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December 2023

Our Year in Visual Journalism

by ProPublica’s Visual Storytelling Department,

The Most-Read ProPublica Stories of 2023

by ProPublica,

Philips Recalled Breathing Machines in 2021. Chemicals of “Concern” Found in Replacement Machines Raised New Alarm.

by Debbie Cenziper, ProPublica; Michael D. Sallah and Evan Robinson-Johnson, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; and Margaret Fleming, Medill Investigative Lab,

When Alabama Police Kill, Surviving Family Can Fight Years to See Bodycam Footage. There’s No Guarantee They Will.

by Umar Farooq,

Reports Analyzing the Police Response to a Mass Shooting Can Leave Unanswered Questions — if They’re Released at All

by Lexi Churchill and Lomi Kriel,

DTE Energy Facing Oversight of “Hardship-Inducing” Debt Collection Practices

by Sarah Alvarez, Outlier Media,

The Remains of Thousands of Native Americans Were Returned to Tribes This Year

by Logan Jaffe, Ash Ngu and Mary Hudetz,

The University Uprooted a Black Neighborhood. Then Its Policies Reduced the Black Presence on Campus.

by Brandi Kellam and Louis Hansen, Virginia Center for Investigative Journalism at WHRO, and Gabriel Sandoval, ProPublica,

Cuando se lesionan, pocos inmigrantes que trabajan en las granjas lecheras reciben compensación laboral

por Melissa Sanchez y Maryam Jameel,

When Immigrant Dairy Farm Workers Get Hurt, Most Can’t Rely on Workers’ Compensation

by Melissa Sanchez and Maryam Jameel,

In a Major Shift, Northwest Tribes — not U.S. Officials — Will Control Salmon Recovery Funds

by Tony Schick, Oregon Public Broadcasting,

Los Angeles Orders More Residential Hotels to Stop Renting to Tourists

by Robin Urevich, Capital & Main,

Supreme Connections: Search Supreme Court Financial Disclosures

by Sergio Hernández, Alex Mierjeski, Al Shaw and Mollie Simon,

“Una vez que ya no les sirves a ellos, te botan”

por Maryam Jameel y Melissa Sanchez,

ProPublica Adds Ownership Information to Our Nursing Home Database

by Ruth Talbot,

How Verified Accounts on X Thrive While Spreading Misinformation About the Israel-Hamas Conflict

by Jeff Kao, ProPublica, and Priyanjana Bengani, Tow Center for Digital Journalism,

“Once You’re No Good to Them, They Get Rid of You”

by Maryam Jameel and Melissa Sanchez,

“With Every Breath”: The Human Toll of Philips’ Massive CPAP Recall

by Liz Moughon,

“It Looks Like the Railroad Is Asking for You to Say Thank You”

by Jessica Lussenhop and Topher Sanders,

“With Every Breath” Captures the Human Toll of Philips’ Failure to Disclose Dangerous Defects of Its CPAP Devices

by Liz Moughon,

NYPD Will Stop Withholding Body-Camera Footage of Police Shootings From Civilian Investigators

by Eric Umansky,

A “Delicate Matter”: Clarence Thomas’ Private Complaints About Money Sparked Fears He Would Resign

by Justin Elliott, Joshua Kaplan, Alex Mierjeski and Brett Murphy,

Body Cameras Were Sold as a Tool of Police Reform. Ten Years Later, Most of the Footage Is Kept From Public View.

by Umar Farooq,

¿Preocupada por su visita al ginecobstetra? Una guía sobre lo que debería suceder —y lo que no debería suceder.

por Adriana Gallardo, ProPublica, y Jessica Schreifels, The Salt Lake Tribune,

Mujeres de Utah intentaron denunciar agresiones sexuales a la policía. Dicen que enfrentaron retrasos y barreras lingüísticas.

por Adriana Gallardo, ProPublica, y Jessica Schreifels, The Salt Lake Tribune,

Utah Women Tried to Report Sexual Assaults to Police. They Say They Faced Delays and Language Barriers.

by Adriana Gallardo, ProPublica, and Jessica Schreifels, The Salt Lake Tribune,

When Railroad Workers Get Hurt on the Job, Some Supervisors Go to Extremes to Keep It Quiet

by Topher Sanders, Dan Schwartz, Danelle Morton, Gabriel Sandoval and Jessica Lussenhop,

Doctors With Histories of Big Malpractice Settlements Work for Insurers, Deciding If They’ll Pay for Care

by Patrick Rucker, The Capitol Forum, and David Armstrong and Doris Burke, ProPublica,

Idaho Hasn’t Assessed School Buildings for 30 Years. Students and Educators Helped Us Do It Ourselves.

by Asia Fields, ProPublica, and Becca Savransky, Idaho Statesman,

Falling Apart

by Asia Fields, ProPublica, and Becca Savransky, Idaho Statesman, illustrations by Pia Guerra for ProPublica, design by Anna Donlan, ProPublica,

Five Newsroom Partners Join ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network

by ProPublica,

Idaho Lawmakers Are Discussing a Proposal That Would Make It Easier to Repair Schools

by Becca Savransky and Bryan Clark, Idaho Statesman,

Mayors Are Presiding Over Their Town Courts Despite Guidance Saying They Shouldn’t. A Lawmaker Calls for Reform.

by Samantha Sunne, Dannah Sauer and Lee Zurik, WVUE-TV,

Knoxville’s Juvenile Detention Center Says Hundreds of Seclusions Were “Voluntary.” Some Kids Don’t See It That Way.

by Paige Pfleger, WPLN/Nashville Public Radio,

How Police Have Undermined the Promise of Body Cameras

by Eric Umansky, with additional reporting by Umar Farooq,

Charles Whitaker Joins ProPublica Board of Directors

by ProPublica,

Michigan Enacts Laws to Reform Its Juvenile Justice System

by Jodi S. Cohen,

Idaho Keeps Some Psychiatric Patients in Prison, Ignoring Decades of Warnings About the Practice

by Audrey Dutton,

“Unacceptable”: Senators Call on GAO to Probe FDA’s Oversight of Medical Devices, Citing Series on Philips CPAP Recall

by Jonathan D. Salant, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; Debbie Cenziper, ProPublica; and Michael D. Sallah, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette,

The Judiciary Has Policed Itself for Decades. It Doesn’t Work.

by Brett Murphy and Kirsten Berg,

Representatives Propose Ban on Insurers Charging Doctors a Fee to Be Paid Electronically

by Cezary Podkul,

This Researcher Warned of Unnecessary, Risky Vascular Procedures. She Was Called a “Nazi” and Accused of “Fratricide.”

by Annie Waldman,

How ProPublica and CareSet Investigated the Overuse of Vascular Procedures

by Annie Waldman, ProPublica, with data analysis by Alma Trotter and Fred Trotter, CareSet,

Thousands of Patients May Be Undergoing Vascular Procedures Too Soon or Unnecessarily

by Annie Waldman, ProPublica, with data analysis by Alma Trotter and Fred Trotter, CareSet,

5 Takeaways From ProPublica’s Investigation of Coast Guard Detentions at Sea

by Seth Freed Wessler,

Help ProPublica Investigate the World of Subprime Car Loans

by Byard Duncan and Ryan Gabrielson,

Inside the Notorious Gun Shop Linked to Hundreds of Chicago Guns

by Vernal Coleman,

“Uprooted”: What a Black Community Lost When a Virginia University Grew

by Brandi Kellam, Christopher Tyree and Louis Hansen, Virginia Center for Investigative Journalism at WHRO, and Lisa Riordan Seville, ProPublica,

“Uprooted” Explores How University Expansion and Eminent Domain Led to Black Land Loss

by Brandi Kellam, Christopher Tyree and Louis Hansen, Virginia Center for Investigative Journalism at WHRO, and Lisa Riordan Seville and Mauricio Rodríguez Pons, ProPublica,

New Federal Rules Aim to Speed Repatriations of Native Remains and Burial Items

by Mary Hudetz,

What We’re Watching

During Donald Trump’s second presidency, ProPublica will 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 securely.

Learn more about our reporting team. We will continue to share our areas of interest as the news develops.

Photo of Sharon Lerner
Sharon Lerner

I cover health and the environment and the agencies that govern them, including the Environmental Protection Agency.

Photo of Andy Kroll
Andy Kroll

I cover justice and the rule of law, including the Justice Department, U.S. attorneys and the courts.

Photo of Melissa Sanchez
Melissa Sanchez

I report on immigration and labor, and I am based in Chicago.

Photo of Jesse Coburn
Jesse Coburn

I cover housing and transportation, including the companies working in those fields and the regulators overseeing them.

If you don’t have a specific tip or story in mind, we could still use your help. Sign up to be a member of our federal worker source network to stay in touch.

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Most Read

    Trump Team Eyes Politically Connected Startup to Overhaul $700 Billion Government Payments Program

    A little-known firm with investors linked to JD Vance, Elon Musk and Trump could get a piece of the federal expense card system — and its hundreds of millions in fees. “This goes against all the normal contracting safeguards,” one expert said.

    by Christopher Bing and Avi Asher-Schapiro,

    Wisconsin’s Name-Change Law Raises Safety Risks for Transgender People

    A 167-year-old statute requires trans people to publish their old and new names in a newspaper. Families and advocates worry the requirement now poses a risk as President Donald Trump has attacked transgender rights.

    by Phoebe Petrovic, Wisconsin Watch,

    Local Reporting Network

    An Indian Drugmaker, Investigated by ProPublica Last Year, Has Recalled Two Dozen Medications Sold to U.S. Patients

    FDA inspectors found serious problems at a Glenmark factory in India that manufactured the recalled drugs. Another medication made there has been tied to deaths of U.S. patients.

    by Patricia Callahan,

    Congress Has Demanded Answers to ICE Detaining Americans. The Administration Has Responded With Silence.

    Amid increasing reports that U.S. citizens have been caught up in the Trump administration’s immigration dragnet, a dozen members of Congress have written to the government with pointed questions. None has received a reply.

    by Nicole Foy,

    Inside Terrorgram

    White Supremacist Terrorgram Network Allegedly Inspired Teen Accused of Killing Parents and Plotting Trump Assassination

    Court documents reveal that Nikita Casap’s alleged manifesto calling for Trump’s assassination cited multiple Terrorgram publications and urged people to read the writings of a network member who murdered two people outside an LGTBQ+ bar in 2022.

    by A.C. Thompson, ProPublica and FRONTLINE, and James Bandler, ProPublica,