Focus: regional online news magazine about Rocky Mountain news, issues, politics, culture; coverage area includes Wyoming, Idaho, Montana, other Western interior locations; community blogs, news roundups from national outlets, original and contributed content

Started: 2005

Staff: about 20, including publisher, editor-in-chief, contributing writers; news partners with other outlets such as DailyYonder, Crosscut, Flathead Beacon

Funding: advertising, conferences; business is New West Publishing LLC

Site: newwest.net

From About Us:

New West.Net is a nationally-award-winning, online network covering and connecting the fastest-growing region in the country with a refreshing mix of daily news, original reportage, commentary, photography, video, music and conversation. NewWest.Net includes a regional Front Page, and local sites in eight communities around the region…

Sample posts: “Western pols quick to denounce passage of health care bill”; “Conservation icon Stewart Udall dies”; “In the mountains, is modern design the right style?”; “Strategy offers hope in beetle battle”

Focus: revitalization and lifestyle stories from the U.S. rust belt region — metro areas around Great Lakes including Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Youngstown, Cincinnati, Detroit, Milwaukee, and Buffalo; categories include “economic development”, “good ideas”, “editorial”, and “real estate”; also running the Big Urban Photography Project

Started: February 2009

Staff: editors are Angie Schmitt (in Cleveland) and Kate Giammarise (in Pittsburgh), who used to be reporters at the Toledo Blade. Ms. Schmitt is a graduate student in Urban Studies/Public Policy at Cleveland State University, according to the site. Ms. Giammarise is Pittsburgh-based journalist who covers the steel industry; there are eight contributors from around and outside region

Funding: self-funded to start; considering grants

Site: rustwire.com

From About:

This site is intended to consolidate thoughtful, constructive stories about post-industrial cities across the Rust Belt. It was developed by two former newspaper reporters with ties to five Rust Belt cities, and it is maintained with help from half a dozen others from across the region.

Our aim present a balanced, realistic view of our cities, the challenges they face and the assets they maintain.

Sample stories: “A summer of Rust Belt road trips…”; “Pittsburgh: The Paris of Appalachia” Q&A with “Paris of Appalachia” book author; “[Braddock Mayor] Fetterman named to Atlantic’s ‘Brave Thinkers’ list; “Why Detroit will survive”; “What Las Vegas can learn from the Rust Belt”

Focus: “context aggregation” and reporting of regional news; info categories include news, politics, arts, features, entertainment, food, business, offbeat, events calendar, newspaper front pages

Started: June 2008

Staff: launched by Ken Hawkins; 3 staff writers, about 20 contributors

Funding: Company is run by Giant Hawk LLC, founded by Mr. Hawkins and Christopher Giganti; first round of venture capital funding came in October 2009 from Palmetto Investments & Exchange Group; advertising accepted

Site: thedigitel.com

From About

There’s plenty of great Charleston content out there, but it’s ever harder to find — Charleston’s TheDigitel is the only place to get linked to the best Charleston content and events.

…

As an unconventional local media portal, we often receive inquires as to just what we — and our aims — are. In a nutshell our aim is: To not re-report, but to act as concierge, connecting folks to the best in local coverage.

There’s plenty of great local content out on the Web, but it’s coming from an ever increasing number of content publishers — TheDigitel is the only place to get linked to the best Charleston content and events.

Our five points

• Focus on connecting people to the best, most interesting stories about the region, offer a minimum of context, and excerpt a minimum amount, and do so only when absolutley necessary. We do it to be fair to content creators and fair to readers, who shouldn’t have to read something twice.
• Offer helpful context, analysis, and background as we know it. This is done in large part by avoiding news voice.
• Offer links to related stories and sources, and offer connections to added resources like maps, Facebook pages, Twitter accounts, Wikipedia, and so on.
• Offer a clean, easy-to-use design that acts as a transparent information access tool.
• Be an open and transparent community portal with an ecosystem that allows for community members to tell what they know.

Sample Stories: links to “Bishop England senior takes on Alex Trebek” a story by local print news Post and Courier; “Andre Bauer running for governor”; “It’s official! Boeing coming to North Charleston” a round-up of articles on the matter linking to Post and Courier and the Seattle Times.

Media Mention: MediaShift: “TheDigitel.com Brings Human Element to News Aggregation” article

Focus: statewide, regional news, politics, environment, growth, border issues, poverty, culture categories; original reporting; blog roundup

Started: April 2008

Staff:  5 — Editor Gwyneth Doland, two senior writers, two reporter/bloggers; plus 4 contributing columnists, 1 cartoonist

Site: newmexicoindependent.com (one of six news sites with the non-profit Center for Investigative Media  project)

Funding: non-profit project of Center for Investigative Media; “donations” link forwards to CIM site in Washington, DC

 From About Us page

Local news in context: The New Mexico Independent is a fleet-footed webpaper of politics and policy. We are the ink-stained wretches of the digital era. We aim for snap-crackle-pop reporting in our articles and blog posts – all working together to tell a bigger story. We provide thought-provoking commentary from insightful experts. We write to record scenes from the passing show, to stir things up and to keep those in power honest. We seek to explore and define the Land of Enchantment and the context for our times.

Sample stories: “Chavez, Berry exchange fire over campaign HQ rent”; “BernCo Sheriff Darren White endorses Berry for mayor”; “NM’s rising rate of unemployment could bring new stimulus money”; “Throw enough money at Johnny and surely he’ll read” (commentary)