The South Carolina Daily Gazette (SCDG) is a left-leaning, nonprofit digital media outlet that covers state-level politics, policy, and social issues in South Carolina. Launched in 2023, the Gazette is one of more than 30 state affiliates of States Newsroom, a national nonprofit media operation that provides centralized editorial support, funding, and shared content infrastructure to its member organizations. ¹

Affiliations

South Carolina Daily Gazette is an affiliate of States Newsroom, which provides centralized funding, technical support, and content-sharing platforms to state newsrooms nationwide. ¹While the network claims editorial independence for each affiliate, its outlets frequently advance similar policy framing and liberal viewpoints. States Newsroom has drawn comparisons to Courier Newsroom, a network of partisan outlets accused of employing “pink-slime journalism,” a tactic in which partisan content is distributed under the guise of traditional local news. Critics have raised concerns that such models undermine transparency, blur the line between reporting and advocacy, and are designed to influence public opinion in favor of left-of-center policy agendas. ²

Editorial Focus

South Carolina Daily Gazette routinely covers state legislative proceedings, judicial rulings, and fiscal policy debates. While it presents itself as a nonpartisan local news outlet, its editorial direction overwhelmingly reflects progressive priorities and partisan framing. For example, in reporting on the South Carolina Supreme Court’s deliberations over whether Amazon must remit $277 million in back taxes, the Gazette emphasized themes of corporate accountability and increased state revenue, framing the issue through a populist lens common in left-wing critiques of business. ³

Education policy is a recurring editorial focus, often approached with skepticism toward Republican-backed reforms. In March 2025, the Gazette reported that roughly 1,000 ineligible students received state-funded K-12 education vouchers, casting the episode as a failure of school-choice oversight. Its reporting on ongoing legal efforts to defend the program has centered primarily on criticisms from education interest groups, with limited representation of voices supporting parental choice and educational alternatives. ^{4 5}

On social issues, the Gazette has consistently aligned with left-of-center advocacy narratives. Its coverage of the Medical University of South Carolina’s decision to suspend gender-transition procedures for minors framed the move as harmful to transgender youth, echoing activist talking points and omitting substantive discussion of the medical or ethical concerns raised by opponents of such treatments.  ⁶

More broadly, the Gazette’s coverage frequently amplifies Democratic-aligned policy themes—such as expanded voting measures, climate regulation, abortion rights, and “education equity”—with little effort to balance or critically interrogate left-wing claims. Its reporting consistently prioritizes sources and framing that reinforce a liberal policy agenda. ⁷

Leadership

As of 2025, South Carolina Daily Gazette was led by Seanna Adcox, a veteran journalist with nearly three decades of reporting experience, including at the Post and Courier and the Associated Press. She joined the Gazette as its founding editor in September 2023. Adcox’s work has long focused on state government and policy reporting. ⁸

Other key staff include Jessica Holdman, a former business reporter at the Post and Courier, and Skylar Laird, a reporter with prior experience at the Anderson Independent Mail. ^{9 1}

Funding

The South Carolina Daily Gazette is funded through States Newsroom, which receives donations from individuals and philanthropic entities. The organization does not carry advertising and does not accept corporate sponsorships. While States Newsroom discloses its donors who contribute $1,000 or more, it does not provide affiliate-level funding breakdowns, limiting the ability to track influence or accountability at the state level. ¹⁰

This financial structure places the Gazette within a broader trend of nonprofit media operations that use tax-exempt funding to sustain ideologically aligned journalism. These outlets often present partisan content under the guise of independent local reporting, contributing to concerns about media bias and the erosion of public trust in journalism. ¹¹

1. “About Us.” South Carolina Daily Gazette. Accessed June 24, 2025. https://scdailygazette.com/about/.
2. “The increasing ubiquity of ‘pink-slime’ journalism.” The Week. Accessed June 24, 2025. https://theweek.com/news/journalism-media-politics-pink-slime
3. “Ruling by SC high court could result in Amazon owing $277M in back taxes.” South Carolina Daily Gazette. Accessed June 24, 2025. https://scdailygazette.com/2025/05/12/sc-high-court-to-decide-whether-amazon-owes-millions-in-back-taxes/.
4. “Up to 1,000 ineligible SC students booted from coucher program, report finds.” South Carolina Daily Gazette. Accessed June 24, 2025. https://scdailygazette.com/2025/03/03/up-to-1000-ineligible-sc-students-booted-from-voucher-program-report-finds/#:~:text=Between%20868%20and%201%2C000%20students,for%20the%20program’s%20inaugural%20year
5. “SC education agency asks high court to keep K-12 vouchers available until school year ends.” South Carolina Daily Gazette. Accessed June 24, 2025. https://scdailygazette.com/2024/09/27/sc-education-agency-asks-high-court-to-keep-k-12-vouchers-available-until-school-year-ends/.
6. “MUSC to stop providing gender transition treatments to adults.” South Carolina Daily Gazette. Accessed June 24, 2025. https://scdailygazette.com/2024/07/10/musc-to-stop-providing-gender-transition-treatments-to-adults/.
7. “Home.” South Carolina Daily Gazette. Accessed July 3, 2025. https://scdailygazette.com/.
8. “Seanna Adcox.” LinkedIn. Accessed June 24, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanna-adcox-99b3388/.
9. “States Newsroom Launches South Carolina Daily Gazette.” States Newsroom. Accessed June 24, 2025. https://statesnewsroom.com/press-releases/states-newsroom-launches-south-carolina-daily-gazette/
10.  “Supporters.” States Newsroom. Accessed June 24, 2025. https://statesnewsroom.com/support/
11. “Donate.” South Carolina Daily Gazette. Accessed July 3, 2025. https://scdailygazette.com/donate/.