Michele's List
Building blocks in the emerging local news ecosystem

The Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting is an independent, nonprofit media organization dedicated to statewide accountability journalism in Arizona. AZCIR’s mission is to produce, foster and promote investigative journalism through original and collaborative reporting, public events and trainings, for the betterment of our communities.

Arkansas Nonprofit News Network was launched in 2016 by veteran journalist Lindsey Millar. The nonprofit has produced investigative and explanatory projects focused on health care, public corruption, environment and child welfare. Revenue: Crowdfunding, donations.

Founded in January 2011, Aspen Journalism is a local, nonprofit, and investigative news organization.

Founded in 2011, Carolina Public Press is a nonprofit online news service providing Western North Carolina with unbiased, in-depth and investigative reporting and educational opportunities. Revenue: grants, donations.

The Center for Investigative Reporting was established in 1977. It upped its digital presence significantly in 2009, when it founded Calfiornia Watch, an investigative news organization focused on the state of California. In 2012, CIR merged with The Bay Citizen, a two-year-old local news start up in San Francisco. In 2013, CIR consolidated California Watch and The Bay Citizen into a single brand and website. With the merger, CIR gained about $5 million in Bay Citizen donations, more than doubling its annual expenditures. The organization is increasingly focused on develoption national publication partners and growing syndication revenue. Its work has won numerous journalism prizes.

Eye on Ohio is a nonprofit investigative news outlet launched in 2012. Revenue: Grants, donations.

Florida Bulldog is an independent, nonpartisan, non-profit news site, providing authoritative local, regional and statewide reporting in the public interest. Staffed by professional journalists, it carries staff-written stories about government and policy mixed with watchdog stories from national sites such as the Center for Public Integrity. Revenue: donations, story sales, advertising.

The Florida Center for Investigative Reporting was founded in 2010 to investigate corruption, waste and injustice in partnership with traditional and emerging news media in Florida. In 2016, the organization refocused on three programs: 1) offering individual grants of $500 to $5,000 to journalists working on Florida stories; investigating Islamophobia and the intersection of national security and civil liberties in partnership with national media; and acting as a fiscal sponsor for journalism organizations and individual journalists to receive funding that requires a 501(c)(3) umbrella. Revenue: Grants, individual contributions, data analysis.

inewsource is an investigative news organization that focuses on government, education, and health with data-driven reporting in San Diego and Imperial counties in southern California. The organization also teaches journalism students at San Diego State University, where it is based. Revenue: Grants, donations, sponsorships.

Investigate West produces investigative reports on issues such as public safety and the environment in the the Pacific Northwest and the West. Revenue: Grants, donations.

Veteran investigative reporter Jim Heaney launched the Investigative Post in 2012 with help from the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo and the Knight Community Information challenge. The organization aims to "tell the stories that need to be told about the skullduggery and dysfunction that pervades Buffalo and WNY (Western New York)." Investigative Post has built a diverse revenue stream that includes funding from foundations, large and small donors, and earned income through the sale of content to media partners. 

IowaWatch, part of the Iowa Center for Public Affairs Journalism, is an independent, non-partisan news source that produces and encourages explanatory and investigative journalism in Iowa through collaborative, multimedia reporting with Iowa news organizations. The Center also educates college students to do this kind of journalism at a high, professional level. We inform the public so that it can be armed with the knowledge necessary to play its role in a democracy.

The Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting launched in 2013 and produces accountability journalism. Revenue: Grants, donations.

Established in 2009, NECIR is a nonprofit news outlet based at WGBH (PBS/NPR Boston) and affiliated with Boston University. The center produces national and regional investigative journalism and trains aspiring and working journalists in investigative techniques.

Oklahoma Watch is an investigative news site that focuses on data-driven reporting about key topics in the state, including addiction, immigration, criminal justice and education. The site launched in 2010 and produced coverage that helped bring about prison reform in Oklahoma. After a hiatus in 2012, the site relaunched in 2013 with a new editor, David Fritze, who had been a senior editor at The Arizona Republic. The site is funded by several foundations that are represented on its board of directors and the operation is housed at the University of Oklahoma.

Pine Tree Watchdog, a publication of the Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting, keeps citizens informed about their government and their public servants through original investigative research and featured content from outside sources. Since its launch in December 2009, the site has provided content on elections, ethics, public safety, and political issues. Revenue: Donations, foundation grants.

ProPublica is an investigative news organization with a national reach and an annual budget of about $10 million. ProPublica seeks to produce stories with "moral force" by exposing exploitation and violations of the public trust. Known for the quality of its journalism, ProPublica has won two Pulitzer Prizes and numerous other journalism awards. It often publishes a major story excclusively with one other publication and then encourages other outlets to pick up the story. Revenue: Grants, donations.

PublicSource delivering investigative news about key issues in Pittsburgh and western Pennsylvania. In collaboration with radio stations, newspapers, the outlet looks on the issues including fracturing and reincorporation after military life.

Searchlight New Mexico is a nonprofit investigative news outlet that launched in 2016. Revenue: Grants, donations.

The Austin Bulldog is an investigative news site dedicated to in-depth reporting in Austin, Texas. The nonprofit was founded in 2010 by editor Ken Martin. Revenue: Donations.

The Frontier is an investigative news organization that focuses on the Tulsa, Oklahoma area. The nonprofit site launched in 2015. Revenue: Donations

The Utah Investigative Journalism Project, launched as a nonprofit in 2016, focuses on accountability journalism. Revenue: Donations

The nonpartisan, nonprofit Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism is increasing the quality and quantity of investigative reporting in Wisconsin, while training current and future generations of investigative journalists.