San José Spotlight is one of the first newsrooms across the U.S. to join a landmark initiative to bring impactful nonprofit reporting from Washington, D.C. to our local Silicon Valley audience, according to an announcement today.
The Washington Bureau Initiative is powered by the Allbritton Journalism Institute — the brainchild behind NOTUS, a leading news organization covering Washington, D.C. and Capitol Hill. NOTUS reporters closely cover state delegations and key federal agencies for an audience of Washington influencers. With this new initiative, NOTUS is partnering with local and regional outlets to provide much-needed journalistic oversight and reporting for local audiences across the country.
The network will place a highly-trained journalist to report on Silicon Valley’s congressional leaders, key policy decisions and explain how they affect the lives of South Bay residents. The D.C.-based fellow’s work will be published by both news organizations.
Similar to San José Spotlight, NOTUS is a nonprofit, independent and nonpartisan newsroom.
“At a consequential moment in national politics, we’re pleased to partner with Allbritton Journalism Institute to bring our readers high-quality reporting from Washington, D.C. that searches for truth and sheds light on the halls of power,” Ramona Giwargis, co-founder and CEO of San José Spotlight, said. “This first of its kind partnership allows both organizations to elevate our mission-driven journalism to foster civic engagement and strengthen our democracy.”
The other newsrooms joining the effort are Oklahoma Watch, Times of San Diego, Santa Barbara News-Press & Stocktonia from NewsWell, and Verite News from Deep South Today.
“We’re thrilled that NOTUS continues to grow and reach more readers across the country,” Tim Grieve, NOTUS editor in chief, said. “Members of Congress are already reading our reporting — now the voters back home will be keeping tabs, too.”
The opportunity to keep tabs on what’s happening in Washington comes at a perfect time for Silicon Valley.
San Jose voters just elected a locally-based congressman — Rep. Sam Liccardo — who served as the city’s mayor for eight years. Local readers are watching closely as Congress navigates change under a new president and the countless executive orders and policies that could dramatically shift their lives. The emergence of artificial intelligence and Silicon Valley’s role as the hub of technology and innovation puts the region at the forefront of tech policies and oversight.
The two fellows covering California are Mark Alfred and Sam Larreal. Born and raised in San Diego, Alfred has been a contributing writer for Noozhawk and an intern at the Pacific Coast Business Times and The Daily Beast. Larreal worked as a bilingual fact-checker at the Miami Herald, interned at NBC4 Washington and Telemundo 44, and was a 2024 election correspondent at Teen Vogue. He was born and raised in Venezuela.
“While our newsroom keeps tabs on the inner workings of local government and politics in Silicon Valley, this partnership will ensure our congressional leaders are held accountable when they’re away from home,” said Nick Preciado, an editor at San José Spotlight.
Each participating newsroom will invest financially in the initiative to help cover some reporting costs. In addition, the NOTUS Washington Bureau Initiative is made possible by founding grants from The Allbritton Foundation, Google News Initiative, The Henry L. Kimelman Family Foundation, and the Sandpiper Fund.
Contact Ramona Giwargis at [email protected] or follow @RamonaGiwargis on X.
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