U.S. Right to Know is a nonprofit public health research group. We investigate corporate wrongdoing and government failures that threaten our health, environment or food system. We work in the public interest to help keep families healthy.

We uncover, report on and share documents obtained through public records laws and from whistleblowers, and collaborate with public health academics and journalists around the world. Our investigations into the pesticide and ultra-processed food industries have been reported on worldwide, leading to four New York Times articles; more than a dozen articles in the BMJ, one of the world’s leading medical journals; and 16 co-authored peer-reviewed public health journal articles. Our team has also reported extensively on the origins of Covid-19 and high-risk virological research.

A Lancet Global Health report named U.S. Right to Know as an example of public health investigative work that challenges the corporate playbook. See links to our extensive global news coverage.

Our journalism awards:

• The Society of Professional Journalists, Northern California chapter, awarded U.S. Right to Know with the James Madison Freedom of Information Award in 2025 for our work investigating and reporting on the origins of COVID-19 and high-risk virological research. “U.S. Right to Know’s work, and their dedication to pursuing government documents in the face of widespread pushback, has helped the public better understand a pandemic that claimed millions of lives,” SPJ NorCal wrote.
  
• U.S. Right to Know investigative reporter Natasha Gilbert won first prize in the Global AMR Media Awards for the Pan American region in 2024. Gilbert was the first to report on US efforts to weaken global commitments to reduce antimicrobial resistance. 

• U.S. Right to Know received the James Madison Freedom of Information Award from the Society of Professional Journalists, Northern California chapter in 2021 for our work exposing Monsanto’s influence on food policy and in academic circles.

We invite you to read our work:

• Over 1 million people have read our fact sheets on chemicals of concern, including artificial sweeteners and pesticides.
  
• We collaborate with the University of California, SF Industry Documents Library to give the public free access to documents we uncover in our investigations of the ultra-processed food and chemical industries.
  
• Our team led reporting on the Monsanto Roundup cancer trials, pesticide industry disinformation and science-denial efforts, and the many front groups and academics pesticide and food companies rely on for product defense.
  
• Findings from our Covid-19 origins investigation have been covered in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Science, the BMJ, Journal of Medical Ethics and many other outlets.

Donors & IRS filings

Our major donors and IRS filings are available here.

We hope you will support our right to know and help expand our investigations by donating today.

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