Who is ProPublica funded by?
We are a national nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power.
Our mission is to provide citizens with critical reporting on national government and politics in a truthful and ethical manner. Since 1996, ProPublica has produced thousands of stories that have been published worldwide. We are a nonpartisan news organization that holds our reporters to a strict code of ethics. Our news gathering meets the highest standards and we take great pains to ensure that our journalism is accurate.
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To make a tax-deductible contribution to ProPublica, visit fgpi.propublica.org or click on the link below:
I've been trying to think of a term to convey how much I like working at ProPublica, which seems to be an increasingly challenging feat. And the challenge extends far beyond the obvious it's fun, it's hard work, we're making good things happen stuff, and rather cuts to the center of my being: The work we do really matters. I know I say this at every new job I take, but it's true, and the reason I love ProPublica so much, why I feel such a rush when I wake up in the morning and read the email or stumble across an article that I've written, is because it feels like there is a real public benefit in it.
I could probably keep writing about the challenges we face, but instead I'm going to focus on the fact that, in just two years, the ProPublica team has really stepped up. Our fundraising was up, our impact was growing, our budget was starting to approach its full potential and then the site lost a couple of writers and the fundraising numbers went down, right around when the Obama administration started taking control of so many important parts of the federal government.
And to be honest, I wasn't ready.
How much do reporters make at ProPublica?
We use our ProPublica reporter pay scale and other methods to calculate.
The newsroom isn't just home to journalists anymore. More and more, it's home to data scientists. In fact, we even hired a data scientist as an intern this summer and not because she was the only available data scientist in town. We have a team of five data scientists that includes data reporters, an interactive director, developers, a designer, and two social media managers. They produce visualizations, reports, and interactive apps.
We make sure that the newsroom has some representation for every type of journalist and story developer on our team, be it investigative or arts, business or entertainment. This includes, of course, reporters, editors, designers, social media managers, and developers, but there's also data reporters, interactive directors, graphic designers, developers, product designers, account reps, data scientists, writers, and producers.
Every reporter, designer, data scientist, designer, project manager, digital editor, PR manager, editor, content producer, tech assistant, and others are paid the same by ProPublica. We pay our journalists by the copy, plus a monthly flat rate, and some receive benefits and compensation outside of salary, such as time off for travel and a health benefits allowance for family members. Here, we share how much ProPublica pays everyone who works on our reporting team.
We also want to be transparent about how we do this. So we're publishing our ProPublica reporter pay scale and some examples of how we calculate our salaries in this post, along with a list of our salaries.
What makes a pro publica salary? While you may find that salary requirements to report at ProPublica are similar to those at other nonprofit journalism organizations, their structure can differ. In general, ProPublica reporters are salaried. We give our reporters time off for travel and some form of compensation for out-of-pocket expenses. This salary represents the baseline it covers the job of a full-time writer, but not always everything else a reporter may take on. Our standard package of benefits is included.
Is ProPublica a magazine or newspaper?
The distinction matters, because you pay two different bills for it.
But ProPublica's average readers get a free sample in print, and then pay for their full-time membership at the website. If they cancel their membership, they lose the free sample.
The result? This is all a bit of a con. I know. I'm an expert.
For the record, ProPublica is the only news organization, including major newspapers, to say it runs on advertising.5 million in 2024. This money came from sources including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Wellspring Communications, the Park Foundation and the Open Society Foundations.
Why the focus on your own self-reflection? That number isn't representative of anything real. It doesn't matter.
In any case, if you wanted to understand exactly what ProPublica's average reader looks like, here it is. The breakdown comes from ProPublica's own reporting about its audience. It's not perfect I'm sure there are people who were reported as paying but never actually have. There are some gaps I'm not sure about. But this is the best data we have.