Nebraska Examiner is a left-of-center online news outlet, and a member affiliate of the States Newsroom. ¹ Like many other affiliates of States Newsroom, it is presented as being nonpartisan, but it publishes articles and op-eds that skew left, endorsing wider abortion access and LGBT advocacy. ²

Background

Nebraska Examiner began its work on January 25, 2022. It was the 26th affiliate introduced by national news conglomerate States Newsroom. It also supplies news briefs through an email newsletter, the Daily Examiner. ³ Like many other affiliates of the States Newsroom network, it is presented as being nonpartisan, but it publishes articles and op-eds that skew left, endorsing wider abortion access and LGBT advocacy. ⁴

Along with the other affiliates of States Newsroom, it is funded by private donations and grants from organizations like AFSCME, The American Endowment Foundation, the American Online Giving Foundation, the Arizona Community Foundation, the Ayco Charitable Foundation, the Bank of America Charitable Gift Fund, ProPublica, the Google News Initiative Journalism Emergency Relief Fund, The Groundtruth Project, Report for America, the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, The Minneapolis Foundation, and the Piedmont Environmental Council. ⁵

Views

Abortion

In June 2023, Nebraska Examiner posted an article by reporter Sofia Resnick describing the difficulties some women were facing in procuring abortions in a post-Dobbs v. Jackson environment. The article drew attention to the abortion activist group Online Abortion Resource Squad and its work monitoring Reddit 24 hours a day to “debunk abortion misinformation and help users navigate a labyrinth of abortion bans and restrictions.” The author also lamented that the Dobbs decision may have raised the costs of procuring abortions, with prices ranging from $500 to $25,000 depending on trimester and medical circumstances. ⁶

Race

Ahead of the nomination and confirmation of Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson to the U.S. Supreme Court, Nebraska Examiner published an op-ed from its sister outlet Missouri Independent by columnist Janice Ellis warning against labeling upcoming nominees (whom she assumed were likely to be Black women) as “affirmative action hires.” In the same article, Ellis simultaneously makes a case for affirmative action as a necessary remedy to counterbalance centuries of racism but then states that “no amount of affirmative action measures can undo or remedy the degradation and deprivation Blacks have suffered.” ⁷

LGBT Issues

In November of 2023, Nebraska Examiner published an article by Jacob Fischler accusing U.S. House Republicans of weaponizing “government spending bills to engage in culture war battles.” The bills in question were related to spending for the U.S. Department of Transportation, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and the U.S. Department of the Interior. Conflict arose when Republicans introduced provisions to remove funding for pride flags and $3.6 million in total which had been earmarked for LGBT outreach centers in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. The organizations affected were Philadelphia’s William Way LGBT Center, which was to receive $1.8 million in renovation funds; the LGBT Center of Greater Reading which was expected to receive $970,000; and Massachusetts-based LGBTQ Senior Housing, Inc. which was expecting $850,000. The bills also contained religious exemption clauses for individuals opposing same-sex marriage, and amendments blocking critical race theory and “environmental justice” programs. ^{8 9}

An October 2023 article showcased the work of Nebraska State Senators John Fredrickson (D), Machaela Cavanaugh (D), and Megan Hunt (I), and the development of their political action committee Don’t Legislate Hate. Purportedly, this PAC was formed as a reaction to the proposition of bills LB574 and LB575, both introduced by Nebraska District 31 Sen. Kathleen Kauth (R). The article opens with the trope of broadly framing this legislation as “anti-LGBT” legislation that may “demonize” LGBT individuals, but later reveals that LB574 actually dealt with gender transition surgery for minors, while LB575 would place restrictions on the use of bathroom and locker room spaces based on biological sex. As the article points out, debate surrounding the legislation was further complicated by the fact that Sen. Kauth was supported by Luka Hein, a woman who received a double mastectomy at age 16 as part of her gender transition and later sued the hospital that performed the procedure. ^{10 11}

Leadership

Cathy Folsom is editor-in-chief of Nebraska Examiner.  Prior, she worked at the Omaha World-Herald as an editor and a reporter. ¹²

1. “Nebraska Examiner: Nonprofit News Service launches in Nebraska…” KMTV. January 20, 2022. Accessed March 12, 2024. https://www.3newsnow.com/news/local-news/nebraska-examiner-nonprofit-news-service-launches-in-nebraska-with-experienced-reporting-team
2. Resnick, Sofia. “After Dobbs, Abortion Access is Harder…” Nebraska Examiner. June 20, 2023. Accessed March 12, 2024. https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/06/20/after-dobbs-abortion-access-is-harder-comes-later-and-with-a-higher-risk/
3. “Nebraska Examiner: Nonprofit News Service launches in Nebraska…” KMTV. January 20, 2022. Accessed March 12, 2024. https://www.3newsnow.com/news/local-news/nebraska-examiner-nonprofit-news-service-launches-in-nebraska-with-experienced-reporting-team
4. Resnick, Sofia. “After Dobbs, Abortion Access is Harder…” Nebraska Examiner. June 20, 2023. Accessed March 12, 2024. https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/06/20/after-dobbs-abortion-access-is-harder-comes-later and-with-a-higher-risk/
5. “Supporters.” States Newsroom. Accessed March 12, 2024. https://statesnewsroom.com/support/
6. Resnick, Sofia. “After Dobbs, Abortion Access is Harder…” Nebraska Examiner. June 20, 2023. Accessed March 12, 2024.  https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/06/20/after-dobbs-abortion-access-is-harder-comes-later-and-with-a-higher-risk/
7.  Ellis, Janice. “Opinion: Don’t Taint Supreme Court Nominee with stigma of Affirmative Action.” Nebraska Examiner. February 8, 2022. Accessed March 12, 2024. https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/02/08/opinion-dont-taint-supreme-court-nominee-with-stigma-of-affirmative-action/
8. ^[1] Fischler, Jacob. “U.S. House GOP in Spending Bills Takes Aim…’ Nebraska Examiner. November 3, 2023. Accessed March 12, 2024. https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/11/03/u-s-house-gop-in-spending-bills-takes-aim-at-federal-lgbtq-racial-equity-policies/
9. Shutt, Jennifer. “LGBT Project Funding Stripped…” News From the States. July 18, 2023. Accessed March 12, 2024. https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/lgbtq-project-funding-two-states-stripped-us-house-republicans-spending-bill
10.  Wendling, Zach. “Nebraska Lawmakers Take Fight Against Anti-LGBT Legislation to Washington, D.C.” Nebraska Examiner. October 26, 2023. Accessed March 12, 2024. https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/10/26/nebraska-lawmakers-take-fight-against-anti-lgbtq-legislation-to-washington-d-c/
11. Wendling, Zach. “Nebraska Woman Files Lawsuit Against UNMC…” Nebraska Examiner. September 14, 2023. Accessed March 12, 2024. https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/nebraska-woman-files-lawsuit-against-unmc-for-double-mastectomy-she-received-at-16/
12.  “Cathy Folsom.” Linkedin. Accessed March 12, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/cate-folsom-b31512224/