About ProCon

ProCon is a leading nonpartisan site for learning the top arguments behind debatable issues of the day.

What is ProCon?

ProCon’s mission is to promote civility, critical thinking, education, and informed citizenship by presenting the pro and con arguments to debatable issues in a straightforward, nonpartisan, freely accessible way. ProCon works to achieve those goals by presenting sourced pros and cons of debatable issues, as well as a host of reference information relevant to those issues, all thoroughly researched and compiled by its research staff and editors. The pro-con format achieves four objectives:

• First, by exposing readers to both sides of an issue in a side-by-side style, ProCon makes it easier for readers to see the difference in the facts and arguments offered by each side.
• Second, the pro and con format allows readers to engage in evaluative thinking to formulate their own views. Readers who have a preexisting view of an issue may feel more confident in their view, or they may change their view. In either case, many will recognize that the process of acquiring and critically evaluating information has a beneficial and satisfying effect on their decision-making.
• Third, this format makes readers more confident and comfortable in discussing and debating their views with others, knowing what the “other side” may think.
• Fourth, challenging readers to examine both sides of an issue tends to reduce the likelihood that they will resort to “demonizing” those who hold opposing views.

ProCon serves more than 20 million people each year, including students and teachers in more than 11,000 schools in all 50 U.S. states and in 90 countries. Additionally, 37 U.S. state governments, 17 U.S. state departments of education, 25 U.S. federal agencies, 31 foreign governments, and thousands of media articles—including U.S. congressional letters to the U.S. president—have cited ProCon.

For each of the U.S. presidential elections since 2008, ProCon has attracted millions of readers with its coverage of the candidates and their positions on key issues. In 2012, The New York Times hailed ProCon’s election site as “the most comprehensive tool for researching the candidate’s stance on issues.” The Times recommended ProCon again in 2016 and 2020 as among the essential election sites for students wanting to engage with the presidential campaign.

Who created and operates ProCon?

ProCon was founded in 2004 as a nonprofit charity in California and was initially funded primarily by its founder, Steven Markoff. For most of its tenure as a nonprofit organization (2004–20), ProCon received funding from outside sources, including private companies, foundations, and individual donors. Since May 29, 2020, ProCon has been part of the Britannica Group of companies, which includes Encyclopædia Britannica. Britannica’s headquarters are in Chicago.

Is ProCon conservative, liberal, or otherwise biased?

ProCon is not conservative, liberal, or otherwise politically biased. Readers who perceive bias in one of ProCon’s debates may email the staff at [email protected].

Can I link to ProCon?

Yes. Links to ProCon are greatly appreciated. We ask only that ProCon be represented as unbiased and that the content not be misrepresented.

How can I contact ProCon?

Contact ProCon at [email protected]. ProCon normally responds to emails within a few business days. ProCon does not reply to suspicious email addresses or to emails that are lewd or offensive, threatening or litigious, or part of larger writing campaigns.

ProCon’s mailing address is C/o Theodore Pappas, 325 N. LaSalle Street, Suite 200, Chicago, Illinois 60654 U.S.A.

ProCon can also be found on Facebook, X (Twitter), and Instagram.

May I suggest a topic for ProCon to cover?

Yes. Many of our topics were originally suggested by readers. Please submit your topic here.