By Christopher Baxter, Editor in Chief for Spotlight PA
There’s nothing short of a crisis in our state capital.
Every year, more of Pennsylvania’s sprawling and costly bureaucracy operates without scrutiny from investigative reporters, the watchdogs tracking how our hard-earned tax dollars are spent, ensuring the vulnerable are protected, and demanding answers from lawmakers about waste, fraud and abuse.
Together, we can restore accountability.
I’m proud to introduce you to Spotlight PA, an ambitious, statewide and reader-funded newsroom based in Harrisburg with the mission of holding the powerful in Pennsylvania to account through hard-hitting accountability journalism.
Spotlight PA is an unprecedented collaboration born of the grit and determination that makes our state great, and it now provides high-quality, state government and statewide reporting for free to more than 50 newsrooms across Pennsylvania. And we continue to grow.
Today, we’re excited to announce an expansion to better serve Allegheny County and the surrounding region via a new partnership with The Allegheny Front.
We are able to provide this journalism to you and your neighbors thanks to our growing community of individual readers like you across Pennsylvania who want to hold their elected officials accountable for their actions and how they spend taxpayer dollars.
And now we need your help.
Join the movement and support our ability to provide this journalism to you through The Allegheny Front by making a tax-deductible donation now at spotlightpa.org/donate
This unique project depends on your support. Spotlight PA’s independent team is stationed just two blocks from the Capitol, and our investigative reporters include Pennsylvania veterans and other accomplished journalists recruited from across the U.S.
Spotlight PA is now the single largest statewide newsroom in Pennsylvania dedicated to producing accountability journalism about the state government and urgent statewide issues.
Our journalists are assigned to cover specific state departments, commissions and agencies, as well as topics of statewide importance. Many of these areas have gone without serious scrutiny from the press for years. Spotlight PA reporters have the time, resources and mandate to be fearless in their pursuit of the truth.
Far from just providing the news, we intend to connect and engage with you through innovative digital storytelling, creative partnerships, community events and more.
Financial support for Spotlight PA comes from the Lenfest Institute for Journalism and a unique coalition of state and national funders that recognize the importance Harrisburg has on their communities, from Erie to Scranton, Pittsburgh to Philadelphia.
They also know and agree that our work must be independent and free from influence. Spotlight PA retains full editorial control, and our funders have no say whatsoever in which stories we pursue or how we pursue them. We do not accept anonymous donations, and all of our supporters are listed publicly at spotlightpa.org/support
Spotlight PA was formed to serve you, the public, and we want you to be a part of our efforts. Many of the best investigations start with a call or email from a concerned reader. If you have tips or suggestions for an investigation, please visit spotlightpa.org/tips to see the various secure ways you can communicate with our team.
Ever since my first job as a local reporter in the Lehigh Valley for The Morning Call — and most recently as investigations editor in New Jersey’s largest newsroom, NJ.com and The Star-Ledger — I have seen how hard-hitting investigative journalism can drive change and improve lives, especially for those who are marginalized or forgotten.
Now, after having lived in Pennsylvania for more than a decade, I’m proud to be leading such an ambitious effort to provide the people of this state with more of the high-quality investigative journalism we all need and deserve. Together, we can hold the powerful to account.
Learn more about Spotlight PA.
