The year in Popular Information

Justice for Mika Westwolf. On May 23, Popular Information revealed that the investigation into the death of Mika Westwolf, a 22-year-old Indigenous woman allegedly run over by a white nationalist, was under-resourced, haphazard, and focused on pinning blame on the victim. After our initial report, the story was picked up by major national news organizations, and the Montana Highway Patrol told Popular Information that the FBI had begun assisting with the investigation. On October 19, the suspect was arrested and charged with five felonies, including vehicular homicide while under the influence, criminal child endangerment, and criminal possession of dangerous drugs.

A political sea change in Pennsylvania. On July 5, 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. On September 7, Popular Information reported 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 on November 7, five Democrats — running on a pledge to cancel Adams' contract — swept the election and seized control of the Pennridge School Board.

Exposing corruption in Tennessee. On April 13, 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, including a lengthy piece in the Tennessean, the state's largest paper. On May 2, based on our 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.

Accountability for Walgreens. On March 6, Popular Information exposed how Walgreens, which refuses to dispense abortion pills in several states where abortion remains legal, financially supports the anti-abortion movement. Our story on Walgreens quickly went viral, and Walgreens became the #2 trending topic nationwide. A few hours later, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced that the state would stop doing business with Walgreens.

Catching DeSantis in a brazen lie about pornography in schools. On May 8, Popular Information obtained public records proving that numerous books banned as "pornography" in Florida — and condemned by Ron DeSantis — were not actually pornographic. One of the books banned as pornography was The Sleeping Beauty, an illustrated version of the classic fairy tale published in 1977. Popular Information's report was featured by MSNBC, the Orlando Weekly,  The Guardian, and numerous media outlets in Australia.

Uncovering a devious scheme in Michigan. On January 30, Popular Information revealed that a conservative group had launched a brazen plan to exploit a Michigan statute that allows parents to opt kids out of sex education, using the law to force schools to erase LGBTQ people. Four days later, the Michigan Department of Education released a memo telling schools that parents are not legally entitled to opt children out of "programs, practices, and resources" outside of sexual education. The Detroit Free Press linked the publication of the memo to Popular Information's reporting.

Making public officials livid by telling the truth. On January 23, Popular Information broke the news that teachers in Manatee County, Florida, were told to make their classroom libraries inaccessible to students, or risk felony prosecution. The story was picked up nationally and prompted an angry attack from Manny Diaz, Florida's Secretary of Education. Diaz called Popular Information's reporting "fake news from media activists too lazy to read [Florida] law." (Popular Information's reporting is accurate; we have receipts.)

Moms for Liberty, caught on tape. On November 6, Popular Information broke the news that two members of Moms for Liberty reported several Florida librarians to law enforcement. "The only reason we are here: A crime is being committed. It's a 3rd-degree felony. And we've got the evidence," a Moms for Liberty member said in a body cam video of the interview obtained by Popular Information. (The "evidence" in question was actually a popular young adult novel about fighting gargoyles.) The video was viewed over 7.3 million times and generated a flood of media coverage about the group in local and national outlets. Moms for Liberty was incensed that their tactics were exposed and accused Popular Information of "Antifa-style tactics."

Scholastic reverses course. On October 16, Popular Information reported that Scholastic was facilitating the exclusion of books that feature people of color or LGBTQ characters from its book fairs. The company, under pressure from right-wing ideologues, created a collection of these titles and offered school officials the ability to remove all of them. Several hours later, the New York Times and numerous other outlets picked up the story, citing Popular Information's reporting. On October 25, in a letter to authors and illustrators, Scholastic announced it was reversing the policy.

Reporting on Florida book bans prompts a federal lawsuit. Last year, we reported that an English teacher in Escambia County, Florida, Vicki Baggett, is trying to ban 150 books from school libraries, including many that have LGBTQ characters or address racism. In a follow-up report on January 9, Baggett's current and former students said that Baggett openly promoted racist and homophobic beliefs in class. The Escambia County school board ultimately banned numerous books at Baggett's request. On May 17, Popular Information's reporting became the basis for a federal lawsuit filed by Penguin Random House and parents of children affected by the bans, alleging that the school board's actions violate the United States Constitution.

A viral right-wing claim about Black Lives Matter, authoritatively debunked. On March 16, Popular Information debunked a widely-circulated claim that Silicon Valley Bank had donated over $73 million to Black Lives Matter and related organizations. (The actual amount donated was zero.) The story was picked up by major news organizations, including MarketWatch and Vanity Fair. Breitbart, a far-right website, was compelled to issue major corrections on two articles, crediting "Left-wing writer Judd Legum" for "appropriately flagg[ing] these issues."