WASHINGTON — Raw Story, one of the nation's largest independent political news publishers, today launched a major redesign of RawStory.com while expanding its investigative reporting team ahead of the midterm elections.
The investment comes as Raw Story reaches approximately 7 million users each month and is supported by nearly 30,000 paying subscribers, a growing community helping sustain independent political journalism at a time when the media industry continues to face significant pressures.
The new RawStory.com was designed to put the journalism at the center of the reader experience, with greater prominence for breaking news, original investigations, political analysis and opinion, along with improved navigation and story discovery.
“Reader support has always been what makes Raw Story possible,” said Editor-in-Chief Adam Nichols. “What's different now is the scale of what it's building. We've assembled one of the strongest investigative teams in independent digital media, and now we have a site built around that journalism. With the midterms approaching, we're investing in doing more accountability reporting and making it easier for millions of readers to find and follow.”
A new Raw Story
The new experience places greater emphasis on original reporting and investigations and creates a stronger platform for Raw Story's continued expansion into newsletters, video, audio and other ways of reaching audiences.
It also gives Raw Story a stronger digital foundation for covering major breaking news events and the rapidly evolving political landscape.
“This isn't a redesign for the sake of having a new look,” said Publisher Wendy Greenlaw. “We wanted the site to reflect what Raw Story has become and where we're going. Seven million people come to us every month for political news, and nearly 30,000 have made the decision to pay to support our work. We owe those readers an experience that's as strong as the journalism they're funding.”
Investing in accountability journalism
The site launch coincides with the addition of Kathleen Culliton as Raw Story's newest investigative reporter. Culliton brings more than a decade of experience covering local and national news across the New York Daily News, the New York Post, WNYC, NY1 and City Limits. She is an alumna of the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism.
Culliton joins an investigative team whose work has earned national recognition for reporting on government accountability, political corruption, extremism and money in politics.
The team is led by Editor in Chief Adam Nichols, a 30-year journalism veteran whose career spans the New York Daily News, New York Post and Patch, where he served as managing editor for news across the eastern United States before joining Raw Story in 2023.
Alexandria Jacobson covers money in politics and government accountability. Her investigations into members of Congress violating federal stock-trading disclosure laws have earned recognition including a Sidney Award from the Hillman Foundation, an ION Award, a SABEW Best in Business Award and two Folio Awards.
Jordan Green has covered right-wing extremism for Raw Story since 2021 after 16 years reporting on extremist movements in North Carolina. His work has appeared in The Washington Post, The Guardian, The Daily Beast and The Nation. His Raw Story reporting has earned two Folio Awards and a Sidney Award, including recognition for his investigation into neo-Nazi militant accelerationism.
Matt Laslo has covered Congress and federal policy from Washington since 2006. He founded the Laslo Congressional Bureau, a wire service that has served more than 60 local NPR stations and five Pulitzer Prize-winning news organizations, and his reporting has appeared in WIRED, Rolling Stone and NPR.
“Independent journalism isn't independent because of what it calls itself. It's independent because of who makes it possible,” Greenlaw said. “For Raw Story, that's our readers. Their support allows us to put reporters on Capitol Hill, investigate money and influence in Washington, expose extremism and hold powerful people accountable. As other newsrooms face cutbacks and consolidation, we're choosing to invest in journalism.”
Built for what's next
The relaunch is part of a broader investment in Raw Story's digital future and its relationship with readers.
Along with the redesigned website, Raw Story has expanded the ways audiences can access its journalism across newsletters, mobile apps, audio and video while continuing to invest in the original reporting that distinguishes the publication from the increasingly crowded political news landscape.
The goal is straightforward: reach more readers, convert more of them into supporters, and use that support to fund more independent journalism.
“Thirty thousand subscribers isn't just a business metric,” Greenlaw said. “It's 30,000 people saying independent journalism is worth paying for. Our job now is to earn that support every day, and bring the next generation of Raw Story readers with us.”
About Raw Story:
Founded in 2004, Raw Story is an independent digital news organization covering American politics, government and the forces shaping American democracy. Reaching approximately 7 million users each month, Raw Story produces breaking political coverage, original investigations, accountability reporting, analysis and opinion.
Nearly 30,000 paying subscribers support Raw Story's journalism. The independently owned publisher also generates revenue through advertising and distribution partnerships, allowing much of its daily political coverage to remain accessible to the public.
Visit the new Raw Story at RawStory.com.
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here