States Newsroom

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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. Fitzsimon is States Newsroom's director and publisher. [4]

Contents

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]

Affiliates

Affiliates of States Newsroom include: [9]

Relations with social media

On 4 April 2024, all links from Kansas Reflector's Facebook page to its own website were removed. All links from Facebook users who shared Kansas Reflector's content were also removed. Kansas Reflector senior staff stated readers wanted to know why Facebook's justification for the removal was "fals[e] claims [by Facebook that Kansas Reflector was] a cybersecurity risk". The links were restored later in the day. A Meta Platforms (owner of Facebook, Inc.) representative stated that the removals "had nothing to do with the Reflector's recent criticism of Meta". The Kansas City Star was sceptical of Meta's statement, and recommended that readers visit news organisations' websites directly or contact their journalists by email to "cut out the social media middleman". [15]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 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. 1 2 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. ↑ "Affiliates". States Newsroom.
  10. ↑ Hitson, Hadley (May 26, 2023). "Alabama Reflector joins Montgomery mediascape, boosting coverage of state politics, policy". Montgomery Advertiser . Retrieved December 8, 2023.
  11. ↑ Smith, Adam (July 5, 2018). "Welcome a new news outlet to Tallahassee". Tampa Bay Times . Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  12. ↑ 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.
  13. ↑ "West Virginia Watch to launch statewide news outlet". The Register-Herald. July 7, 2023. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
  14. ↑ 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.
  15. ↑ "Facebook wrecked this Kansas news outlet's account. It's hard to trust social media". The Kansas City Star . April 5, 2024. ISSN   0745-1067. Wikidata   Q125352799. Archived from the original on April 5, 2024.
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