Our efforts aren’t simply for show. This year, again and again, our work had an impact. Our persistent reporting rooted out corruption, reversed dangerous legislation, and forced corporations to answer to the public. In some cases, our accountability reporting delivered money back into your pocket.

Here are examples of how The Lever’s work this year that helped deliver results:

  • Boeing’s Immunity Deal: Amid our coverage of the airplane manufacturer’s spotty safety record, we were the first to report that the problems could empower the Justice Department to rescind a controversial government deal allowing Boeing to avoid prosecution over two plane crashes that had killed hundreds of people. Sure enough, federal prosecutors found that Boeing’s actions had violated the terms of the deal, leading to additional sanctions against the company.
  • Trump’s Ethics Scheme: Following our exposé on how Trump was potentially setting up Elon Musk for one of the largest tax breaks in history, we sounded the alarm about how Trump’s top Senate ally had been stonewalling the appointment of the regulator who would decide on the tax break and other ethics matters, enabling Trump to pick his own crony for the role. The following month, Senate Democrats confirmed President Joe Biden’s long-standing nomination for government ethics chief.
  • Anthem’s Anesthesia Policy: We were the first national publication to expose that Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield was planning on cutting anesthesia coverage for medical procedures that take longer than a predetermined time limit. The policy risked leaving more than eight million people in Connecticut, New York, and Missouri at risk of waking up from surgery to discover a massive medical bill. Within 24 hours, Anthem had notified us that it would no longer be pursuing the policy. 
  • A Climate-Fueled Financial Crisis: In October, we revealed a troubling but eye-opening discovery: Amid mounting environmental disasters and overlooked risks, climate change could be setting the stage for the next financial disaster. Two months later, the Senate Budget Committee extensively referenced our findings in a report warning that “we must speed the transition to clean energy and eliminate carbon pollution” to avoid triggering “a full-scale financial crisis similar to what occurred in 2008.”
  • Automatic Flight Refunds: Shortly after Biden promised the country that passengers would automatically get refunds when airlines canceled or significantly delayed their flights, we uncovered that airline-backed lawmakers had quietly tweaked must-pass budget legislation to stop the automatic refunds from happening. In the uproar that followed, legislators removed the provision, allowing the automatic refunds to go into effect and delivering billions in unused flight credits back to struggling travelers all over the country.

By focusing on issues impacting people’s daily lives, we are delivering real-world changes: More accountable regulators, greater climate action, safer traveling, lower medical bills, and better consumer rights. Thank you for supporting our work — you’re helping us make a difference.