An Interview with Chris Krug, Publisher, The Center Square

One of the keys to a healthy American democracy is an informed citizenry. Yet the decline of local news has left millions of Americans without reliable coverage of the institutions, policies, and elected officials that shape their daily lives. Statehouse reporting in particular has withered — leaving citizens in the dark about the decisions being made in their state capitals.

Our guest today has dedicated his career to changing that. He leads one of the most ambitious efforts in the country to fill the local news void with high-quality, government accountability journalism that puts taxpayers first.

Our guest on this episode of Voices of Freedom is Chris Krug, Publisher of The Center Square, a nonprofit news organization launched in 2019 to provide statehouse and statewide coverage across the United States. Drawing on more than 25 years of experience in the media industry — from sports journalist to major market editor and publisher — Chris has built The Center Square into one of the country's most expansive sources of state and local government reporting.

Topics Discussed on this Episode:

• Chris's path from sports journalism to leading one of the country's most ambitious local news organizations

• What it means for communities and democracy when local news disappears

• How The Center Square's taxpayer-first sensibility shapes its coverage

• Earning reader trust and what keeping that trust means to The Center Square

• How The Center Square navigates the pressures of AI, social media, and the struggles of legacy news organizations

• What gives Chris optimism about the future of local journalism