Over the last decade, the local news industry has been decimated, and many people now live in areas without any local news outlets. That's why Popular Information covers important stories in communities across the country. And we do not just break news; we create change. 

Here are a few examples of our impact:

• Popular Information reported that Montgomery County, Texas had mandated public libraries move a well-regarded children's book documenting the mistreatment of Native Americans in New England — Colonization and the Wampanoag Story — from the "non-fiction" section to "fiction." After Popular Information's report, the reclassification of the book became national and international news, receiving coverage from MSNBC, The Austin-American Statesman, The San Antonio Current, The Chicago Sun-Times, The Guardian, and others. A week later, the recategorization was reversed, the committee responsible for the decision was suspended, and the county's library policy is under review.

• Popular Information reported that the Pennridge School Board in Pennsylvania agreed to pay Jordan Adams, a right-wing educational consultant with scant qualifications, $125 per hour to assist in the development of curriculum. We revealed that the school board approved a revised curriculum created by Adams that, among other things, required third-grade teachers to downplay the prevalence of slavery in America. Pennridge, a very conservative district, seemed like an ideal venue for Adams to get paid to impose an ideological agenda. But in the last election, five Democrats — running on a pledge to cancel Adams' contract — swept the election and seized control of the Pennridge School Board.

• Popular Information broke the news that Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton (R) secretly purchased a $600,000 home in Nashville. Our reporting forced Sexton to admit his family lives in Nashville and raised serious questions about whether Sexton can legally represent a district two hours away. The news generated a flurry of national and local media coverage. Based on Popular Information's reporting, residents of Sexton's district filed a civil complaint with the Tennessee Attorney General, and a non-profit watchdog group called for state and federal criminal investigations into Sexton's conduct.

Why does Popular Information's reporting have an outsized impact? We don't have a paywall. All of our reporting is freely available to everyone. 

But to ensure Popular Information can continue to thrive without a paywall, we need 50 people to upgrade to a paid subscription in the next 24 hours. As a special incentive, for one day only, we are offering 20% off the subscription price. 

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Popular Information won the 2020 Online Journalism Award for Excellence in Newsletters, a category that featured finalists from the Washington Post, the New York Times, and Axios. We also received a perfect rating (100/100) from NewsGaurd, an independent organization staffed with experienced journalists and editors who evaluated the accuracy, credibility, and transparency of our work. 

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"I never did give them hell. I just told the truth, and they thought it was hell." — Harry S. Truman