The Franklin Center supports and trains investigative journalists to advance transparency, accountability, and fiscal responsibility in local government, and to spotlight free-market, pro-liberty solutions to difficult public policy challenges. We shine the bright light of transparency into government’s darkest corners, and expose the facts about government mismanagement and overreach. We are dedicated to the principles of transparency, accountability, and fiscal responsibility, and highlight their absence in state and local governments. Our competitive advantage in moving the needle is our position in the states as a media outlet trusted by all sides of the debate. We’re able to communicate directly to the persuadable middle, reaching audiences not normally receptive to the case for these ideas. Our reporting shapes narratives, drives conversations, and lays the foundation for long-term change. We translate theoretical policy into layman’s terms and put a human face on the issues.