SPOTLIGHT PA: Our investigative reporting gets results, but it needs your support

Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds power to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania. Sign up for our free newsletters .

Next year we celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, and yet one of the most critical components of our free society — an independent, unbiased free press — is at a tipping point, and you have more power than ever to determine what happens next.

There’s a lot not to like about the news right now. Many people are tuning out, turning away, or feeling like the media no longer serves them. That frustration is legitimate. But at Spotlight PA — a nonprofit, nonpartisan statewide newsroom — we’re charting a bold, fresh new course.

So as you consider the causes and organizations to support this year, I ask you to invest in nonpartisan, nonprofit journalism that’s getting the job done. And there’s no better time than Giving Tuesday, because all gifts this week to Spotlight PA will be TRIPLED.

We’re proving every day that accountability reporting can be rigorous without being partisan, that investigations can follow the facts without an agenda, and that a newsroom can earn trust across the political spectrum by simply doing the work with integrity.

Spotlight PA is a nonprofit, and that’s not incidental to our mission — it’s essential to it. We chose this model to ensure our journalism answers to you, not shareholders, profit margins, or a billionaire owner. Our financial success is tied directly to your support, so we prioritize unique, compelling reporting above all else.

More than 10,000 of your friends and neighbors — people just like you from every corner of Pennsylvania, of all political backgrounds — support Spotlight PA as a bright spot in a media landscape too often marred by partisan talking points and questionable corporate decisions.

They’ve invested in journalism that serves the public interest and no one else.

Now, we want you to join them.

Since 2019, Spotlight PA has saved taxpayers more than $20 million. Our reporting has prompted 58 policy changes, new pieces of legislation, and legal victories — some setting important new statewide precedent. We’ve uncovered broken government programs and gotten people life-changing help. We’ve held lawmakers and powerful institutions accountable for their actions when no one else would.

What’s more, we share our stories at no cost with more than 130 local partner newsrooms across Pennsylvania — including this publication — ensuring that quality accountability journalism reaches every corner of the commonwealth.

Our journalism can sometimes be unpopular, and you may not love everything we write. That’s OK. In fact, that’s the hallmark of truly independent, nonpartisan reporting. But fundamentally, for the good of our country, we can’t afford to leave those with power and influence — especially government — to their own devices and without sustained scrutiny.

I have seen firsthand how an investment in Spotlight PA can yield one of the greatest returns in public good of any you can make this season of giving.

Make a tax-deductible gift to Spotlight PA of any amount at spotlightpa.org/donate, and as a special bonus, all contributions sent this week will be TRIPLED. You can also send a check to: Spotlight PA, PO Box 11728, Harrisburg, PA 17108-1728.

This Giving Tuesday, join 10,000 Pennsylvanians who believe in independent, nonpartisan journalism. Your tax-deductible gift will fund the investigative work our commonwealth needs.

We cannot afford the alternative.

Christopher Baxter is the CEO and President of Spotlight PA, a nonpartisan, nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that gets results.