Journalist and political commentator Jon Ralston is preparing to launch a new online news site. The nonprofit Nevada Independent is expected to begin coverage in January—just a month before the Nevada Legislature convenes for its 79th session.
Ralston has been covering politics in Nevada for more than a quarter of century. His show, Ralston Live, which aired weekdays on KNPB and Vegas PBS, was canceled on June 21.
The website is up and running already. Its homepage reads: “2016 has been a truly amazing year, leading many of us to ask … Is partisan hype poisoning our democracy? Where can we turn for reliable news and smart opinions? Should we all just move to Canada … ? Now more than ever, Nevada needs a credible, nonpartisan news source on policy, politics, government, education and business. We are that source. Our mission? To change the face of journalism in Nevada and establish a new paradigm for nonprofit, community-supported news organizations.”
In a recent Nieman Lab article, Ralston told reporter Ricardo Bilton that the Nevada Independent will focus heavily on the state legislature, covering it “in a way that no one has ever seen before: With daily reporting, with in-depth issue reporting, and with data-driven reporting that has never had the kind of resources devoted to it that we are going to.”
So far, two other journalists have been announced as joining the Nevada Independent team. Elizabeth Thompson, political commentator and former co-house of Vegas PBS’s Nevada Week in Review will serve as managing editor. Former Associated Press legislative reporter and Nevada Politifact researcher and reporter Riley Snyder will be a reporter for the new outlet.
Jeri Chadwell-Singley