It was deemed illegal in three states, but similar practices persist due to a patchwork of regulation.

Segregation Academies

Segregation Academies Across the South Are Getting Millions in Taxpayer Dollars

North Carolina offers an especially telling window into what is happening across this once legally segregated region where legislatures are now rapidly expanding and adopting controversial voucher-style programs.

Zero Trust

Microsoft's "Free" Plan to Upgrade Government Cybersecurity Was Designed to Box Out Competitors and Drive Profits, Insiders Say

When the White House welcomed Microsoft’s offer of $150 million in tech services, it helped the world’s largest software provider tighten its grip on federal business and freeze out competitors.

Senator Slams Gun Industry’s “Invasive and Dangerous” Sharing of Customer Data With Political Operatives

In response to a ProPublica investigation, Sen. Richard Blumenthal demanded answers from the gun industry about its “covert program” to collect information on gun owners for political purposes.

America’s Mental Barrier

State Regulators Know Health Insurance Directories Are Full of Wrong Information. They’re Doing Little to Fix It.

State agencies say they’re holding insurers accountable for errors in provider directories. But ProPublica found that the actual actions taken so far do not match the regulators’ rhetoric.

Meet ProPublica’s 2024 Class of Emerging Reporters

These five student journalists will receive stipends and mentorship from ProPublica’s staff as they begin to navigate careers in investigative journalism.

How Lincare Became a Multibillion-Dollar Medicare Scofflaw

Lincare, the nation’s largest distributor of home oxygen equipment, has repeatedly violated Medicare rules and probation agreements, victimizing ailing patients and costing taxpayers huge sums. The federal government has done little to stop it.

Crackdown on Student Threats

A 13-Year-Old With Autism Got Arrested After His Backpack Sparked Fear. Only His Stuffed Bunny Was Inside.

Disability rights advocates said kids like Ty should not be getting arrested under Tennessee’s school threats law. And they tried to push for a broader exception for kids with other kinds of disabilities. It didn’t work.

Despite Biden’s Promise to Protect Old Forests, His Administration Keeps Approving Plans to Cut Them Down

In Oregon’s Coast Range, mature forests can absorb more carbon per acre than almost any other on the planet. Yet logging here continues at a steady pace, putting the environment at risk.

An Idaho Baby’s Unexplained Death Got No Autopsy and a Scant Coroner’s Investigation. State Law Says That’s Fine.

With a lack of regulation for coroners, a child who dies unexpectedly or outside of a doctor’s care in Idaho is less likely to be autopsied than anywhere else in the United States.

School Wars

Despite Trump’s Win, School Vouchers Were Again Rejected by Majorities of Voters

In several Republican-led states, popular sentiment on the voucher issue has been overridden by the efforts of special interest groups and powerful governors who have enacted sweeping voucher programs that often benefit affluent families.

The New Immigration

Los migrantes se enfrentan a secuestros masivos al pasar por México mientras el país amplifica su cooperación migratoria con Estados Unidos

Bandas afiliadas a cárteles de la droga han creado una operación de extorsiones a escala industrial basada en secuestros masivos en el sur de México mientras las autoridades estadounidenses presionan a las mexicanas para que frenen la migración.

“The Unbefriended”

Courts Appoint Special Counsel to Oversee Reform of New York’s Troubled Guardianship System

Judicial leaders in New York created two new oversight positions as they work to reform the state’s guardianship system. The personnel additions follow a ProPublica investigation that spotlighted lax monitoring of court-appointed guardians.

Some Issues and Topics Our Reporters Will Be Following in a Second Trump Presidency — and How to Get in Touch

During Donald Trump’s second presidency, ProPublica will continue our focus on the areas most in need of scrutiny. Here are some of the issues our reporters will be watching — and how to get in touch with them.

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