States Newsroom

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Big news from our States Newsroom outlet, the Nebraska Examiner! Veteran reporter Aaron Sanderford as been named editor-in-chief of the Examiner, starting Dec. 20. He replaces Cate Folsom, who is retiring. Sanderford has tackled various news roles in his 20-plus year career. He has reported on politics, crime, courts, government and business for the Omaha World-Herald and Lincoln Journal Star. He later worked for KMTV 3 News Now in Omaha as its lead investigative reporter. Folsom helped launch the Examiner in 2022 after retiring in 2019 from a 40-year journalism career at the Omaha World-Herald, where she worked in a variety of reporting and editing roles, including metro-regional editor and editorial page editor. 👏 Congratulations to Aaron and best wishes to Cate. #FairFearlessFree #LocalJournalism #LocalReporting #Huskers

It’s #GivingTuesday! Today, we’re saying thank you to our readers. At States Newsroom, we're proud to shine a light on policy and politics in all 50 states and provide that coverage for free: No pop-ups, paywalls or ads. Our local, on-the-ground reporters keep tabs on state legislation and politics for their local audiences -- and serve as a crucial link in the larger media ecosystem. But our journalism wouldn’t be possible without the support of our readers. If you’ve valued our state-focused reporting and news analysis this year, can you step up with a contribution today? #FairFearlessFree #LocalReporting #LocalJournalism https://lnkd.in/eS9_CPCG 

Grateful for the journalists and media watchers up and down the ladder who understand the value of the state-focused and local reporting we're doing at States Newsroom. Here's what The Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin had to say today in highlighting our network: "If pro-democracy, fact-based advocates and politicians think independent, fact-based journalism is vital, they should treat outlets like these on a par with national and regional for-profit companies, providing the same level of access to politicians and information. It is then up to pro-democracy organizations, websites, podcasts and social media influencers to amplify important stories that fill the news vacuum and/or rebut disinformation." #LocalJournalism #FairFearlessFree #GivingThanks 🦃

Have you read South Dakota Searchlight editor Seth Tupper's analysis of Gov. Kristi Noem? https://lnkd.in/evkWGyaH It's co-published today in The Washington Post's compilation of opinions on Trump's Cabinet picks. https://lnkd.in/eJ8grnBK Collaborations like this -- tapping on-the-ground local journalists to more accurately and thoroughly report national stories -- are essential to our media ecosystem. #LocalJournalism #FairFearlessFree

News deserts are a real thing, and this blog post from tech company NewsBreak lays out the challenging state of local news access: "The erosion of local news is forcing more of us to look beyond traditional news outlets to social media or national news apps without hyper-local focus. A recent Pew Research survey found that 86% of U.S. adults access news via digital devices at least sometimes, with 57% doing so often. At the same time, it remains incredibly frustrating to try to find what matters to us when news is coming from all angles, and when we have to sort fact from fiction along the way." States Newsroom is proud to have our state-focused journalism distributed by NewsBreak, which helps make local news and information more abundant and accessible – connecting more than 40 million users across the nation to personalized local news, entertainment and lifestyle stories, science and technology updates, and daily essentials like weather and traffic alerts. "Collaborations like this bring local news coverage to communities where journalism resources are stretched thin,” said States Newsroom communications director Lara Weber. #FairFearlessFree #LocalJournalism #LocalReporting Read the full post:   https://lnkd.in/gycz_4A3

Did you catch New York Magazine's take on the news industry? Fascinating. And we're glad to see a shoutout to States Newsroom's North Dakota Monitor. Local news is absolutely where it's at. >>> There Has to Be a Way for Local News to Survive. “We have to be careful about not using the ‘in peril’ narrative too much, where people will think it’s already all dead and there’s nothing left to save,” says CJR’s Sewell Chan, who spent three years running the nonprofit Texas Tribune. Chan points to two bright spots in efforts to support local news: the National Trust for Local News, which acquires vulnerable community papers and invests in their development, and the American Journalism Project, which tries to rebuild local news by seeding local digital start-ups. Audience interest in local stories is high, Apple News has found. “That’s part of what we’re trying to do — connect local news outlets with their audiences again,” says Lauren Kern of Apple News. “After the Apalachee school shooting earlier this fall, we relied on the Atlanta Journal-Constitution for coverage,” she notes. “The North Dakota state abortion ban was ruled unconstitutional, and we have the North Dakota Monitor (https://lnkd.in/e6GFqbuf) to literally put at the top of a national news app.” <<< #FairFearlessFree #LocalJournalism

📣 Who would like some good news? We’ve been so heads-down busy at States Newsroom covering the firehose of election-related developments that a quick break is in order. Here's a round-up of the recognition our journalists have received over the past month. Join us now for a big round of applause 👏 for these reporters and editors, who work tirelessly for their readers. ➡️ Source New Mexico and ProPublica won the Outstanding Beat Reporting award from the Society of Environmental Journalists for their project, "The Long Burn," by Source New Mexico reporter Patrick Lohmann, ProPublica reporter Byard Duncan and freelance photojournalist Adria Malcolm. From the judges: Pat “displayed an impressive determination to hold federal officials accountable for the slow, bungled effort to distribute financial aid and compassion for those struggling to rebuild their lives after losing their homes to the fire. This series had an impressive impact, including the resignation, and replacement, of the FEMA official who directed the local disaster response. In the wake of that move, FEMA announced a dramatic increase in payments to fire victims and a restructuring of the agency's disaster response in the state.” ▶️ Read about the award here: https://lnkd.in/eqtQ4EWb ➡️ Next door, the entire crew of the Arizona Mirror has won eight awards from the Arizona Media Association + Arizona Local News Foundation for their work on a range of stories on issues that matter to the people of Arizona. Congrats to the entire team: Jerod MacDonald-Evoy, Jim Small, Caitlin Sievers, Shondiin Silversmith and Gloria Gomez. ▶️ Read about the AZ Mirror's award-winning stories, commentary and local reporting here: https://lnkd.in/eTqZBPpB ➡️ And the Oklahoma Voice claimed four awards in the annual Oklahoma Society of Professional Journalists Pro Chapter’s 2024 awards, including best print website. Reporter Nuria Martinez-Keel won first place for outstanding spot news and third for outstanding general news. Editor Janelle Stecklein won second place for outstanding print editorial. ▶️ Read about the award here: https://lnkd.in/euwZbF5G At States Newsroom, we cover the state issues that most affect people’s daily lives because we believe it’s essential to shine a light on policy and politics in all 50 states. We're on the ground, every day, where the news is happening. See all of our work here: newsfromthestates.com #FairFearlessFree #LocalJournalism

Fair. Fearless. Free. It's been a week! But our work doesn't stop on Election Day. At States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization with reporting from all 50 states, our network of 200+ reporters and editors will continue to keep you informed about the state and national issues that matter most to you and your local communities. We believe local reporting matters more than ever. And, bonus, our coverage is always free – no pop-ups, paywalls or ads. If you value independent news, please support our work. https://lnkd.in/ey2sXDzz

"What's next?" That's the question our States Newsroom reporters across all 50 states are asking now that we (mostly) know the outcome of the 2024 election and the many, many national, state and local races we covered. Follow us as we report the facts and help make sense of it all. #FairFearlessFree #StayInformed #LocalJournalism