Truth & Transparency has been quite silent the past two years, but not because there wasn’t interest in our work. Our mailing list has grown steadily and our page views stayed fairly constant during that time. We’re sure our readers and followers are wondering why they haven’t heard from us.

We had big plans going into 2020. We were working on several large investigations, had plans to put together a board of directors, announced the start of a podcast, and hoped to secure funding to ensure our long term success.

But, in Spring 2020, along with the challenges a global pandemic brings, we were sued by the Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society of Pennsylvania, the governing organization of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. We were unable to raise sufficient funds to defend ourselves and were forced to settle. Mere days later, Ethan’s wife was in a major cycling accident, almost dying as a result. Shortly thereafter, Ryan’s family endured unforeseen financial hardships as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

While both of our families are now back on their feet—both figuratively and literally—we have collectively made the decision to cease the operations of Truth & Transparency. Like everyone, our lives have changed greatly in the past two years and we both feel this is the best decision moving forward for our personal and family lives.

What’s next?

In the coming days, Truth & Transparency will be releasing the results of an investigation that began in early 2020. It will be the last story published under the Truth & Transparency name. But that won’t necessarily be the end of our work.

In the past year, Ethan has started freelancing as a journalist in San Jose, CA covering culture, policing, and social justice. Ryan has also begun to do some freelancing.

As such, while our efforts in holding religious institutions accountable through our investigative journalism may not happen at the same pace as in our early days, they will not necessarily end, either. Any future efforts will be done on a freelance basis with established, reputable news publications.

All of our original posts from both MormonLeaks and FaithLeaks have been migrated to this site. All links to documents on the MormonLeaks Wiki are currently redirected to those pages as preserved Internet Archive. In the coming months, we will work towards a more permanent solution to ensure perpetual access at minimal cost, potentially partnering with a willing nonprofit organization. Our social media accounts will also be archived, soon.

Finances

Currently, we have $7,670.98 in funds. During the investigation behind the forthcoming story, a small debt was incurred with a reasonable payoff plan. Truth & Transparency’s financial situation was made even more complicated after the settlement of the lawsuit and several expenditures were paid for out of our personal funds. The remaining funds will be used for any costs incurred during the website migration mentioned above and then to pay back that debt.

If you were a recurring donor to Truth & Transparency, those were all canceled on April 1, 2022. If you have reason to believe that is not the case, please reach out to us via email.

Our complete financial records can be found on our financial disclosures page.

Thank you

We thank all of our supporters—and even some of our critics—for being part of one of the most amazing journeys either of us have had the privilege to be a part of. You watched us grow as individuals more than either of us ever expected.

We have documented a short history highlighting some of our most impactful moments on our about page.

To the next chapter,

Ryan McKnight

Ethan Gregory Dodge