{{Short description|American nonprofit journalism network}} {{Use mdy dates|date=March 2024}} {{Infobox organization | name = States Newsroom | formation = 2019 | logo = States Newsroom logo.png{{!}}class=skin-invert | type = 501(c)(3)<ref>{{Cite web|title=States Newsroom - Nonprofit Explorer |url=https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/842113822 |access-date=2024-08-08 |website=ProPublica |date=May 9, 2013 |language=en}}</ref> | tax_id = 84-2113822 | purpose = | leader_title = President | leader_name = Chris Fitzsimon | subsidiaries = 39 | affiliations = 11 | budget = $27.5 million<ref>{{cite web |title=States Newsroom - Nonprofit Explorer |url=https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/842113822 |website=ProPublica |access-date=30 December 2025 |language=en |date=9 May 2013}}</ref> | budget_year = 2024 | num_staff = 220 (2024) | website = {{Official URL}} }}
'''States Newsroom''' is a nonprofit news network in the United States. It has news organizations in 39 U.S. states and newsrooms in all 50 state capitals through partnerships, focusing primarily on state politics.<ref name=":7">{{Cite news |last=Robertson |first=Katie |date=2022-10-07 |title=News on Statehouses, With a Twist: Covering All 50 at Once |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/07/business/media/pluribus-news-statehouses.html |access-date=2024-08-12 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |quote=States Newsroom, a network of nonprofit news outlets, now has a presence...}}</ref><ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Joseph |first=Cameron |date=2024-04-05 |title=This nonprofit has newsrooms in all 50 state capitals. Is it the future of state journalism? |url=https://www.cjr.org/the_media_today/states-newsroom-local-politics-policy-model.php |access-date=2025-12-18 |website=Columbia Journalism Review |language=en}}</ref> States Newsroom grew out of NC Policy Watch, a progressive think tank founded in 2004 by Chris Fitzsimon,<ref name="minnesota">{{cite news |last1=Borzi |first1=Pat |date=January 14, 2020 |title=The Minnesota Reformer has launched. So what the hell is the Minnesota Reformer? |url=https://www.minnpost.com/media/2020/01/the-minnesota-reformer-has-launched-so-what-the-hell-is-the-minnesota-reformer/ |access-date=October 22, 2020 |work=MinnPost}}</ref><ref name=":14">{{Cite web |last=Rickert |first=Chris |date=2020-01-04 |title=With 2020 in sight, dark-money sites look to distribute their versions of the news |url=https://madison.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/with-2020-in-sight-dark-money-sites-look-to-distribute-their-versions-of-the-news/article_4b472142-cea3-53e8-b617-1903e3177c42.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200424054521/https://madison.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/with-2020-in-sight-dark-money-sites-look-to-distribute-their-versions-of-the-news/article_4b472142-cea3-53e8-b617-1903e3177c42.html |archive-date=April 24, 2020 |access-date=2024-08-08 |website=Wisconsin State Journal |language=en |quote=In addition to working in television news, States director and publisher Chris Fitzsimon founded a progressive think tank and the liberal news and commentary website NC Policy Watch, which he said is 'sort of the model for the news outlets we support.'}}</ref> who is its current president. In 2017, the project expanded, using the liberal group the Hopewell Fund as an incubator. In 2019, States Newsroom became an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Scutari |first=Mike |date=2020-08-19 |title="Fill the Gaps." A Donor-Backed Outfit Aims to Reverse the Decline in Statehouse Reporting |url=https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2020/8/7/fill-the-gaps-a-donor-backed-outfit-aims-to-reverse-the-decline-in-statehouse-reporting |access-date=2024-08-12 |website=Inside Philanthropy |language=en-US |quote=Donors listed include the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation, Google and the Wyss Foundation, but mostly individuals, along with 2,100 donations under $500 not listed.}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Scire |first=Sarah |date=March 8, 2023 |title=Pew's Stateline finds a new home with nonprofit States Newsroom |url=https://www.niemanlab.org/2023/03/pews-stateline-finds-a-new-home-with-nonprofit-states-newsroom/ |access-date=2024-08-08 |website=Nieman Lab}}</ref>
== Organization ==
States Newsroom provides funding, human resources, and digital support to journalists in the state newsrooms.<ref name=":36">{{Cite web |last=Fu |first=Angela |date=2021-02-25 |title=Where state and local coverage are actually expanding |url=https://www.poynter.org/reporting-editing/2021/where-state-and-local-coverage-are-actually-expanding/ |access-date=2024-08-08 |website=Poynter |language=en-US}}</ref> It typically has four to six journalists per newsroom''<ref name="cjr">{{Cite web |last=Joseph |first=Cameron |title=This nonprofit has newsrooms in all 50 state capitals. Is it the future of state journalism? |url=https://www.cjr.org/the_media_today/states-newsroom-local-politics-policy-model.php |access-date=2024-08-12 |website=Columbia Journalism Review |language=en |quote=While the news coverage strives to be balanced and nonpartisan, the sites’ commentary section leans left.}}</ref>'' and allows its articles to be republished for free under a Creative Commons license.<ref name=":36"/>''<ref name="cjr" />''<ref name="wapo">{{Cite news |last=Izadi |first=Elahe |date=2021-12-06 |title=The troubling new void in local journalism — and the nonprofits trying to fill it |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/media/2021/12/06/media-states-newsroom-government/ |access-date=2024-08-12 |newspaper=Washington Post |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286 |quote=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.}}</ref>
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.<ref name="cjr" /><ref name=":0">{{cite news |last1=Fischer |first1=Sara |date=June 11, 2024 |title=Dark money news outlets outpacing local daily newspapers |url=https://www.axios.com/2024/06/11/partisan-news-websites-dark-money |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240705120501/https://www.axios.com/2024/06/11/partisan-news-websites-dark-money |archive-date=July 5, 2024 |access-date=12 June 2024 |publisher=Axios |quote=These types of websites are often referred to as 'pink slime,' a term that originated in the ground beef industry. The term has been used for more than a decade to describe politically motivated websites masquerading as independent local news outlets... Some of the more strategic sites are run by groups that are more much explicit about their funding and motives, such as Courier Newsroom and States Newsroom.}}</ref><ref name=":10">{{Cite web |title=Supporters • States Newsroom |url=https://statesnewsroom.com/support/ |access-date=2024-08-13 |website=States Newsroom |language=en-US}}</ref> The progressive Wyss Foundation gave $1 million to States Newsroom in 2020.<ref name=":18">{{cite news |last1=Vogel |first1=Kenneth P. |last2=Robertson |first2=Katie |date=13 April 2021 |title=Top Bidder for Tribune Newspapers Is an Influential Liberal Donor |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/13/business/media/wyss-tribune-company-buyer.html |access-date=12 August 2024 |work=The New York Times |quote=States Newsroom, a group of news sites based in state capitals, received $1 million from the Wyss Foundation last year. NewsGuard, a media watchdog that analyzes the credibility of news outlets, concluded that State Newsroom’s journalism had been 'bought by people with a political agenda.'}}</ref>
States Newsroom's commentary and opinion pieces are clearly-labeled and generally lean left. The organization does not allow opinion pieces from candidates or political officeholders.<ref name="cjr" /><ref name=":2" /><ref name="wapo" /> Many, but not all, of the organization's larger donors also lean left.<ref name="cjr" /> States Newsroom did not disclose its donors until 2020, when it started disclosing the names of all donors giving more than $1,000 since becoming a 501(c)(3) in 2019.<ref name=":1" /> In August 2020, Inside Philanthropy reported that Google was one of the funders of States Newsroom.<ref name=":1" /> The largest single contributors donated $21.2 million and $9.9 million in 2022 and 2023, respectively.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Public Disclosure Copy of 2022 Form 990 |url=https://statesnewsroom.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2022-PDC-Form-990.pdf |access-date=August 13, 2024 |website=States Newsroom}}</ref><ref name="2023 Form 990">{{Cite web |title=Public Disclosure Copy of 2023 Form 990 |url=https://statesnewsroom.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2023-PDC-Form-990.pdf |access-date=August 13, 2024 |website=States Newsroom}}</ref>
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.<ref name=":2" />
In 2024, States Newsroom reported having 220 full-time employees, with an annual budget of more than $22 million. It grew from five affiliates upon its 2019 launch to 39 freestanding newsrooms at 11 partner outlets covering all 50 states by early 2024.<ref name=cjr/>
== Reception == Given its history of "dark money" funding and left-leaning editorial boards, some have questioned the partisanship of States Newsroom's journalism.<ref name=":14" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Sohm |first=Joseph |date=2019-11-08 |title=News Websites with Political Ties Spread Across Michigan |url=https://www.governing.com/news/headlines/news-websites-with-political-ties-spread-across-michigan.html |access-date=2024-11-04 |website=Governing |language=en |quote=States Newsroom’s ethics policy states its publications are nonpartisan. Fitzsimon said the editorial board is “on the liberal side," drawing a comparison with The New York Times.}}</ref> In January 2020, Steven Brill of NewsGuard asked States Newsroom to reveal their donors—which the organization did later that year.<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 29, 2020 |title=States Newsroom Network |url=https://www.newsguardtech.com/feedback/publisher/states-newsroom-network/ |access-date=2024-08-10 |website=NewsGuard |language=en-US |quote=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.}}</ref><ref name="wapo" /><ref name=":1" /> But in 2021, after accepting a $1 million donation from the progressive Wyss Foundation, NewsGuard said their journalism was "bought by people with a political agenda".<ref name=":18" /> A June 2024 NewsGuard study continued to categorize State Newsroom as a partisan outlet designed to look apolitical.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sad Milestone: Fake Local News Sites Now Outnumber Real Local Newspaper Sites in U.S |url=https://www.newsguardtech.com/press/sad-milestone-fake-local-news-sites-now-outnumber-real-local-newspaper-sites-in-u-s/ |access-date=2024-08-13 |website=NewsGuard |language=en-US}}</ref> That same month, Axios called States Newsroom "one of the more strategic" of the "politically motivated websites masquerading as independent local news outlets."<ref name=":0" />
In 2020, the Nieman Foundation for Journalism listed but then retracted adding the newsrooms as "hyperpartisan" in a map.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Shumway |first1=Julia |date=July 24, 2020 |title=Partisan groups spend big to deliver 'news' |url=https://azcapitoltimes.com/news/2020/07/24/partisan-groups-spend-big-to-deliver-news/ |access-date=October 22, 2020 |newspaper=Arizona Capitol Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Mahone |first1=Jessica |last2=Napoli |first2=Philip |date=July 13, 2020 |title=Hundreds of hyperpartisan sites are masquerading as local news. This map shows if there's one near you. |url=https://www.niemanlab.org/2020/07/hundreds-of-hyperpartisan-sites-are-masquerading-as-local-news-this-map-shows-if-theres-one-near-you/ |access-date=October 22, 2020 |work=Nieman Lab}}</ref> At a press conference in November of that year, Missouri Governor Mike Parson refused to take a question from a ''Missouri Independent'' reporter, saying "I am not going to respond to a c4 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."<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=Skipworth |first=William |date=December 4, 2020 |title=Soros is not the mastermind behind Missouri Independent |url=https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2020/dec/04/liberty-alliance/george-soros-not-mastermind-behind-startup-news-ou/ |access-date=2024-08-14 |website=@politifact |language=en-US |quote=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.}}</ref>
In 2023, Nieman noted the experience of the journalists<ref name=":2" /> and in 2024 called NewsGuard's depiction of States Newsroom "misguided."<ref name=":9">{{Cite web |last=Benton |first=Joshua |date=May 7, 2024 |title=This year's Pulitzer Prizes were a coming-out party for online media — and a marker of local newspapers' decline |url=https://www.niemanlab.org/2024/05/this-years-pulitzer-prizes-were-a-coming-out-party-for-online-media-and-a-marker-of-local-newspapers-decline/ |access-date=2024-08-13 |website=Nieman Lab |quote=(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.)}}</ref> 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.<ref name="cjr" />
==Newsrooms==
In July 2019, States Newsroom had 13 outlets, nine of which were in swing states.<ref name=":14" /> As of 2024, States Newsroom had 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'',<ref name="cjr" /> ''CT Mirror,''<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pettit |first=Emelia |date=2024-07-12 |title=Opinion: How Connecticut is leading the charge in sustainable wind energy |url=https://www.yahoo.com/news/connecticut-leading-charge-sustainable-wind-091554038.html |access-date=2024-08-09 |website=Yahoo News |language=en-US}}</ref> ''Honolulu Civil Beat'',<ref name="cjr" /> ''Mississippi Today,''<ref>{{Cite web |last=Harrison |first=Bobby |date=2024-07-05 |title=Mississippi judge blocks Biden attempt to ensure LGBTQ+ medical treatment • Nebraska Examiner |url=https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/07/05/mississippi-judge-blocks-biden-attempt-to-ensure-lgbtq-medical-treatment/ |access-date=2024-08-09 |website=Nebraska Examiner |language=en-US}}</ref> ''New York Focus,'' and the ''Texas Tribune''.<ref name="cjr" />
In 2021, ''Iowa Capital Dispatch'' was the first to report a lawsuit against a local Tyson pork-processing plant for work conditions during COVID-19.<ref name=":36" />
===List of newsrooms=== The 39 state newsrooms under the States Newsroom umbrella include:<ref>{{Cite web |last=Joseph |first=Cameron |title=This nonprofit has newsrooms in all 50 state capitals. Is it the future of state journalism? |url=https://www.cjr.org/the_media_today/states-newsroom-local-politics-policy-model.php |access-date=2025-12-18 |website=Columbia Journalism Review |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=About • States Newsroom |url=https://statesnewsroom.com/about/ |access-date=2025-12-18 |website=States Newsroom |language=en-US}}</ref>
{{columns-list|colwidth=20em| *''Arizona Mirror'' *''Alabama Reflector'' *''Alaska Beacon'' *''Arkansas Advocate'' *''Capital News Illinois'' *''Colorado Newsline'' *''Commonwealth Beacon'' *''Daily Montanan'' *''Florida Phoenix'' *''Georgia Recorder'' *''Idaho Capital Sun'' *''Indiana Capital Chronicle'' *''Iowa Capital Dispatch'' *''Kansas Reflector'' *''Kentucky Lantern'' *''Louisiana Illuminator'' *''Maine Morning Star'' *''Maryland Matters'' *''Michigan Advance'' *''Minnesota Reformer''<ref name="minnesota"/> *''Missouri Independent'' *''NC Newsline'' *''Nebraska Examiner'' *''Nevada Current'' *''New Hampshire Bulletin'' *''New Jersey Monitor'' *''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'' *''Spotlight Delaware'' *''Tennessee Lookout'' *''Utah News Dispatch'' *''Virginia Mercury'' *''Washington State Standard''<ref>{{Cite web |first=Bruce |last=Ramsey |date=2023-06-06 |title=State of the State: Washington State Standard comes to Olympia |url=https://www.postalley.org/2023/06/06/state-of-the-state-washington-state-standard-comes-to-olympia/ |access-date=2025-12-18 |website=Post Alley |language=en-US}}</ref> *''West Virginia Watch'' *''Wisconsin Examiner'' }}
==See also== * Chalkbeat, another group of nonprofit newsrooms that publish under a Creative Commons license * Courier Newsroom * Institute for Nonprofit News, a consortium of U.S. nonprofit journalism organizations, including many of the nonprofits that partner with States Newsroom
==References== {{reflist|30em}}
==External links== * {{Official website}} * {{ProPublicaNonprofitExplorer|842113822}} * [https://stateline.org/ Stateline.org] * [https://NewsFromTheStates.com/ NewsFromTheStates.com]
{{DEFAULTSORT:States Newsroom}} Category:Journalism organizations based in the United States Category:Non-profit organizations based in Washington, D.C. Category:Nonprofit newspapers Category:Progressive organizations in the United States Category:American organizations established in 2019