Who are we?

Public News Service is an independent, member-supported news organization and Certified B Corporation committed to increasing awareness of and engagement with critical public interest issues by reporting and delivering credible journalism and media packages through a network of independent state newswires. Our journalists report on a broad spectrum of public interest topics in order to amplify stories on a local level and promote an informed citizenry to support vibrant, equitable, and participatory communities – ultimately leading to a healthier democracy. We work with a range of organizations – nonprofits, foundations, social enterprises – and individuals that help "Fund-A-Beat," to report on critical issues that receive too little coverage, lift up voices that often go unheard in the media, and make greater journalistic breadth available to broadcasters and publishers on any platform. Our unique, solutions-oriented, and locally-focused reporting and collaborative approach to distribution brings public interest news to audiences across geographic and political divides.

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How We Work

Public News Service is a national newswire with a local focus. Through a network of state-based bureaus, PNS reports state-level, public interest news and seeks to help the everyday American answer the question, "how does this news impact me today?" Public News Service stories are used across a spectrum of local media: on the radio, on TV news, in your favorite blog, or in the newspaper – helping PNS stories reach audiences who might not otherwise have access to public interest news.

As an independent news organization, we know how hard it is to inform Americans about critical policy issues. More Americans trust local news than mainstream sources – but that’s where high-quality reporting is often in short supply. That's where we come in.

Every day, Public News Service distributes free stories across the country, with a reach that spans the largest newsrooms to the smallest local outlets. We distribute our reporting to more than 10,000 media outlets each day to use on their own platforms. Each of our stories includes a print/web version with photos and graphics, audio files from our producers, a broadcast script for media personnel to read on air, and source information/contacts for local reporters to pursue interviews on their own. PNS reporting is consumed on thousands of radio, print, and TV outlets every year. Below is an example of the types of outlets that pickup our content:

How does our Fund-A-Beat model work?

Any organization can pledge support for Public News Service reporting with the understanding that they are helping to fund independent journalism committed to the public interest. Support can be earmarked for reporting on specific issue categories, and foundations, nonprofits, and other organizations can support our reporting through membership, grants, or charitable donations.

It's not about reaching your core audience; it's about expanding to new ones.

You're the experts; let a PNS expert journalist amplify your work and increase your media placement capabilities. The Fund-A-Beat model works as a cooperative model to develop local news: our supporters’ passion and expertise drives the issues that need coverage, and our journalists develop original independent journalism to broaden public awareness. On a day-to-day basis, our journalists link with hundreds of NGOs who share our goal of creating compelling news that fosters social awareness and change. Click here to learn more about how you can be part of our mission, or email outreach@publicnewsservice.org for more information.

Collaborations

As media bubbles continue to solidify, reaching large diverse audiences with public interest news is increasingly challenging. As local outlets are forced to shut their doors, valuable local reporting is lost, and communities are vulnerable to dis-information. Nonprofit news outlets try to fill the void but often struggle to engage new and broad audiences. Instead, outlets end up “preaching to the choir” by reaching smaller, already-engaged audiences. As a result, nonprofit outlets’ reporting flies under the radar for many Americans. To bring nonprofit reporting to more people, we partner with nonprofit investigative outlets to repackage and “audio-ize” their digital stories into multiple formats to distribute to the thousands of media outlets connected to the PNS newswire. Our journalists work with partner outlets’ original reporters to transform their investigative work into multi-format, multi-element stories (broadcast scripts, different length soundbites, graphics, and print/online pieces), and each story element is distributed across PNS’ state newswires so other media outlets can use the story–bringing the content to millions of listeners and readers, many of whom are passive news listeners who wouldn’t seek out this content on their own.