Investigative Journalism:
Guardianship in America 

Guardianship abuse survives, in part, because it is goes uncovered.

Every major investigation has produced results. The Associated Press in 1987, The Providence Journal in 2018, The Maine Monitor in 2023–24, and ProPublica in 2024 each prompted hearings, proposed reforms, and named bad actors. Exposure works. The problem is not that the story isn't there. Too few journalists know where to find it — and too few victims and families know how to bring it to them.

This section is a resource and a call to action: for investigative journalists who want to pursue the story, for victims and families who want to tell theirs, and for anyone who wants to write, advocate, or act.

The actual or alleged loss of cognitive capacity is not a reason to go quiet. It is a reason to be louder.

This section opens with My Journey with Journalism, followed by an analysis of The Problem: Guardianship and an overview of Solutions Journalism. It concludes with an introduction to In-Depth Series — investigative reporting on guardianship from the following publications, with the date each series began:

• • Associated Press (1978)

  • Los Angeles Times (2005)

  • Albuquerque Journal (2016)

  • The Providence Journal (2017) 

  • Reading Eagle (2018) 

  • The Maine Monitor (2023) 

  • Bloomberg Law (2023) 

  • Pro Publica (2024)

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