Nevada Current is a left-of-center news organization focused on government and political news coverage within the state of Nevada. The Current reports and comments on left-leaning social policy issues including politics, health, immigration, the environment, criminal justice, education, and housing. ¹

Nevada Current is the Nevada state affiliate of States Newsroom (also known as Newsroom Network), until 2019 a project of the Hopewell Fund. Hopewell Fund is a part of the left leaning “dark money” network associated with the advocacy-philanthropic consultancy Arabella Advisors. ²

Advocacy

The Current attempts to influence its readers on a wide range of issues, including which candidates to support, abortion, and gun control. One such article advocated for readers to oppose the appointment of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court due, in part, to the publication’s claims of him being biased against abortion rights. ³ This commentary piece was written by Andres Ramirez, the Nevada Director of Protect Our Care, a project of the left-leaning Sixteen Thirty Fund, another group in the Arabella Advisors orbit. ⁴

The publication, especially the commentary section, is used to denounce President Donald Trump and to support left-leaning policies. The publication’s editor, Hugh Jackson, has written several commentary pieces criticizing President Trump, claiming that the president is corrupt,⁵ a racist,⁶ and a liar. ⁷

The Current attempts to influence how readers think regarding gun control issues. In a commentary from Hugh Jackson he criticized Nevada lawmakers, and those of other states, for not enacting bans on modern sporting rifles in common use. ⁸

Leadership

Hugh Jackson has been the Current’s editor since it began in June 2018. Prior to this position, he was a daily political commentator for the Las Vegas NBC affiliate and wrote Las Vegas Gleaner, which was the “only independent political blog from Nevada that was credentialed at the 2008 Democratic National Convention.” ⁹ He also worked as a senior energy and environmental policy analyst for the Ralph Nader-founded left-wing advocacy group Public Citizen. ¹⁰

Funding

Nevada Current is part of States Newsroom (formerly Newsroom Network), a coalition of left-leaning state-level online political media outlets. ¹¹ It is backed by non-disclosed donors and Chris Fitzsimon, director and publisher of States Newsroom, would not disclose to media outlet Axios who funds States Newsroom. ¹²

Prior to spinning off into an independent nonprofit in 2019, Newsroom Network was a project of the Hopewell Fund, a left-leaning 501(c)(3) nonprofit managed by the for-profit consulting firm Arabella Advisors. ¹³

States Newsroom, which has self-described as a “progressive political journalism startup,”¹⁴ focuses on state politics and policy. ¹⁵ States Newsroom has a network of affiliates across the United States that employs editors, reporters, and support staff, as well as partners. Affiliates are online news outlets created by States Newsroom, while partners are independent news sites supported by States Newsrooms through grants. ¹⁶ Partner news sites that are supported by States Newsroom include Colorado Independent, Maine Beacon, Maryland Matters, and NC Policy Watch. ¹⁷

States Newsroom stated that by mid-2021 it will expand to cover up to 20 states. ¹⁸

Financials

The Nevada Current, States Newsroom, and Hopewell Fund are all 501(c)(3) tax except organizations. Hopewell Fund is the only organization of the three that has filed a federal tax return as of January 2020, as States Newsroom only obtained independent nonprofit status in 2019. Hopewell Fund reported $28,843,397 in expenditures and $130,616,293 in revenue in its 2017 fiscal year. ¹⁹ The organization reported no employees, but 110 volunteers. ²⁰ In 2017, the Hopewell Fund reported spending $913,797.00 on total lobbying expenditures. ²¹

Hopewell Fund funds left-of-center nonprofit groups focused on abortion, climate change, elections, and voter registration, such as the Voter Registration Project Education Fund, Memphis Center for Reproductive Health, Center for Popular Democracy, and Chesapeake Climate Action Network. ²²

1. “About.” Current. Accessed January 21, 2020. https://www.nevadacurrent.com/about/
2. Devine, Shane. “The Newsroom: A Local Propaganda Machine Run By Left-Wing Mega Donors.” Capital Research Center. Capital Research Center, July 8, 2019. https://capitalresearch.org/article/the-newsroom-a-local-propaganda-machine-run-by-left-wing-mega-donors/.
3. Ramirez, Andres. “Guest Op-ed: A Vote for Kavanaugh is a Vote Against Health Care.” Current. August 31, 2018. Accessed January 21, 2020. https://www.nevadacurrent.com/2018/08/31/guest-op-ed-a-vote-for-kavanaugh-is-a-vote-against-health-care/
4. “About Protect Our Care.” Protect Our Care. Accessed January 21, 2020. https://www.protectourcare.org/about/
5. Jackson, Hugh. “All the Times Donald Trump has Never Been Corrupt.” Current. December 5, 2019. Accessed January 21, 2020. https://www.nevadacurrent.com/2019/12/05/all-the-times-donald-trump-has-never-been-corrupt/
6. Jackson, Hugh. “All the Times Donald Trump has Never Been a Racist.” Current. July 17, 2019. Accessed January 21, 2020. https://www.nevadacurrent.com/2019/12/05/all-the-times-donald-trump-has-never-been-corrupt/
7. Jackson, Hugh. “Commentary: Trump’s Latest Ugly Distraction.” Current. October 30, 2019. Accessed January 21, 2020. https://www.nevadacurrent.com/blog/commentary-trumps-latest-ugly-distraction/
8. Jackson, Hugh. “They Should’ve Banned Assault Weapons While They Were At It.” Current. August 6, 2019. Accessed January 22, 2020. https://www.nevadacurrent.com/2019/08/06/they-shouldve-banned-assault-weapons-while-they-were-at-it/
9. “About.” Nevada Current. Accessed January 21, 2020. https://www.nevadacurrent.com/about/
10. “About.” Nevada Current. Accessed January 21, 2020. https://www.nevadacurrent.com/about/
11. “About.” Nevada Current. Accessed January 21, 2020. https://www.nevadacurrent.com/about/
12. Fischer, Sara. “A Major Investment in Statehouse Reporting.” Axios. January 14, 2020. Accessed January 21, 2020. https://www.axios.com/local-news-nonprofit-states-newsroom-investment-4d104a5e-0d24-4ecb-8d41-bdf8ed908306.html
13. “Hopewell Fund.” Influence Watch. Accessed January 21, 2019. https://www.influencewatch.org/non-profit/hopewell-fund/
14. “States Newsroom Hiring Media Administrative Assistant in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States.” LinkedIn. Accessed January 23, 2020. https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/media-administrative-assistant-at-states-newsroom-1362718370/.
15. “About.” States Newsroom. Accessed January 22, 2020. https://statesnewsroom.com/about/
16. “Newsrooms.” States Newsroom. Accessed January 22, 2020. https://statesnewsroom.com/newsrooms/
17. “Newsrooms.” States Newsroom. Accessed January 22, 2020. https://statesnewsroom.com/newsrooms/
18. Fischer, Sara. “A Major Investment in Statehouse Reporting.” Axios. January 14, 2020. Accessed January 21, 2020. https://www.axios.com/local-news-nonprofit-states-newsroom-investment-4d104a5e-0d24-4ecb-8d41-bdf8ed908306.html
19. Hopewell Fund, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2017, Part I, Lines 12 and 18. Accessed January 21, 2020. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/display_990/473681860/12_2018_prefixes_47-51%2F473681860_201712_990_2018122116035509
20. Hopewell Fund, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2017, Part I, Lines 5 and 6. Accessed January 21, 2020. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/display_990/473681860/12_2018_prefixes_47-51%2F473681860_201712_990_2018122116035509
22. Hopewell Fund, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2017, Schedule C, Part II-A, Line 1 c and f. Accessed January 21, 2020. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/display_990/473681860/12_2018_prefixes_47-51%2F473681860_201712_990_2018122116035509