Here is a news organization that is making a difference

`Front Page’ continues to draw a record number of readers in recent weeks

By Ken Tingley

ProPublica is not a mainstream news name.

It should be.

Many of you have not heard of it and few have read its journalism.

It describes itself as an “independent, nonprofit newsroom that produces investigative journalism with moral force.”

Yeah, we need a little more of that.

To believe in that and to support it.

It was ProPublica’s reporting earlier this year that exposed a pattern of behavior by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas that strained ethical norms for a judge at any level. On Monday, the Supreme Court announced it was adopting an ethics policy for the first time.

That was because of ProPublica.

ProPublica has more than 100 journalists and has won six Pulitzer Prizes since it was established 15 years ago. It was the first digital only news site to win a Pulitzer.

“We dig deep into important issues, shining a light on abuses of power and betrayals of public trust — and we stick with those issues as long as it takes to hold power to account,” it says on its website.

That kind of talk should have you cheering.

The coverage of the Supreme Court this year backs that up.

It revealed that Justice Thomas had accepted luxury vacations from a billionaire for decades. The same billionaire purchased the home of Thomas’ mother and paid private school tuition for a relative Thomas was raising as his son.

That’s not supposed to happen.

Its reporting showed Thomas had spoken at donor events that raised money for political causes.

It also found out Justice Samuel Alito had accepted luxury travel from another billionaire and did not recuse himself from a case involving the man.

Other news outlets jumped on the story and found that Justice Thomas received a loan from a wealthy friend to purchase an expensive recreation vehicle and did not pay the loan back.

ProPublica helped us learn that Supreme Court judges with lifetime appointments answer to no one. It also showed clearly the flaws in their moral compass.

The judges didn’t believe they needed any oversight.

The reality was that judges at all other levels are subject to oversight when accused of misconduct. But not Supreme Court judges. When ProPublica revealed its revelations, the public’s perception of the court changed.

It left the justices with stained reputations.

So on Monday the Supreme Court it had adopted a a basic standard of ethics missing one important ingredient - how it would be enforced.

In a statement released by the court, the justices refused to admit any wrong-doing occurred.

They argued that the official ethics policy was issued to dispel “the misunderstanding that the Justices of this Court, unlike all other jurists in this country, regard themselves as unrestricted by any ethics rules.”

They seem to be arguing they just didn’t need them written down anywhere. They were above that.

If their statement was true, they would have also included a way for the ethics to be enforced.

At the very least, the bad behavior by members of the court has put them on notice. It’s a small victory, a start. The good reporting by ProPublica has shone a light on the court’s poor judgement.

But hopefully, this week’s result shows how important journalism is in preserving democracy and exposing bad behavior.

Here’s something else you probably don’t know about journalism.

Doing it well, doing it so it makes a difference is expensive. It requires, time, resources and expertise from experienced reporters.

To do that kind of work, ProPublica depends on donations.

“The vast bulk of money we spend goes directly into world-class, award-winning journalism,” it says on the ProPublica website. “We are committed to uncovering the truth, no matter how long it takes or how much it costs.”

So there’s lots of good causes out there.

And a lot of politicians are going to be asking you to donate to their campaigns in the coming year.

So maybe instead of that, you should donate a few dollars to an organization that can make a difference - ProPublica.

In the name of democracy.

In the name of catching the bad guys and making a difference in the country.

That’s money well spent.

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The Front Page newsletter continues to grow and we are approaching a milestone in the coming weeks.

If you enjoy reading the content from two old newspaper writers - Will Doolittle and myself - we ask you to share the newsletter with your friends, share it on Facebook and Twitter and your social media of choice. We have regularly been recording our best numbers over the past few weeks.

We love to be read.

Thanks for your support and continued encouragement.

Betty Little sighting

I ran into former Sen. Betty Little at the Chapman Museum’s wine and chocolate gala at the Queensbury Hotel last week.

She says she is still staying busy and was doing a speaking gig up north soon.

She is also preparing for the arrival of another grandchild.

I noticed that Betty also signed up for The Front Page newsletter recently. I’m hoping to interview her in an upcoming column.

New website

With the holidays approaching, you should be aware that you can also get all three of my books on my website - Ken Tingley Books.

It is an opportunity to get all my books at one time - at a reduced price - or the entire two-book volume of columns in one order.

I hope you get a chance to check out the book and deliver them to the reader in your life. Great stories about interesting local people and events.

Final Potsdam cuts

I reported earlier this month about the proposed cuts to more than a dozen programs at SUNY Potsdam.

According to North Country Public Radio, the final number is nine. The programs cut were: (art history, chemistry, dance, French, music performance, philosophy, physics, Spanish and theater. And no new students will be admitted to the arts management degree program.

The cuts were due to shrinking enrollment at the state school.

It’s something most colleges have been seeing all around the country.