Crosscut’s foundational belief is that an informed public is essential if we are to find good solutions to the civic and political challenges of our time. As the Pacific Northwest’s reader-supported, independent, non-profit electronic journal, Crosscut strives to provide our readers with the facts and analysis they need to intelligently participate in civic discourse on politics, culture and technology.
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If you’re like most people, you don’t have time to read two or three daily papers and a handful of blogs, any of which on any given day might have something you shouldn’t miss. Crosscut finds and highlights the best local journalism and the best local commentary, whether it’s the work of the biggest metropolitan daily newspaper or a part-time blogger. We link to whoever’s got the best stuff, focusing on good journalism not ideological consistency. Other media sites aren’t likely to steer you to a competitor’s version of news, even if it’s better.
Crosscut takes no stance as an organization except to encourage and strive for good journalism that is accurate, fair, civil, and transparent. Our political disposition is to encourage communities to find creative and sustainable solutions to major issues. That puts us in the zone of independent, bipartisan, “solutionist” politics. But we strive to reflect good reporting and commentary from many points in the spectrum. We do not have an editorial page and make no endorsements in elections.
Crosscut Public Media is a division of Cascade Public Media, a tax-exempt nonprofit overseen by a board of civic-minded trustees. Cascade Public Media has 501(c)3 status with the IRS, and all contributions are tax deductible. Support for Crosscut comes from individual members, grants, sponsorship, and advertising.
There are similar efforts around the country. The closest parallels are Minnpost in Minnesota; Voice of San Diego in San Diego; the St. Louis Beacon; the New Haven Independent; New West in Missoula and other Rocky Mountain cities; The Tyee in Vancouver, B.C.; the Texas Tribune in Austin; and The Bay Citizen in San Francisco. The general definition of these sites is: all-local, Web-only, locally owned, news-oriented (as opposed to ideological sites), publishing daily, and broad range of topics. This new form is growing fast, with most of the sites nonprofits, such as Crosscut.
Crosscut publishes its own journalism and commentary. In addition to our staff writers and editors, our contributors are contract writers, freelancers, prominent figures in the community or in a given field, and regular folks and specialists who have something to report or say. We welcome anyone who brings something new to the civic conversations affecting the area and the state. Contributors are paid on a per story basis, though some of our writers are on contract. We encourage you to send queries at any time, on any subject: editor@crosscut.com.
You can email or call us at membership@crosscut.com or 800-937-5287.
Crosscut was founded in 2007 by David Brewster. When it went not-for-profit in 2009, Crosscut joined the first-wave of local, independent, digital news organizations that included the Texas Tribune and MinnPost. On December 2, 2015, Crosscut merged with KCTS 9 public TV under the umbrella organization Cascade Public Media in order to build a more engaged and informed public.
Crosscut merged into Cascade Public Media in order to fulfill a shared vision: a more engaged and informed public. This merger brings Crosscut reporters the organizational support to do their best storytelling, and will allow them to collaborate with multimedia producers. It will also increase our capacity for member engagement and recruitment to create a long-term, sustainable business model. Crosscut will maintain our individual and distinct presence and independent editorial voice.
We need your support now more than ever. You’ll continue to see the facts and analysis on local issues you’ve come to expect from Crosscut on Crosscut.com. This merger will help us do more reporting thanks to greater resources and organizational support. It will also help Crosscut diversify our revenue streams, and membership will continue to be a crucial pillar of the Crosscut model. Your membership will continue to support independent journalism, and you have the choice to direct your donation to Crosscut.
Greg Hanscom, Crosscut’s Editor-in-Chief, will continue to lead our editorial decision-making and strategy.
Cascade Public Media is the new legal name for the organization that includes Crosscut and KCTS 9. The name change reflects our diverse offerings across media platforms.
No, there weren’t any layoffs. All of Crosscut’s and KCTS 9’s staff will maintain positions. In addition, many part time staff were moved up to full time.
We think they’re pretty cool, and we’re looking forward to creating some interesting collaborations across platforms.
All of Crosscut’s comments are posted through a separate third-party program called Disqus. If you’re having trouble, please contact them here for support. Crosscut’s staff doesn’t have the ability to troubleshoot that system.