Alaska has a new nonprofit newsroom in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough

Downtown Palmer, pinch a representation that identifies visitant desitnations, is seen connected May 6, 2022. Palmer is 1 of nan main communities successful nan Matanuska-Susitna Borough. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)

The Mat-Su Sentinel, a new, nonprofit newsroom based successful Palmer, began publishing online this period pinch a ngo to lend section reporting to nan region.

Founder, editor and newsman Amy Bushatz has worked successful news for much than 2 decades, including arsenic nan executive editor for Military.com and arsenic a part-time newsman for the Anchorage Daily News. She said she intends to capable a section news void successful nan Matanuska-Susitna Borough that she identified aft moving location pinch her family successful 2016.

“I realized that what we didn’t person present was consistent, clear, connect-the-dots reporting focused connected section government,” she said. “We request facts to make decisions astir our government. We request facts to beryllium capable to person relationships pinch group pinch whom we disagree. When location are nary facts, what we person are polarization and rumors filling nan void.”

The Matanuska-Susitna Borough is nan fastest increasing portion of nan state. Bushatz said she wants nan Mat Su Sentinel to support way of really nan section authorities expands, pinch sum of elections and awesome infrastructure plans and projects.

She said section publicity promotes civic health, and pointed to nan borough’s 9% elector turnout successful 2023 metropolis elections and a relationship betwixt a decreasing number of section news sources and a downward inclination successful elector turnout successful section elections arsenic reasons for nan caller venture.

According to its website, nan Mat-Su Sentinel is simply a nonpartisan news root that bases its editorial principles connected nan Code of Ethics of nan Society of Professional Journalists.

The newsroom is presently funded by individual donors, Bushatz said, while she seeks grants to expand. She said individual donations scope from $5 monthly subscriptions to immoderate one-time donations of much than $100 and person truthful acold amounted to astir $4,000 total. The Mat-Su Sentinel will people nan sanction of immoderate funders who lend much than $5,000 to nan web site, truthful readers cognize wherever large donations travel from. So far, nary specified funders are listed.

Bushatz does not yet salary herself — her hubby successful nan Alaska Army National Guard presently “brings location nan bacon,” she said — but she intends to do that and prosecute a mates of reporters who tin specialize successful different geographic areas of nan borough.

“It’s not going to travel arsenic a raging astonishment to anyone that Palmer and Wasilla thin to beryllium very different places,” she said pinch a laugh.

The nonprofit news exemplary is increasing arsenic nan emergence of online news sources has shaken accepted for-profit newspaper structures. The Alaska Beacon is besides a web-based nonprofit news source. Bushatz said it’s a “great time” to beryllium a nonprofit newsroom and she plans to use for grants from donors for illustration the Press Forward initiative. She said she is eyeing assistance opportunities from populist organizations arsenic good arsenic Alaska organization wellness grants.

“Community wellness tin look for illustration civic health,” she said.

There are a mates news stories up connected the Mat-Su Sentinel website truthful far, arsenic good arsenic introductory remarks from nan editor. Bushatz said readers tin expect a play newsletter.