Truthout

Truthout is a nonprofit, independent news organization founded in 2001 with a focus on investigative reporting and analysis centered on social justice. Launched in the early years of the digital news era, Truthout emerged as part of a growing ecosystem of online outlets seeking to provide alternatives to corporate-owned media. From the outset, it positioned itself as a progressive voice committed to examining systemic inequality and holding power to account.

Editorially, Truthout covers a wide range of issues, including U.S. politics, racial justice, climate change, labor rights, criminal justice reform, foreign policy, and economic inequality. The publication combines investigative reporting with commentary and opinion pieces from journalists, scholars, and activists. Its work frequently highlights structural critiques of institutions and policies, framing stories through a lens of social and economic justice.

Organized as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Truthout relies primarily on reader donations and foundation support rather than advertising revenue. This funding model allows it to operate without corporate ownership, which it argues is essential to maintaining editorial independence. The organization employs a core staff of editors, reporters, and support personnel, while also publishing work from freelance contributors.

Over more than two decades, Truthout has built a reputation as a consistent platform for in-depth, movement-aligned journalism. Its reporting aims not only to inform readers, but also to illuminate connections between policy decisions and lived experiences, encouraging critical engagement with the political and economic systems shaping public life.