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Essential Local News Investigations You Might Have Missed This Year

Discover great reporting on topics ranging from digital redlining in the South to the “delivery deserts” of Wyoming.

American Journalism Project

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It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the scope of some of the biggest, most complex problems Americans are facing. And that overwhelm often leads to viewing these issues from a distance, taking you further and further from the humans at the center of each struggle.

That’s one of the many reasons local newsrooms across the country are more essential than ever. The journalists investigating these cases are not just uncovering scandals and abuses of power specific to their cities—they’re connecting the dots from silenced voices to national issues. And along the way, putting out meaningful and change-making stories that enable communities all over to learn from one other.

The American Journalism Project has had an incredible year supporting the newsrooms powering this work—including earning a nod from the Anthem Awards for our collaboration with Pocket. So as we come to the end of 2023, we’re eager to draw your attention to the stories you may very well have missed—not because you weren’t looking, but because a crowded media landscape makes them especially tough to find. Read on for deep dives into the topics and places that deserve your attention, from digital redlining in the South to the “delivery deserts” of Wyoming.

What Happens When People Go Missing in Chicago?

A two-year investigation into how Chicago police handle missing person cases reveals the disproportionate impact on Black women and girls, how police have mistreated family members or delayed cases, and how poor police data is making the problem harder to solve.

They Were Prosecuted for Using Drugs While Pregnant. But It May Not Have Been a Crime

Dozens of women in Mississippi have been charged with child abuse crimes that, based on existing state law, they may not have committed.

Louisville Foster Kids Say They Were Harmed in Residential Care. Few Were Believed.

Never before revealed records show children report instances of abuse, neglect and danger in residential care facilities that go unheard and unchecked by state officials.

Digital Redlining and the Black Rural South

Across the region, about 38% of Black households don’t have home internet, a higher percentage than white people in the same area and the national average.

A Criminal Solution

Determining whether someone is mentally fit to stand trial in Pennsylvania often traps them in the very place making them worse — jail. This is the story of one woman’s fight to get out.

FedEx Says It’s a Safe Workplace. So Why Is Jessica James Dead?

An exhaustive investigation details a workplace where managers knew damaged ramps were in use, disregarded employees’ safety concerns and even told workers to use the best of the broken ramps.

Delivery Desert

Health care deserts have long been a fact of life within Wyoming’s rural and vast borders. And yet, Fremont County’s recent dwindling resources are evidence of a national trend as more offices and delivery wards shut down.

More Than 2,300 Arizona Prisoners Have Been Punished for Queer Intimacy

Infraction data from the Department of Corrections shows how people are targeted for holding hands, having consensual encounters, or "homosex."

Connecticut’s Elder Care Reckoning

The aging population is expanding, but support systems are struggling.

Exclusive: Houston ISD Replaced Half of Employees This Year at Overhauled Schools

The 28 campuses under Superintendent Mike Miles’ New Education System saw dramatic staff turnover this year, a Houston Landing analysis shows.

Thousands of Detroiters Wait for Affordable Housing While Agency Sits on Hundreds of Empty Apartments

More than one in five Detroit Housing Commission units are vacant, far higher than the federal occupancy requirement.

Elevating Local Stories With Pocket and the American Journalism Project

Connect with some of the best local journalism from outlets across the country.

American Journalism Project

The American Journalism Project (AJP) is the first venture philanthropy dedicated to local news. AJP makes grants to local nonprofit news organizations to build their revenue and business operations, partner with communities to launch new organizations, and mentor leaders as they grow and sustain their newsrooms. Learn more about the independent, community-driven nonprofit news organizations AJP supports.