Hi Reader,

Imagine fighting for your life against cancer — only to discover that the doctor treating you might be putting you in greater danger.

That’s the focus of ProPublica’s recent long read from last weekend: an investigation into Dr. Thomas C. Weiner, an oncologist at St. Peter’s Health in Helena, Montana. For 24 years, Weiner ran the hospital’s lucrative cancer center. He boasted about seeing 60-plus patients a day. He was a powerful figure and made $2 million a year. His nurses revered him; colleagues feared him. He was credited with driving out two CEOs who questioned his pay and his patient load. But allegations in court records include misdiagnosing many patients, prescribing dangerous and unneeded levels of narcotics to potentially hundreds of patients, and overriding his patient’s dying wishes. Court records show St. Peter’s ignored warning signs for years and had financial incentives to look away. (Weiner denied the allegations and dismissed this story as “a hit piece.” He maintains his medical license. St. Peter’s did not refute anything in the article and offered a statement that broadly declined to comment, citing ongoing litigation.)

This isn’t just a story about one doctor — it’s about a system that failed to protect the people it was meant to serve. Without investigative journalism, these abuses of trust and power might have gone unnoticed, leaving patients and their families without answers or justice.

There is a critical need in this country for more independent, investigative journalism. The kind that demands accountability, protects the vulnerable and ensures that powerful institutions serve the public, not their own interests. Your donation today helps ProPublica continue to spend the time and resources needed to tell more stories like this.

Your donation today isn’t just a contribution — it’s a commitment to truth, justice and holding power to account.

Thanks so much,

Jill Shepherd

Proud ProPublican

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