Work in progress. I am not including the most obvious U.S. national options. Besides, they are part of the problem.

  • 404 Media – A journalist-owned company that investigates stories at the nexus of technology and society. Free and subscription levels of access.
  • The 51st – The name refers to what the District of Columbia needs to become, the 51st state in the union with representation in Congress. The site “is a worker-led nonprofit news source for D.C.”
  • +972 Magazine – “Independent Journalism from Israel-Palestine”
  • Aeon – Big picture issues covered by “leading thinkers on philosophy, science, psychology, society and culture” for a nonprofit media organization.
  • The Conversation – “A nonprofit, independent news organization dedicated to unlocking the knowledge of experts for the public good.” Multiple editions, a few in other languages.
  • Eastern Radar – A newsletter by Fabrice Deprez, reporting from Ukraine.
  • The Guardian – U.S. and global news for an international audience. They also offer U.K., Australian, European, and International editions. Independent, non-billionaire-owned.
  • Haaretz - An excellent left-leaning, English-language newspaper in Israel that provides free access to a small amount of its content if you sign up.
  • The Kyiv Independent – Journalist-owned and -operated, English-language newspaper from Ukraine. Founded after the oligarch owner of their old paper fired them for covering investigations into corruption.
  • Lawfare – Independent nonprofit and nonpartisan coverage of “national security law, threats to democracy, cybersecurity, executive powers, content moderation, domestic extremism, and foreign policy…”
  • Meduza – Independent Russian news outlet currently based in Latvia. This is the English-language version.
  • Mother Jones
  • ProPublica – Independent, nonprofit “investigative journalism in the public interest.” Lots of deep dives.
  • States Newsroom – “The nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization, with reporting from every capital.”
  • Unicorn Riot – A decentralized, independent, non-profit that “reports underrepresented stories and sheds light on alternative perspectives and systems.”

Additional Resources

  • Archive.today – Not a news site, but it can help you gain access to essential paywalled articles because it allows people to archive articles there. If you have a link to a paywalled piece, you can check here to see if it has been archived. Works best with big national and international stories, but you might get lucky with something more local or niche. Handy if you have no access to a big library or you can’t afford multiple subscriptions.
  • Institute for Nonprofit News – Not a news site, but it has a nonprofit newsroom search tool.
  • List of Independent Media – “Independent media, nonprofit journalism, community-based news” by the news aggregator Trustworthy Media.

Last updated: January 8, 2024