States Newsroom

"Virginia Mercury" redirects here. For the flowering plant, see Acalypha virginica.

States Newsroom is a left-leaning non-profit news organization with outlets or partner outlets in all 50 U.S. states.^[1] It began as a sponsored project of the Hopewell Fund, a left-leaning nonprofit that does not disclose its donors.^[2][3] In 2019, it spun off to become its own non-profit. It accepts no corporate donations, and publicly shares the sources of all contributions above $1,000.^[1] It grew out of NC Policy Watch, a progressive think tank in North Carolina founded by Chris Fitzsimon in 2004. Fitzsimon is States Newsroom's director and publisher.^[4]

Logo

States Newsroom had anticipated revenue of more than $27 million by the end of 2021. As of 2024, it reported having 220 full-time employees, with an annual budget of more than $22 million.^[1] It grew from five affiliates upon its 2019 launch to 39 freestanding newsrooms at 11 partner outlets by early 2024.^[1] In July 2020, all the publications associated with States Newsroom were included in a resource created by the Nieman Foundation for Journalism purporting to show "hyperpartisan sites... masquerading as local news", but they were removed from the list after States Newsroom's national editor noted that the funding model is much more transparent and that many staffers for the group are longtime journalists.^[5][6]

The Wyss Foundation, founded by Swiss billionaire Hansjörg Wyss, has donated to States Newsroom. Media watchdog NewsGuard said State Newsroom's journalism had been "bought by people with a political agenda", a charge States Newsroom has rebutted.^[7]

In December 2021, States Newsroom announced plans to nearly double its presence from 25 states to 40 states. The organization reported raising $10 million in 2020. According to The Washington Post, "Their affiliates publish opinion pieces, much like newspapers' editorial pages, that largely lean left."^[8]

States Newsroom's outlet in Alabama, the Alabama Reflector, was a finalist for the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for Commentary.^[9] Brian Lyman of the Alabama Reflector was recognized "For 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."^[10]

Affiliates

Affiliates of States Newsroom include:^[11]

• Alabama Reflector^[12]
• Alaska Beacon
• Arizona Mirror
• Arkansas Advocate
• Colorado Newsline
• Florida Phoenix^[13]
• Georgia Recorder
• Idaho Capital Sun
• Indiana Capital Chronicle
• Iowa Capital Dispatch
• Kansas Reflector
• Kentucky Lantern
• Louisiana Illuminator
• Maine Beacon^[14]
• Maryland Matters
• Michigan Advance
• Minnesota Reformer^[4]
• Missouri Independent
• Daily Montanan
• Nebraska Examiner
• Nevada Current
• New Jersey Monitor
• NC Newsline^[15]
• New Hampshire Bulletin
• North Dakota Monitor
• Ohio Capital Journal
• Oklahoma Voice
• Oregon Capital Chronicle
• Pennsylvania Capital-Star
• Rhode Island Current
• Source New Mexico
• South Carolina Daily Gazette
• South Dakota Searchlight
• Tennessee Lookout
• Utah Dispatch
• Virginia Mercury
• Washington State Standard
• West Virginia Watch^[16]
• Wisconsin Examiner^[17]

References

1. Joseph, Cameron (April 5, 2024). "This nonprofit has newsrooms in all 50 state capitals. Is it the future of state journalism?". Columbia Journalism Review. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
2. Barrett, Malachi (November 9, 2019). "News Websites with Political Ties Spread Across Michigan". www.governing.com. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
3. Massoglia, Anna (May 22, 2020). "'Dark money' networks hide political agendas behind fake news sites". OpenSecrets.
4. Borzi, Pat (January 14, 2020). "The Minnesota Reformer has launched. So what the hell is the Minnesota Reformer?". MinnPost. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
5. Shumway, Julia (July 24, 2020). "Partisan groups spend big to deliver 'news'". Arizona Capitol Times. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
6. 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". Nieman Lab. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
7. Vogel, Kenneth P.; Robertson, Katie (April 13, 2021). "Top Bidder for Tribune Newspapers Is an Influential Liberal Donor". The New York Times. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
8. Izadi, Elahe (December 6, 2021). "The troubling new void in local journalism — and the nonprofits trying to fill it". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
9. Demarco, Marisa (May 7, 2024). "Pulitzer Board recognizes Alabama Reflector editor in commentary category • Iowa Capital Dispatch". Iowa Capital Dispatch. Retrieved May 9, 2024.
10. "Finalist: Brian Lyman of the Alabama Reflector". The Pulitzer Prizes.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
11. "Affiliates". States Newsroom.
12. Hitson, Hadley (May 26, 2023). "Alabama Reflector joins Montgomery mediascape, boosting coverage of state politics, policy". Montgomery Advertiser. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
13. Smith, Adam (July 5, 2018). "Welcome a new news outlet to Tallahassee". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
14. Piper, Jessica (October 21, 2020). "The partisan sites fueling attack ads in the race between Susan Collins and Sara Gideon". Bangor Daily News. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
15. "States Newsroom Relaunches NC Policy Watch as NC Newsline". States Newsroom. April 3, 2023. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
16. "West Virginia Watch to launch statewide news outlet". The Register-Herald. July 7, 2023. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
17. Rickert, Chris (January 4, 2020). "With 2020 in sight, dark-money sites look to distribute their versions of the news". Wisconsin State Journal. Retrieved April 8, 2024.

External links

• Official website
• Rickert, Chris (January 1, 2020). . Wisconsin State Journal. madison.com. Archived from the original on April 18, 2020. Retrieved July 1, 2021. States Newsroom Network response to NewsGuard ratings of States Newsroom websites