As local news organizations continue operating under tighter staffing constraints and growing audience demands, one challenge consistently rises to the surface: how to maintain meaningful statehouse, policy, and accountability coverage without dramatically increasing newsroom costs.
For many publishers, the issue is no longer simply about producing more content. It is about preserving essential journalism that communities still expect — coverage of budgets, taxes, legislation, education, healthcare and government accountability — while local newsrooms remain stretched thin.
That reality is helping drive increased interest in collaborative reporting models and supplemental newsroom partnerships designed to strengthen coverage without requiring publishers to add reporters, editors, or production resources.
One organization increasingly positioning itself in that space is The Center Square, a nonprofit news organization focused on state government, public policy, and national reporting which just celebrated its seventh year in operation.
In a recent interview with E&P Magazine, Publisher Chris Krug said: “The focus that we’ve taken is what I view as the ‘donut hole’ in American news media today, that old-school government accountability reporting that used to be bread and butter for local newsrooms.
A lot of local publishers and broadcasters simply no longer have the horsepower to cover both their communities and the statehouse, so we built a distribution network that helps provide coverage they can’t produce on their own.”
Through an open-syndication model that is free to republish and sustained by philanthropic contributions, The Center Square now works with 1360 media outlets across the United States, providing daily text, audio, and video journalism covering all 50 states and Washington, D.C
Filling critical reporting gaps
In a recent industry presentation for the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association, The Center Square openly acknowledged the pressures facing modern newsrooms. “Smaller newsrooms are stretched to provide their communities with complete local news, let alone covering the state Capitol,” the organization noted.
The organization argued that many publishers now face growing coverage gaps in several high-demand areas, including:
To address those needs, The Center Square stated it produces more than 65 stories every weekday through a national network of reporters and correspondents.
The organization has also expanded beyond traditional text stories into video, audio, and social-ready content, allowing publishers to supplement audience engagement strategies without adding internal production burdens.
A newsroom resource model built for efficiency
Unlike many content providers, The Center Square emphasizes operational simplicity.
There are no subscription fees, contracts, minimum usage requirements, or long-term commitments. The only request is that The Center Square is credited in the byline. Publishers retain full editorial discretion, the option to localize the article, alter the headline for space, etc.
The organization’s workflow is also designed to reduce newsroom friction. RSS integrations allow stories to flow directly into participating CMS platforms, while daily planner emails provide editors with summaries and links to available content.
For publishers already operating lean editorial structures, that workflow efficiency may be just as important as the journalism itself. The Center Square says its goal is not to replace local journalism, but rather enable local reporters to spend more time covering the communities they know best. That operational argument is becoming increasingly relevant as publishers attempt to preserve accountability journalism without dramatically expanding payroll.
Margaret Weaver, publisher of the Indiana (PA) Gazette, a Sample News Group paper in Pennsylvania, said her organization quickly recognized the value. “We’ve been very pleased with both the quality of The Center Square’s reporting and the ease of using their articles and videos. The feed is reliable, easy to access, and provides strong state and national coverage that complements our local reporting.” Weaver stated.
Expanding beyond text
One area where The Center Square appears to be differentiating itself is in multimedia distribution. The organization now provides broadcast-ready video, its own plug-in video player, social-ready clips, YouTube distribution, MRSS feed support, a professionally produced daily video show featuring the top issues of the day from across the country, and a weekly radio program.
“The States,” a daily video show and “The Center Square Radio Hour,” delivered weekly on Friday afternoons, are designed to help broadcasters and digital publishers supplement programming schedules without creating additional production burdens.
For many publishers, this reflects a broader industry shift. News organizations are increasingly looking for scalable content ecosystems that support digital publishing, social distribution, audio programming, and video engagement without requiring entirely new production departments.
Building trust through nonpartisan positioning
The Center Square also places significant emphasis on positioning itself as a nonpartisan, fact-based journalism organization.
Its materials repeatedly reference rigorous fact-checking, editorial review, and accountability reporting standards. The organization specifically cites its placement on the Ad Fontes Media Bias Chart within the center of the political spectrum and in its “reliable reporting” tier. The organization has also been recognized by peers across the industry, recently earning a finalist award for investigative reporting by the Center for Integrity in News Reporting.
That positioning matters because publishers remain highly sensitive to credibility concerns surrounding syndicated and externally produced content. According to the organization, media partners retain full editorial control over all published materials.
“I’ve been very pleased with the content. You all are taking a lot of angles statewide and, especially nationally, that are missing but are extremely important,” said Cliff Hightower, Managing Editor of Six Rivers Media’s Johnson City Press in Tennessee. “It’s been a very good service for us to be able to use some content statewide to back up our state reporter...he can further concentrate on the local angles."
And readers notice. “From a reader standpoint, I’ve received positive feedback about the content,” added Ron Waite, Six Rivers Media Group Publisher and COO.
Art Kane (center), The Center Square Enterprise Investigative Unit and West Coast Managing Editor, receives recognition as a finalist in the Center for Integrity in News Reporting's award in the investigative journalism category from (l) Tom Friedman of The New York Times and (r) Rufus Friday, Executive Director of the Center for Integrity in News Reporting, at the annual awards dinner held in Washington, DC, May 19, 2026
(Photo courtesy of the Center for Integrity in News Reporting )
A sustainability conversation for the entire industry
The broader appeal of The Center Square may ultimately reflect a much larger industry conversation. Across the country, publishers are searching for sustainable ways to preserve watchdog journalism while adapting to economic realities that make rebuilding large newsrooms increasingly difficult.
The challenge is especially visible in statehouse coverage. For decades, local newspapers maintained dedicated Capitol bureaus and regional reporting teams. Today, many publishers rely on smaller staffs covering larger geographic territories and broader editorial responsibilities. The problem is exacerbated by the withdrawal of statehouse staff from other wire services, leaving The Center Square as one of few offering this content nationwide.
Collaborative reporting partnerships, nonprofit journalism organizations, and shared-content ecosystems are increasingly emerging as one possible answer. The Center Square is positioning itself directly within that evolving landscape. Its messaging consistently focuses on helping publishers strengthen accountability reporting, improve audience service and preserve editorial resources for local journalism.
For many publishers, the question is no longer whether supplemental newsroom partnerships will become part of the industry’s future. The question is how to integrate them in ways that preserve credibility, maintain editorial standards and genuinely strengthen local journalism rather than dilute it. That conversation is likely to continue accelerating as publishers look for new ways to balance sustainability, while scaling public-service journalism.
To learn more about The Center Square's open-access newswire, download their Media Partnership Guide here, or contact John Derr at jderr@thecentersquare.com. To learn how to support The Center Square's reporting, contact Caleb Hortop at chortop@thecentersquare.com
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here