How Guardian US Reporting Prompted Significant Changes in 2025
In 2025, investigative journalism by Guardian US led to various impactful changes across multiple sectors in the United States and beyond.
Following a Guardian investigation, Microsoft terminated the Israeli military's access to surveillance services that were used to shape operations and airstrikes, effectively blocking Israel from using certain Microsoft software. This action prompted protests at Microsoft's US headquarters.
In Indiana, Governor Mike Braun signed a landmark law aimed at curbing hospital price gouging. This legislation requires non-profit hospitals to lower prices or lose their tax-exempt status. It is the first such price-cap statute for non-profit hospitals and is set to take effect in 2026.
The University of Michigan halted undercover surveillance of pro-Palestinian protesters after Guardian reporting revealed the involvement of dozens of undercover investigators and ties between the state attorney general and the university. As a result, the university canceled the contract for such surveillance, and charges against arrested students were dropped.
Charges against anti-ICE protester Jose Manuel Mojica were dropped following Guardian reporting that detailed his alleged brutal treatment by law enforcement. Mojica had faced up to eight years in prison before federal prosecutors reversed course and dismissed the charges.
YouTube reinstated a channel critical of vaccine mandates after Guardian coverage. Vinay Prasad, a top vaccine regulator at the FDA, had sought the channel's removal, but it was restored following the reporting.
A hazardous waste plant, Zinc Nacional, announced plans to relocate its most polluting operations after a joint report by Guardian and Quinto Elemento Lab exposed the presence of lead and arsenic in surrounding areas. Residents cited family deaths and illnesses linked to the plant.
The US government-funded private "stakeholder wiki" named v-Fluence was shut down after a Guardian investigation revealed its role in tracking hundreds of environmental and health advocates with the intent to downplay pesticide dangers and undermine related policy efforts.
In Ohio, JD Vance's team was alleged to have changed water levels in a lake to accommodate a family boating trip. The Army Corps of Engineers was involved, and the Vice President stated that Vance was not personally involved and that the adjustment was operationally necessary.
More than 50 leading organizations sued the Trump administration for retreating on combating human trafficking and child exploitation after a Guardian report. The coalition filed the lawsuit within a month of the report's publication.
Palestinian-American teenager Mohammed Ibrahim was released from Israeli prison after the Guardian exposed his detention. Ibrahim, a 16-year-old Florida dual citizen charged with two counts of throwing objects at vehicles, was freed at Thanksgiving following advocacy by 27 members of Congress urging for his release.
