There are forces in the US that like to selectively bring up "states rights" from time to time - with the impending decision stripping the federal protections for access to safe abortion, this is one of those times. But most of us don't methodically monitor what happens in states that are not our own. Wouldn't it be nice if there were a single source where one could find reliable reporting on state-level politics and policies? This week on Sea Change Radio, we speak to the Founder and Publisher of the States Newsroom, Chris Fitzsimon. We discuss the business model for this nonprofit news outlet, the landscape of the online news industry, and why it's more vital than ever to deliver readers truthful, well-presented local news. Then, we revisit part of last year's discussion with Liz King, the Director of Education at the Leadership Council on Civil and Human Rights, as she outlines the battle over civil rights in our nation's public schools.

Narrator: This is Sea Change Radio, covering the shift to sustainability. I'm Alex Wise.

Chris Fitzsimon: Increasingly these this decisions and these huge huge debate for our future are being held in in state capitals and people are still paying enough attention to the people who are making those decisions how they got there who they're beholden to what their point of views are and the fact that L. a sad number of them are simply not telling the truth about key things that are happening in this country.

Narrator: There are forces in the US that like to selectively bring up "states rights" from time to time - with the impending decision stripping the federal protections for access to safe abortion, this is one of those times. But most of us don't methodically monitor what happens in states that are not our own. Wouldn't it be nice if there were a single source where one could find reliable reporting on state-level politics and policies? This week on Sea Change Radio, we speak to the Founder and Publisher of The States Newsroom, Chris Fitzsimon. We discuss the business model for this nonprofit news outlet, the landscape of the online news industry, and why it's more vital than ever to deliver readers truthful, well-presented local news. Then, we revisit part of last year's discussion with Liz King, the Director of Education at the Leadership Council on Civil and Human Rights, as she outlines the battle over civil rights in our nation's public schools.

Alex Wise: I'm joined now on Sea Change Radio by Chris Fitzsimon - he is the founder and publisher of the States Newsroom. Chris, welcome to Sea Change Radio.

Chris Fitzsimon: Thanks for having me, I appreciate it.

Alex Wise: I bet a lot of our listeners have read pieces that have gone through the States Newsroom network but haven't even been aware of it. Maybe explain your organization's model and why you've decided there was a need for what you do.

Chris Fitzsimon: Well I think we are founded on a fairly simple principle and that is that the level of government that is has the most effect on people's lives and is covered the less if you combine those two things that state government a lot of people always want and I do too I'm very interested in what's happening in Congress and the White House and the Supreme Court specially recently but for the most part most Americans daily lives are impacted more by what happens in their state than any other a level of government and that has been happening well the people that the number of the of people who cover that has been dramatically shrinking over the last decade as the national media's undergone its contraction that's a lot of times the first place people could cut the legacy newspapers cut so we exist to help fill that void and to try to step into ca...