Spotlight PA: Pennsylvania news and investigations

About

Spotlight PA was founded to address a crisis in journalism in Pennsylvania: the ongoing and rapid decline of corporate-owned legacy news outlets, which is greatly diminishing access to trusted, contextual, and factual reporting across the state. With support from foundations, individual members, and more, Spotlight PA is uncovering stories that would otherwise go untold and cutting through partisanship and misinformation to deliver trusted, reliable journalism at no cost to all in Pennsylvania. Since its inception in 2019, Spotlight PA has become a leading national model for independent, collaborative journalism that empowers residents and gets results. Its work has won numerous state and national awards and driven meaningful change and policy reforms in the state capital and beyond.

Impact & Awards

Tim Boyce — the emergency manager in Delaware County, where the Mariner East pipelines cut through a population of roughly 3,000 people per square mile — said planners like himself need more information from Sunoco. “You can’t just keep telling people, ‘It’s OK, don’t worry about it.’ We owe it to them to have thought this through beforehand,” he said.

At Risk, In The Dark

As the Mariner East pipelines become a permanent underpinning of Pennsylvania, secrecy and a patchwork of emergency plans have left many communities in the dark about what to do in case of an accident.

5 Articles

The PSERS Scandal

Chronicling an FBI investigation into Pennsylvania's $64 billion public school pension fund and the resulting fallout.

14 Articles

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Staff

We’ve assembled some of the most talented reporters from across Pennsylvania and the United States to focus on issues and stories that would otherwise go untold. In short, they work for you, the public. Meet our staff, and learn how you can contact them:

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Partners

Spotlight PA distributes its work across the largest collaborative partner network of its kind in the United States. We share our unique, high-quality journalism with more than 90 community newsroom partners, making Spotlight PA a centralized, efficient model to drive more and better journalism across Pennsylvania. Our partners routinely report Spotlight PA stories rank high for engagement and overall value. Read more about our partner network and how to join:

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Ways to Give

Spotlight PA is powered by thousands of members across Pennsylvania as well as a dedicated and growing group of institutional funders, foundations, and more. Consistent with our mission, we disclose the source of every dollar we receive, and we do not accept anonymous gifts. Learn more about who supports our work and how to join them:

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Mission

The mission of Spotlight PA is to hold powerful public and private forces — especially governments, elected officials, businesses, and special interests — to account through urgent and compelling investigative and public-service journalism that drives change and strengthens our democracy, the state, and all who live here.

At Spotlight PA, we value independence, transparency, diversity, innovation, and collaboration. Read more about our vital efforts to empower communities and reinvigorate local news in Pennsylvania:

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Pennsylvanians will be asked to vote on races for state Supreme Court, Superior Court, Commonwealth Court, and more in 2023. Here’s what you need to know to make an informed vote.

In the coming months, Spotlight PA will track Shapiro’s progress on some of the key commitments he made on the campaign trail.

Investigative Journalism for Pennsylvania