About

Reasonable Inquiry is an independent, nonpartisan public interest reporting and research project founded by John Fallon.

Reasonable Inquiry's work begins with commitments to transparency, accountable government, democratic institutions, civil rights, factual integrity, and scrutiny of institutions and concentrated power. Those commitments determine the questions worth asking, but they do not determine the answers in advance. Reasonable Inquiry follows the evidence wherever it leads and does not give equal weight to "both sides" of any issue when the facts do not support it. Official claims are tested, not just repeated.

The decline of traditional local journalism has made it harder for the public to stay informed about issues that can affect them most directly. Reasonable Inquiry therefore pays particular attention to local and state topics that are poorly explained, difficult to understand, insufficiently scrutinized, or spread across public records and institutions that most people do not have the time or resources to navigate. Today's fractured, algorithm-driven media ecosystem has made it harder to participate knowledgeably in local and state civic life. Reasonable Inquiry's reporting hopes to make that a little easier.

Reasonable Inquiry does not support political parties or candidates, and partisan advantage is never an editorial objective.