The States Newsroom, along with its national outlet Stateline and local affiliates, is seeking public donations to support fact-checking coverage of the 2026 midterm elections. The organization warns that the public is vulnerable to political propaganda due to limited access to reliable news outlets, particularly as local news organizations lay off staff away from state capitals for financial reasons. The States Newsroom aims to ensure its reporting remains free from paywalls, providing citizens with well-informed coverage of candidates at state, county, and city levels.
The newsroom is covering critical topics that will influence the 2026 elections, including state budgets, education access, immigration, and climate change lawsuits. These issues are central to congressional and gubernatorial races across the country. For example, recent coverage includes a Stateline article on E-Verify requirements facing business pushback in some Republican states, and a report on hopes that the Senate will kill a proposed barrier-free college program for older Kentuckians. Other pieces examine a new state budget in Kansas amid spending concerns and a story on Democrats ditching a state union over Trump immigration policies. Additionally, a Supreme Court case testing local lawsuits against oil companies is being tracked for its climate implications.
Donations can be made through a dedicated page, with options for one-time or recurring contributions. The States Newsroom emphasizes that a small number of influential owners, from Perry Sook to Jeff Bezos, hold significant control over information reaching the public about state capitals, raising the risk of a media blackout without support. As the nation's largest nonprofit news organization, it provides nonpartisan coverage of state policy and politics for free, without pop-ups, paywalls, or ads, addressing disinformation and news deserts. Studies cite the organization as key to filling coverage gaps left by staffing cuts at legacy media outlets, with nonprofit newsrooms now comprising the largest portion of statehouse reporters in 10 states and the second largest in 17 states.
The States Newsroom fully funds newsrooms in 39 states, each with its own website, and partners with news outlets in all 50 state capitals. It also has content-sharing agreements with 11 leading nonprofit newsrooms, including CalMatters in California, The Texas Tribune, and VTDigger in Vermont. This extensive network underscores the importance of its role in maintaining accessible, factual reporting during election cycles, as reliable information is crucial for democratic participation and informed voting decisions.
