Joel Jacobs
I’m a data reporter at ProPublica. I find, build and analyze datasets to shine light on a wide range of issues.
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Do you have an interesting dataset to share? A consumer or government issue that hasn’t gotten enough attention? I want to hear from you.
What I Cover
I use data to cover a wide range of topics, and I am particularly interested in consumer protection and government accountability. I like to think creatively about what data can tell us about important and underreported issues, even if no one is directly tracking them. For example, I have analyzed bankruptcy data to report on online tribal loans and used 911 call logs to examine New Mexico’s child welfare system.
I often work in partnership with local newsrooms across the country, as part of ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network. Our series on high-interest title lending in Georgia won two SPJ Green Eyeshade Awards in 2024.
My Background
Before joining ProPublica, I was a data reporter on the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s investigations team, where I worked on a variety of award-winning projects including examining bridge infrastructure issues, hospital price transparency and public housing conditions. I also covered the impact of COVID-19 on nursing homes for The Washington Post. I completed my master’s degree in journalism at Northwestern University and previously worked as a software engineer.
The Tribal Lending Industry Offers Quick Cash Online at Outrageous Interest Rates. Here’s How It’s Survived.
Despite lawsuits, prosecutions and federal crackdown attempts, the tribal lending industry has adapted for over a decade, providing exorbitant loans to millions of financially vulnerable consumers.
A Wisconsin Tribe Built a Lending Empire Charging 600% Annual Rates to Borrowers
The Lac du Flambeau tribe is at the center of a $1 billion class-action settlement that comes after years of fending off claims of predatory lending practices.
Homeless Shelters Aren’t Equipped to Deal With New Mexico’s Most Troubled Foster Kids. Police See It for Themselves.
New Mexico places foster teens with serious mental health conditions in shelters that don’t offer psychiatric services. When a crisis erupts, they call 911. “This happens all the time,” said one officer.
Local Reporting Network
TitleMax Demands High-Interest Payments From Borrowers in Bankruptcy
In Georgia, borrowers looking to alleviate debt through Chapter 13 bankruptcy can’t escape their high-interest title pawns thanks to a legal loophole that TitleMax helped secure.
Local Reporting Network
The Courts Blocked Trump’s Federal Funding Freeze. Agencies Are Withholding Money Anyway.
Agencies continue to suspend funding, despite multiple court orders blocking the federal freeze. Experts say the Trump administration’s actions set the stage for challenges to Congress’ authority — and the limits of the presidency.
Tribal Lenders Say They Can Charge Over 600% Interest. These States Stopped Them.
Online lenders tied to Native American tribes argue that they aren’t subject to state lending laws, but they backed away from operating in six states where attorneys have acted forcefully to protect consumers.
A Tribal Lender Charging 800% APR Has Agreed to Stop Operating in Minnesota
The Lac du Flambeau tribe of Wisconsin settled a civil suit filed by Minnesota’s attorney general that alleged its triple-digit interest rates violated state caps. The tribe is under increasing legal pressure nationally over its lending practices.
Desperate Times Led Wisconsin Tribe to High-Interest Lending, Dubious Partnerships and Legal Jeopardy
Facing financial ruin, the Lac du Flambeau tribe began offering short-term loans online with annual rates often over 600%. But as the tribe rose in an industry derided for predatory practices, it put its reputation at risk and drew costly lawsuits.
In New York, Wage Theft Violators Get Millions in Government Contracts
ProPublica and Documented identified 25 employers that, despite histories of wage theft, have received contracts worth more than a collective $500 million from city and state agencies since 2018.
Local Reporting Network
The Louisiana Town Where a Traffic Stop Can Lead to One Charge After Another
Gretna, Louisiana, brings in more money through fines and fees than some larger cities in the state. Much of that revenue comes from motorists who rack up multiple traffic violations.
Local Reporting Network
Mayors Are Presiding Over Their Town Courts Despite Guidance Saying They Shouldn’t. A Lawmaker Calls for Reform.
We found more than a dozen places in Louisiana where the mayor sat on the bench of a court that pulled in a sizable share of the town’s revenue. The state says this arrangement could be unfair to defendants.
Local Reporting Network
How We Measured the Title Lending Industry in Georgia
No statewide agency monitors Georgia’s high-interest title lenders, so we used a variety of data sources to reveal the scope of the industry and its impact on customers who file for bankruptcy.
Local Reporting Network
How We Measured the Environmental Cost of Bankrupt Mines
Using data from Kentucky and West Virginia environmental regulators, ProPublica and Mountain State Spotlight found that mines that have gone through multiple bankruptcies in the past decade had a higher median number of environmental violations than nonbankrupt mines.
Local Reporting Network
This School District Is Ground Zero for Harsh Discipline of Native Students in New Mexico
In Gallup-McKinley County Schools, wearing the wrong color shirt can get you written up for “gang-related activity.” Banging on a window is bullying. The district is responsible for most of New Mexico’s disproportionate expulsions of Native students.
Local Reporting Network