Online news organization launches to focus on Idaho politics
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IDAHO FALLS — An online news organization just launched in the Gem State that promises to make investigative and enterprise journalism more accessible to everyday Idahoans.
The Idaho Capital Sun, based out of Boise, was founded by former Idaho Statesman Editor Christina Lords, and three other veteran Idaho journalists: Audrey Dutton, Clark Corbin and Kelcie Moseley-Morris. The agency is one of the newest parts of States Newsroom, a national network of state-focused news agencies operating on grants and donations in 22 states.
Lords, who spoke with EastIdahoNews.com this week, said she was drawn to the idea of a nonprofit newsroom because of the ongoing decline of print newspapers.
“I could see how the traditional journalism model was breaking down,” Lords said. “It’s hard to put out a good product when you can’t fully staff your newsroom or are continually having to make hard decisions about staff or money. I am excited to switch things up and see how this stuff works.”
Like its parent organization, the Idaho Capital Sun is funded by donations and grants, instead of advertising or a subscription service. (You can donate to the organization here.) Lords hopes as they grow and gain support in Idaho, they will be able to increase their staff or hire freelancers to broaden their coverage.
The central topics covered by the news agency will be state government and politics, capital city issues and public policy. But Lords says they will pursue news on a wide variety of issues, including healthcare, tax policy, education, voter rights, public land issues, wages, mental health care and much more.
“Our main goal is to provide data, context and analysis, so we can take a deeper dive at the news than the daily churn stories,” Lords said.
Stories from the Idaho Capital Sun will be available on its website, on Facebook and Twitter. Idahoans will also see Capital Sun stories in other news publications, including EastIdahoNews.com. One of the tenets of States Newsroom is sharing content with other news organizations, to bolster statewide access to investigative journalism.
“As newsrooms across the country continue to shrink and the journalism industry grapples with broken advertising models, we’re excited to provide another path for readers,” Lords said in a news release. “We hope to become a trusted, in-depth news source on the issues that matter most to Idahoans — old timers and newcomers alike.”
Visit the Idaho Capital Sun here. Sign up for the new agency’s email newsletter here.