States Newsroom Explained

States Newsroom
Formation:2019
Type:501(c)(3)[1]
Leader Title:President
Leader Name:Chris Fitzsimon
Subsidiaries:39
Affiliations:11
Budget:$22 million
Budget Year:2024
Staff:220 (2024)

States Newsroom is a nonprofit news network with newsrooms or a partner news organization in all 50 U.S. states that focus mostly on state policy and politics.[2] [3] [4] [5] [6]

History

States Newsroom grew out of NC Policy Watch, a progressive think tank in North Carolina founded in 2004 by Chris Fitzsimon, who is States Newsroom's president.[7] [8] At the end of 2017, the project expanded, using the liberal group the Hopewell Fund as an incubator until November 2019 when States Newsroom became an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit.[9] [10] [3] States Newsroom's commentary and opinion pieces are clearly-labeled and generally lean left[10] [4] along with many of its larger donors, though it has received some support from nonpartisan and right-leaning groups.[3] States Newsroom did not initially disclose its donors. In August 2020, the organization started the practice of disclosing all donors giving more than $1,000 since becoming a 501(c)(3).

Organization

States Newsroom provides funding, human resources and digital support to journalists in the state newsrooms.[11] It typically has 4-6 journalists per newsroom. Opinion pieces, which lean left, are clearly labeled. The organization does not allow opinion pieces from candidates or political officeholders. States Newsroom allows its articles to be republished for free under a creative commons license.

States Newsroom accepts no corporate donations and has publicly shared the names of all donors contributing $1,000 or more since becoming a 501(c)(3) in 2019.[12] [13] The progressive Wyss Foundation gave $1 million to States Newsroom in 2020.[14]

In 2023, the Pew Charitable Trusts transferred its Stateline news service, which provides nonpartisan reporting on trends in state policy, to States Newsroom with $3 million to help with the transition.

As of 2024, it reported having 220 full-time employees, with an annual budget of more than $22 million.[3] It grew from five affiliates upon its 2019 launch to 39 freestanding newsrooms at 11 partner outlets covering all 50 states by early 2024.[3]

Newsrooms

States Newsroom has newsrooms in 39 states under its umbrella and the nationwide Stateline newsroom. In the other 11 states, States Newsroom syndicates content from independent nonprofit newsrooms such as CalMatters, CT Mirror,[15] Honolulu Civil Beat, Mississippi Today,[16] New York Focus,[17] and the Texas Tribune.

Alabama Reflector[18] [19]
Alaska Beacon[20] Arizona Mirror[21] [22] Arkansas Advocate[23] [24] Colorado Newsline[25] [26]
Daily Montanan[27] [28] Florida Phoenix[29] Georgia Recorder[30] [31] Idaho Capital SunIndiana Capital Chronicle[32]
Iowa Capital Dispatch[33] [34] Kansas Reflector[35] [36] Kentucky Lantern[37] [38] Louisiana Illuminator[39] [40] Maine Morning Star[41]
Maryland Matters[42] Michigan Advance[43] [44] Minnesota Reformer[45] Missouri Independent[46] [47] NC Newsline[48]
Nebraska Examiner[49] Nevada Current[50] [51] New Hampshire Bulletin[52] New Jersey Monitor[53] North Dakota Monitor[54]
Ohio Capital Journal[55] Oklahoma Voice[56] [57] Oregon Capital Chronicle[58] Pennsylvania Capital-Star[59] Rhode Island Current[60]
Source New Mexico[61] South Carolina Daily Gazette[62] [63] South Dakota Searchlight[64] Tennessee Lookout[65] Utah News Dispatch
Virginia Mercury[66] [67] Washington State Standard[68] [69] West Virginia Watch[70] Wisconsin Examiner[71]

Alabama Reflector

In May 2024, editor Brian Lyman of the States Newsroom's outlet in Alabama, the Alabama Reflector, was selected as a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary.[72] [73] [74] [75] Lyman was recognized "[f]or brave, clear and pointed columns that challenge ever-more-repressive state policies flouting democratic norms and targeting vulnerable populations, written with the command and authority of a veteran political observer."[76]

Iowa Capital Dispatch

Iowa Capital Dispatch was the first to report a lawsuit against a local Tyson pork-processing plant for work conditions during COVID-19.[77]

Reception

Given its initial sources of funding, some have questioned whether States Newsroom was a partisan outlet designed to look nonpartisan. In January 2020, Steven Brill of NewsGuard asked States Newsroom to reveal their donors—which the organization subsequently did—[78] but a June 2024 NewsGuard study continued to categorize State Newsroom as a partisan outlet designed to look apolitical.[79]

In 2020, the Nieman Foundation for Journalism listed but then retracted adding the newsrooms as "hyperpartisan" in a map,[80] [81] noted the experience of the journalists in 2023, and called NewsGuard's 2024 label of States Newsroom "misguided." In April 2024, Cameron Joseph wrote in the Columbia Journalism Review that the outlets "are nothing like the 'pink slime' organizations that pass off partisan propaganda as local news. Many of the journalists running the local newsrooms... had previously been at major state newspapers" and that reporters and editors were largely autonomous from the national operation."[3]

At a November 2020 press conference, Missouri Governor Mike Parson refused to take a question from a Missouri Independent reporter, saying "I am not going to respond to a c4 (nonprofit) out of Virginia that is absolutely a propaganda news agency." According to PolitiFact, the Missouri Independent is a legitimate news organization, a 501(c)(3), and "not a website peddling hoaxes."

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: States Newsroom - Nonprofit Explorer . 2024-08-08 . ProPublica . en.
  2. News: Corasaniti . Nick . Berzon . Alexandra . Gold . Michael . 2024-04-20 . G.O.P. Intensifies Scrutiny of Voting: ‘We’re Keeping a Close Eye on You’ . 2024-08-12 . The New York Times . en-US . 0362-4331 . ...according to an audio recording, which was posted on Rumble and first reported by States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network..
  3. Web site: Joseph . Cameron . This nonprofit has newsrooms in all 50 state capitals. Is it the future of state journalism? . 2024-08-12 . Columbia Journalism Review . en . While the news coverage strives to be balanced and nonpartisan, the sites’ commentary section leans left..
  4. News: Izadi . Elahe . 2021-12-06 . The troubling new void in local journalism — and the nonprofits trying to fill it . 2024-08-12 . Washington Post . en-US . 0190-8286 . for the Iowa outpost of States Newsroom, a network of nonprofit newsrooms covering state government across the country. These outlets keep close tabs on the state legislatures and regulatory agencies where decisions are being made that affect many aspects of daily life for citizens: taxes, environmental rules, health care policy, school funding, workers rights and much more. With funding from foundations and a variety of donors, States Newsroom formed two years ago to attempt to fill a void in what many government watchdogs and civil-society experts believe is one of the biggest manifestations of the local journalism crisis: the dire shortage of reporters covering state government..
  5. News: Robertson . Katie . 2022-10-07 . News on Statehouses, With a Twist: Covering All 50 at Once . 2024-08-12 . The New York Times . en-US . 0362-4331 . States Newsroom, a network of nonprofit news outlets, now has a presence....
  6. Web site: Skipworth . William . December 4, 2020 . Soros is not the mastermind behind Missouri Independent . 2024-08-14 . @politifact . en-US . The Missouri Independent is a news outlet that was founded in October in partnership with States Newsroom, a national nonprofit funded by grants, donors and readers. It has created nonprofit news organizations in 19 U.S. states..
  7. News: Borzi . Pat . January 14, 2020 . The Minnesota Reformer has launched. So what the hell is the Minnesota Reformer? . October 22, 2020 . MinnPost.
  8. Web site: Rickert . Chris . 2020-01-04 . With 2020 in sight, dark-money sites look to distribute their versions of the news . 2024-08-08 . . en.
  9. Web site: Scutari . Mike . 2020-08-19 . “Fill the Gaps.” A Donor-Backed Outfit Aims to Reverse the Decline in Statehouse Reporting . 2024-08-12 . . en-US.
  10. Web site: Scire . Sarah . March 8, 2023 . Pew’s Stateline finds a new home with nonprofit States Newsroom . 2024-08-08 . Nieman Lab.
  11. Web site: Fu . Angela . 2021-02-25 . Where state and local coverage are actually expanding . 2024-08-08 . Poynter . en-US.
  12. News: Fischer . Sara . June 11, 2024 . Dark money news outlets outpacing local daily newspapers . 12 June 2024 . Axios.
  13. Web site: Supporters • States Newsroom . 2024-08-13 . States Newsroom . en-US.
  14. News: Vogel . Kenneth P. . Robertson . Katie . 13 April 2021 . Top Bidder for Tribune Newspapers Is an Influential Liberal Donor . 12 August 2024 . The New York Times.
  15. Web site: Pettit . Emelia . 2024-07-12 . Opinion: How Connecticut is leading the charge in sustainable wind energy . 2024-08-09 . Yahoo News . en-US.
  16. Web site: Harrison . Bobby . 2024-07-05 . Mississippi judge blocks Biden attempt to ensure LGBTQ+ medical treatment • Nebraska Examiner . 2024-08-09 . Nebraska Examiner . en-US.
  17. Web site: 2024-08-09 . New York Focus - Bias and Credibility . 2024-08-09 . Media Bias/Fact Check . en-US.
  18. Web site: Hitson . Hadley . May 26, 2023 . Alabama Reflector joins Montgomery mediascape, boosting coverage of state politics, policy . December 8, 2023 . Montgomery Advertiser.
  19. Web site: Webster . Pedro . 2023-06-13 . Alabama Reflector, a Nonprofit News Site, Bolsters State Coverage of Politics, Policy . 2024-08-14 . The Georgetown Post . en-US.
  20. Web site: Rhode . Scott . 2022-05-11 . Alaska Beacon Launches News Website . 2024-08-13 . Alaska Business Magazine . en-US.
  21. Web site: Hsieh . Steven . Who Exactly Is Behind the Arizona Mirror, a New Media Outlet? . 2024-08-13 . Phoenix New Times . en.
  22. News: Duda . Jeremy . August 9, 2024 . Minimum wage hike proposal for tipped workers won't be on the ballot . Axios Local.
  23. News: Gill . Todd . Aug 19, 2022 . New Arkansas outlet launches with state Capitol coverage . Fayetteville Flyer.
  24. News: Sparkman . Worth . August 16, 2022 . Watchdog site Arkansas Advocate set to cover Capitol . Axios NW Arkansas.
  25. Web site: Reedy . Allyson . 2020-07-09 . Q&A With Quentin Young, Editor of Recently Launched Colorado Newsline . 2024-08-09 . 5280 . en.
  26. Web site: Hutchins . Corey . 2020-06-27 . MEDIA: A new site covering politics and policy, Colorado Newsline, staffs up for July launch . 2024-08-14 . The Colorado Independent . en-US.
  27. Web site: Fu . Angela . 2021-02-25 . Where state and local coverage are actually expanding . 2024-08-13 . Poynter . en-US.
  28. Web site: Miller . Blair . August 1, 2024 . Former President Trump to hold Montana rally with Sheehy in Gallatin County . 2024-08-09 . . en-US.
  29. News: Smith . Adam . July 5, 2018 . Welcome a new news outlet to Tallahassee . October 22, 2020 . . en.
  30. Web site: Fu . Angela . 2021-02-25 . Where state and local coverage are actually expanding . 2024-08-08 . Poynter . en-US.
  31. Web site: Georgia Recorder Archives . 2024-08-15 . WABE . en-US.
  32. News: Briggs . James . June 13, 2023 . Indianapolis news startups offer more places to click . Axios Indianapolis.
  33. Web site: Joseph . Cameron . This nonprofit has newsrooms in all 50 state capitals. Is it the future of state journalism? . 2024-08-12 . Columbia Journalism Review . en . While the news coverage strives to be balanced and nonpartisan, the sites’ commentary section leans left..
  34. Web site: Fu . Angela . 2021-02-25 . Where state and local coverage are actually expanding . 2024-08-08 . Poynter . en-US.
  35. Web site: July 16, 2020 . Kansas Reflector to debut with free content for newspapers Kansas Press Association . 2024-08-13 . Kansas Press Association.
  36. Web site: 2024-08-08 . The police raid of a Kansas newspaper unfolded like ‘a novella.’ There's more to the story . 2024-08-13 . KCUR - Kansas City news and NPR . en.
  37. Web site: Lucke . Jamie . 2024-07-17 . On the trail of J.D. Vance’s Kentucky mountain roots . 2024-08-09 . . en.
  38. Web site: Brown . Jennifer P. . 2022-11-22 . Kentucky Lantern, a nonprofit news outlet, will cover state policy and politics . 2024-08-13 . WKMS . en.
  39. Web site: Siegel . Fern . June 23, 2020 . 'Louisiana Illuminator' Launches, Covers How Baton Rouge Politics Impacts Public . 2024-08-13 . . en.
  40. Web site: Louisiana Illuminator . 2024-08-14 . WWNO . en.
  41. News: Kobin . Billy . 3 August 2023 . Maine's latest newsroom will add to growing ideological media landscape . 26 May 2024 . . States Newsroom, a left-leaning nonprofit....
  42. Web site: 2024-03-01 . Maryland Matters Celebrates Seventh Anniversary Covering State News . 2024-08-13 . Radio Free Hub City . en-US.
  43. News: Barrett . Malachi . November 9, 2019 . News Websites with Political Ties Spread Across Michigan . October 22, 2020 . Governing (magazine) . en.
  44. News: November 30, 2018 . Veteran journalists join Michigan Advance news site . Crain's Detroit Business.
  45. News: Borzi . Pat . January 14, 2020 . The Minnesota Reformer has launched. So what the hell is the Minnesota Reformer? . October 22, 2020 . MinnPost.
  46. Web site: Woodbury . Emily . October 20, 2022 . Missouri Independent Aims To Shed New Light On Jefferson City . 2024-08-13 . . en.
  47. Web site: Fu . Angela . 2021-02-25 . Where state and local coverage are actually expanding . 2024-08-08 . Poynter . en-US.
  48. Web site: April 3, 2023 . States Newsroom Relaunches NC Policy Watch as NC Newsline . 2024-05-11 . States Newsroom . en-US.
  49. Web site: 2022-01-20 . Nebraska Examiner: Nonprofit news service launches in Nebraska with experienced reporting team . 2024-08-13 . KMTV 3 News Now Omaha . en.
  50. News: March 11, 2022 . Report details, confirms Nevada prison system missteps during pandemic . This is Reno.
  51. Web site: Back to school: What Las Vegans are thinking as first day approaches . 2024-08-15 . Nevada Public Radio KNPR . en.
  52. Web site: 2024-02-29 . In wake of sweeping school funding rulings, NH lawmakers pursue legislative fixes . 2024-08-09 . . en.
  53. Web site: DeFilippo . Dana . Sen. Bob Menendez ‘put his power up for sale,’ federal prosecutors tell jurors . 2024-08-09 . The Indianapolis Star . en-US.
  54. Web site: ProPublica . 2024-06-21 . ProPublica’s 50 State Initiative Launches With Five New Partners and a Call for Proposals . 2024-08-13 . ProPublica . en.
  55. Web site: Botkin . Ben . 2024-06-14 . Oregon still fixing state employee payroll system after problems last year . 2024-08-09 . . en.
  56. Web site: Vieth . Warren . McNutt . Michael . 2023-09-29 . Nonprofit news outlets: A growing, integral part of Oklahoma's journalism landscape . 2024-08-13 . NonDoc . en-US.
  57. News: August 8, 2024 . Clemency recommended for Oklahoma death row inmate ahead of scheduled execution . KOSU.
  58. Web site: Bates . Doug . 2021-09-28 . Oregon Capital Chronicle, a statewide news outlet, launches; team of veteran reporters to cover policies and their effects • Highway 58 Herald . 2024-08-13 . Highway 58 Herald . en-US.
  59. Web site: Fries . Amanda . Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro among contenders for Kamala Harris VP pick. Here's why . 2024-08-09 . USA TODAY . en-US.
  60. Web site: The curious timing of a major bank's PAC campaign donations . 2024-08-13 . . en.
  61. Web site: Lohmann . Patrick . 2024-03-25 . I Moved to Rural New Mexico to Report on the Aftermath of a Massive Wildfire. My Neighbors Were My Best Sources. . 2024-08-13 . ProPublica . en.
  62. Web site: Ramadan . Lulu . Brownstone . Sydney . 2024-08-01 . Data Centers Demand a Massive Amount of Energy. Here’s How Some States Are Tackling the Industry’s Impact. . 2024-08-12 . ProPublica . en.
  63. This Week in South Carolina 2024 Legislative Preview Season 2024 Episode 1 PBS . en . 2024-08-15 . www.pbs.org.
  64. Web site: 2024-07-15 . States pledged hundreds of troops and spent millions to help Texas at the border so far this year . 2024-08-09 . . en-US.
  65. Web site: 2020-04-29 . Tennessee Lookout To Launch Statewide News Outlet . 2024-08-14 . www.chattanoogan.com . en.
  66. Web site: Author: Virginia Mercury . 2024-08-09 . WTOP News . en.
  67. Web site: Fu . Angela . 2021-02-25 . Where state and local coverage are actually expanding . 2024-08-08 . Poynter . en-US.
  68. Web site: 2024-08-06 . A chatbot spread falsehood about WA elections. The secretary of state wants it fixed. . 2024-08-09 . KNKX Public Radio . en.
  69. Web site: 2024-08-13 . RFK Jr. secures spot on WA ballot; Democrats could sue to knock him off . 2024-08-15 . The Seattle Times . en-US.
  70. Web site: July 7, 2023 . West Virginia Watch to launch statewide news outlet . August 2, 2023 . The Register-Herald.
  71. News: Rickert . Chris . January 4, 2020 . With 2020 in sight, dark-money sites look to distribute their versions of the news . April 8, 2024 . . en.
  72. Web site: Castillo . Amaris . 2024-05-06 . Small newsrooms won big in the 2024 Pulitzers . 2024-08-13 . Poynter . en-US.
  73. News: Times . The New York . 2024-05-06 . Pulitzer Prizes: 2024 Winners List . 2024-08-13 . The New York Times . en-US . 0362-4331.
  74. Web site: Shafiq . Saman . 2024 Pulitzer Prizes announced: See full list of winners, nominees . 2024-08-13 . USA TODAY . en-US.
  75. Web site: Benton . Joshua . May 7, 2024 . This year’s Pulitzer Prizes were a coming-out party for online media — and a marker of local newspapers’ decline . 2024-08-13 . Nieman Lab . (The finalist recognition for the Alabama Reflector, a States Newsroom site, must feel extra sweet, given that some still misguidedly label it and its siblings as so-called “pink slime” news sites.).
  76. Web site: Finalist: Brian Lyman of the Alabama Reflector . The Pulitzer Prizes.
  77. Web site: Fu . Angela . 2021-02-25 . Where state and local coverage are actually expanding . 2024-08-08 . Poynter . en-US.
  78. Web site: January 29, 2020 . States Newsroom Network . 2024-08-10 . NewsGuard . en-US . While we respect NewsGuard’s mission, we are concerned that as a for-profit startup they have adopted a flawed methodology that punishes innovative, fact-based organizations such as ours, while endorsing the work of outlets that promote conspiracy theories and white nationalism such as Breitbart, the Daily Caller, TheBlaze and FoxNews.com. We urge NewsGuard to update their methodology and use their platform to stand up for real journalism and hold those who spread hate and misinformation accountable..
  79. Web site: Sad Milestone: Fake Local News Sites Now Outnumber Real Local Newspaper Sites in U.S . 2024-08-13 . NewsGuard . en-US.
  80. News: Shumway . Julia . July 24, 2020 . Partisan groups spend big to deliver 'news' . October 22, 2020 . Arizona Capitol Times.
  81. News: Mahone . Jessica . Napoli . Philip . July 13, 2020 . Hundreds of hyperpartisan sites are masquerading as local news. This map shows if there's one near you. . October 22, 2020 . Nieman Lab.

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