WASHINGTON — ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network, an initiative to boost investigative journalism in local newsrooms, announced Friday that North Dakota Monitor, part of States Newsroom, and reporter Jacob Orledge are among the five newsrooms and journalists in the first cohort of their 50 State Initiative.

“We’re very proud to have our North Dakota newsroom be a part of this excellent investigative reporting effort,” said Chris Fitzsimon, Director and Publisher of States Newsroom. “It is gratifying but not surprising to see North Dakota Monitor Editor Amy Dalrymple and her excellent team selected for this opportunity after just seven months of reporting. They have been providing invaluable daily coverage since the beginning and will now be able to offer this critical investigative work to smaller publishers across the state.”

ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network will fund Orledge’s salary and benefits at the Monitor while he works on his investigative journalism project beginning on July 1, 2024. Orledge previously reported on the Bakken oil field and rural communities for the Tioga Tribune. His reporting has won several state and national awards, including recognition by the North Dakota Newspaper Association for investigations of teacher misconduct and COVID-19 misinformation spread by a local radio program. Orledge was named the National Newspaper Association’s Rookie Reporter of the Year in 2019 and was a 2020-21 Poynter-Koch Media and Journalism Fellow. He is a graduate of the University of Delaware.

Leading studies cite States Newsroom as key to filling the void in coverage left by staffing cuts at legacy media outlets. According to one study, the overall percentage of reporters working for nonprofit newsrooms in the statehouse press corps has more than tripled since 2014 and now makes up the largest portion of statehouse reporters in 10 states and the second largest in 17 states.

About States Newsroom

States Newsroom is the nation’s largest nonprofit news organization. We shine a light on policy and politics in state capitals around the nation and we provide that coverage for free, no pop-ups, paywalls or ads. In an era of rampant disinformation and news deserts, we provide nonpartisan coverage of the state issues that most affect people’s daily lives.

About ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network

ProPublica launched the Local Reporting Network at the beginning of 2018 to boost investigative journalism in local newsrooms. It has since worked with more than 70 news organizations across the country.

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