by Charles Ornstein

ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up for Dispatches, a newsletter that spotlights wrongdoing around the country, to receive our stories in your inbox every week.

In my early years living in New Jersey, I keenly remember The Star-Ledger in Newark reporting on how hundreds of police officers and firefighters got anabolic steroids, human growth hormone and other forms of testosterone at taxpayer expense for medically unnecessary reasons. It was a tour de force of local journalism; something that deepened my understanding of the state where I lived.

Sadly, this kind of journalism has been harder to find as the papers that cover Jersey have struggled financially. Because the state is sandwiched between two big TV media markets — New York City and Philly — the issues facing our towns and cities get far less attention.

Indeed, in February, The Star Ledger is ceasing its print publication entirely and moving to an online-only format. Over the years leading up to this decision, the paper imposed multiple rounds of job cuts and its offerings thinned, even as the staffers who remained continued to produce vital journalism. The company’s leaders say they will reinvest funds from ending the print publication into the core newsroom.

I hope so. Because with each passing year, the reminders of the local news industry’s decline become more pronounced. Layoffs. Newspapers closing. Fewer investigative stories.

That’s why I’m so proud to share how ProPublica is stepping in to help fill this void through a number of new initiatives that we’ve launched and will continue to roll out in the new year.

In early 2024, we announced our 50 State Initiative, through which we pledged to........

© ProPublica