Public Herald is a

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

investigative news organization based in

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

. Launched in 2011 by Joshua Pribanic and Melissa Troutman, Public Herald is known for their investigative reporting on fracking activity and its effect on water in Pennsylvania. Their slogan is, "media by and for the public interests." Public Herald has been active in

environmental issues Environmental issues are disruptions in the usual function of ecosystems. Further, these issues can be caused by humans (human impact on the environment) or they can be natural. These issues are considered serious when the ecosystem cannot recov ...

, publishing the films “Triple Divide", “Triple Divide edacted��, and "Invisible Hand", and producing reports on

fracking Fracking (also known as hydraulic fracturing, fracing, hydrofracturing, or hydrofracking) is a well stimulation technique involving the fracturing of formations in bedrock by a pressurized liquid. The process involves the high-pressure inje ...

and its effects on

groundwater Groundwater is the water present beneath Earth's surface in rock and Pore space in soil, soil pore spaces and in the fractures of stratum, rock formations. About 30 percent of all readily available fresh water in the world is groundwater. A unit ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

. Public Herald also launched Fileroom.org, which collects information on

oil and gas A fossil fuel is a flammable carbon compound- or hydrocarbon-containing material formed naturally in the Earth's crust from the buried remains of prehistoric organisms (animals, plants or microplanktons), a process that occurs within geologi ...

and makes those records available online so they are accessible to both the public and journalists. The works of Public Herald have had widespread coverage in

environmental journalism Environmental journalism is the collection, verification, production, distribution and exhibition of information regarding current events, trends, and issues associated with the non-human world. To be an environmental journalist, one must have an ...

, editorials, and major news media, including NPR Marketplace,

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

, and The New York Times. Their work has also been referenced in the books "Amity and Prosperity: One Family and the Fracturing of America" by Eliza Griswald, "Legal Rights for Rivers: Competition, Collaboration and Water Governance" by Erin O'Donnell and "Sustainability and the Rights of Nature: An Introduction" by Cameron La Follette, Chris Maser.

Films and investigative reports

In 2013, Public Herald released the film "Triple Divide" which documented regulator misconduct surrounding the controversial practice of fracking. On September 21, 2015, Public Herald released a report titled "Ways Pennsylvania DEP Water Contamination Cases Related to Fracking are “Cooked”. In 2017, Public Herald released its second feature-length documentary, “Triple Divide edactedwhich expanded on what was covered in "Triple"Divide". In 2020, Public Herald released a documentary titled "Invisible Hand" which focuses on the story of

Rights of Nature Rights of nature or Earth rights is a legal and jurisprudential theory that describes inherent rights as associated with ecosystems and species, similar to the concept of fundamental human rights. The rights of nature concept challenges twentie ...

through Grant Township, previously reported by Public Herald. The film discusses

democracy Democracy (from , ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which political power is vested in the people or the population of a state. Under a minimalist definition of democracy, rulers are elected through competitiv ...

capitalism Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their use for the purpose of obtaining profit. This socioeconomic system has developed historically through several stages and is defined by ...

, and

rights of nature Rights of nature or Earth rights is a legal and jurisprudential theory that describes inherent rights as associated with ecosystems and species, similar to the concept of fundamental human rights. The rights of nature concept challenges twentie ...

Mark Ruffalo Mark Alan Ruffalo (; born November 22, 1967) is an American actor. He began acting in the late 1980s and first gained recognition for his work in Kenneth Lonergan's play ''This Is Our Youth'' (1996) and drama film ''You Can Count on Me'' (2000) ...

is the executive producer for INVISIBLE HAND, and narrator of all 3 films. The films are directed by Melissa Troutman and Joshua Boaz Pribanic. PublicHerald.org reports have been cited by multiple academic articles

#fileroom

In 2015, Public Herald created the online resource #fileroom, located a
publicfiles.org
to collect information about oil and gas which is open to the public and journalists to contribute to or access. There are categories for complaints, permits, waste, GMI (Gas Migration Investigation), and a legal section for court cases and law that is related oil/gas in Pennsylvania or the

Department of Environmental Protection This article lists subnational environmental agencies in the United States, by state. Agencies that are responsible for state-level regulating, monitoring, managing, and protecting environmental and public health concerns. The exact duties of ...

Awards and funding

In 2014, The Investigative News Network & the

Knight Foundation The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, also known as the Knight Foundation, is an American non-profit foundation that provides grants for journalism, communities, and the arts. The organization was founded as the Knight Memorial Education ...

awarded $35,000 through the Innovation Fund for the work on "Triple Divide". Awards and Festivals *2021 Red Nation International Film Festival *2021 Gold Winner Telly Awards for non-broadcast feature documentary (INVISIBLE HAND) *2021 Award Winner for Best Feature Documentary, Colorado Activism Film Festival (INVISIBLE HAND) *2021 Audience Award Common Good International Film Festival *2021 Spotlight Documentary Film Awards’ Gold Award (INVISIBLE HAND) *2021 Official Selection Blackbird Film Festival (INVISIBLE HAND) *2021 Official Selection Transitions Film Festival (INVISIBLE HAND) *2021 Official Selection Common Good International Film Festival (INVISIBLE HAND) *2021 Official Selection Water Docs Film Festival *2020 Grand Prize Humanitarian Award from Accolade Global Film Competition (INVISIBLE HAND) *2020 Best Documentary Feature from the Hollywood Verge Film Awards (INVISIBLE HAND) *2020 Accolade Global Film Competition Award of Excellence for Documentary (INVISIBLE HAND) *2020 Official Selection Columbus International Film Festival (INVISIBLE HAND) *2020 Official Selection Princeton Environmental Film Festival (INVISIBLE HAND) *2020 Official Selection Around Paris International Film Festival (INVISIBLE HAND *2020 Official Selection Duquesne Human Rights International Film Series (INVISIBLE HAND) *2019 Official Selection Adirondack International Film Festival (INVISIBLE HAND) *Humanitarian Award, Accolade Global Film Competition (Triple Divide) *People's Choice Award, Real to Reel Film Festival (Triple Divide) *Award of Merit, Accolade Global Film Competition (Triple Divide) *Runner Up, Audience Award, Reading Film Fest (Triple Divide Redacted) *Official Selection New York Film & TV Festival (Triple Divide) *Official Selection Maryland International Film Festival (Triple Divide) *Official Selection Erie International Film Festival (Triple Divide) *Official Selection Colorado Environmental Film Festival (Triple Divide Redacted) *Official Selection Harrisburg-Hershey Film Festival (Triple Divide Redacted) *Official Selection Oil Valley International Film Festival (Triple Divide Redacted)

References

{{reflist Organizations established in 2011 Investigative journalism Journalism organizations 2011 establishments in Pennsylvania Non-profit organizations based in Pittsburgh