Mountain State Spotlight is a left-of-center news outlet that reports on West Virginia local news. 1 The organization is funded by a number of left-of-center grantmaking organizations, including the American Journalism Project, 2 Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation, 3 and ProPublica. 4
Background
Mountain State Spotlight was founded in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. 5 The organization’s stated mission is to practice “sustained outrage” journalism. 6
Finances
In 2021, Mountain State Spotlight received $1,166,792 in contributions and total revenue, 7 incurred $591,695 in total expenses, 8 and held $678,441 in net assets. 9
In 2021 the news outlet received funding from the American Journalism Project ($135,000), 10 the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation ($90,000), 11 ProPublica ($70,110), 12 INASMUCH Foundation ($50,000), 13 Galloway Family Foundation ($30,000), 14 Kimelman Family Foundation ($15,000), 15 Fitzsimmons Foundation ($1,000), 16 and the Gannett Foundation ($100). 17
Report For America
Mountain State Spotlight accepts journalists from Report for America, 18 a left-of-center project of Google News Lab and The Ground Truth Project, 19 that provides left-leaning news outlets with fully-funded journalists. 20
Abortion
Mountain State Spotlight has been highly critical of the West Virginia legislature for its post-Roe v. Wade abortion restrictions. 21 The news outlet has criticized the legislature for limiting abortion in West Virginia to cases where the life of the mother is threatened, cases of rape or incest, and cases where the fetus is not viable. 22
Leadership
Ken Ward is the founder and senior editor of Mountain State Spotlight. 23 In addition to his role with the news outlet, he is a “distinguished reporting fellow” for the left-of-center investigative journalism organization ProPublica. 24 In 2021 ProPublica contributed $70,110 to Mountain State Spotlight. 25
In 2018, Ward received the MacArthur Foundation’s “Genius Grant” for his environmentalist journalism. The MacArthur Foundation has a long track record of providing grants to left-of-center causes. 26
References
- “About us.” Mountain State Spotlight. https://mountainstatespotlight.org/about/
- Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). American Journalism Project. Schedule I. 2021. Part II. Line (18).
- Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990-PF). Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation. 2021. Part XIV.
- Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). ProPublica. 2021. Schedule I. Part II. Line (10).
- “About us.” Mountain State Spotlight. https://mountainstatespotlight.org/about/
- “About us.” Mountain State Spotlight. https://mountainstatespotlight.org/about/
- Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Mountain State Spotlight. 2021. Part I. Line 12.
- Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Mountain State Spotlight. 2021. Part I. Line 18.
- Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Mountain State Spotlight. 2021. Part I. Line 18.
- [1] Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). American Journalism Project. Schedule I. 2021. Part II. Line (18).
- Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990-PF). Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation. 2021. Part XIV.
- Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). ProPublica. 2021. Schedule I. Part II. Line (10).
- Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990-PF). INASMUCH Foundation. 2021. Part XIV.
- Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990-PF). Galloway Family Foundation. 2021. Part XIV.
- Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990-PF). Henry L Kimelman Family Foundation. 2021. Part XIV.
- Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990-PF). Fitzsimmons Foundation. 2021. Part XIV.
- Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990-PF). Gannett Foundation. 2022. Part XIV.
- “Enter Mountain State Spotlight” Mountain State Spotlight. https://mountainstatespotlight.org/welcome/
- Grant, Kevin D. “GroundTruth launches Report for America at Google News Lab Summit” September 18, 2017. Accessed August 17, 2023. https://thegroundtruthproject.org/report-america-launches-google-news-lab-summit/
- “About us.” Report for America. https://www.reportforamerica.org/about-us/
- Karbal, Ian and Heffernan, Ellie. “‘Watch and see’: The whirlwind 24 hours when West Virginia Republicans banned abortion” Mountain State Spotlight. September 18, 2022. Accessed August 17, 2023. https://mountainstatespotlight.org/2022/09/18/abortion-ban-republican-west-virginia/
- Karbal, Ian and Heffernan, Ellie. “‘Watch and see’: The whirlwind 24 hours when West Virginia Republicans banned abortion” Mountain State Spotlight. September 18, 2022. Accessed August 17, 2023. https://mountainstatespotlight.org/2022/09/18/abortion-ban-republican-west-virginia/
- “Our team.” Mountain State Spotlight. https://mountainstatespotlight.org/our-team/
- “Our team.” Mountain State Spotlight. https://mountainstatespotlight.org/our-team/
- Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). ProPublica. 2021. Schedule I. Part II. Line (10).
- “Fellows From 1981-2022” MacArthur Foundation. https://www.macfound.org/fellows/results?fellow_class=1981&fellow_class2=2022&include_deceased=Include&radio=0