When did ProPublica win its first Pulitzer Prize?
ProPublica won its first Pulitzer Prize in 2010, for the story "The Deadly Choices at Memorial," written by Sheri Fink. It was the first Pulitzer Prize ever awarded to an online news source.
Questions about ProPublica
Short answers, pulled from the story.
Who founded ProPublica and how is it funded?
ProPublica was founded by Herbert and Marion Sandler, former chief executives of Golden West Financial Corporation, who committed $10 million per year to the project. Additional funding has come from the Knight Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, Pew Charitable Trusts, Ford Foundation, the Carnegie Corporation, and the Atlantic Philanthropies.
What is the COMPAS algorithm investigation ProPublica conducted?
In 2016, ProPublica published an investigation led by Julia Angwin into the COMPAS algorithm, used by US courts to predict whether defendants would reoffend. The investigation found Black defendants were almost twice as likely as white defendants to be incorrectly labeled high-risk, and that only 20 percent of people flagged as likely to commit violent crimes actually did so.
What did ProPublica's cancer-risk pollution map find?
Published in 2021, the map identified over 1,000 toxic hotspots nationwide from five years of EPA data and estimated 250,000 people may face cancer risk levels the EPA deems unacceptable. The city of Longview, Texas had one area with a cancer risk 72 times greater than the EPA's acceptable threshold.
What is ProPublica's Local Reporting Network?
Launched in 2018, the Local Reporting Network partners ProPublica with more than 70 local news organizations, subsidizing salary and benefits for reporters who apply alongside a local outlet. Work from the network's partnership with the Anchorage Daily News won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service.
How many Pulitzer Prizes has ProPublica won?
ProPublica has won multiple Pulitzer Prizes, including awards in 2010, 2011, 2016, 2017, 2019-2020 (two prizes in that year), and 2024. The 2011 prize for The Wall Street Money Machine was the first Pulitzer ever awarded to a group of stories not published in print.