Outlet profile

Coastal Review

U.S. environmentalist / center-left

Owned byNorth Carolina Coastal Federation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit environmental advocacy organization founded in 1982

FundingFoundation grants (including the Park Foundation and Campbell Foundation), donations from individuals, businesses, and organizations; the NC Coastal Federation provides core financial backing

On the administrationbroadly critical

Background

Coastal Review was launched in February 2012 specifically to fill the gap in coastal environmental journalism left by traditional newsroom downsizing. It is published by the North Carolina Coastal Federation (NCCF), a nonprofit founded in 1982 with the stated mission of protecting and preserving North Carolina's coast. The outlet covers the environment, water quality, fisheries, coastal development, and climate-related issues across the state's 20 coastal counties. Coastal Review joined the North Carolina Press Association in 2015 and has since won more than 100 awards from that body; its readership has grown to roughly one million annually. The outlet claims full editorial independence from the NCCF, meaning journalists — not the Federation's advocacy staff — control news decisions. However, because its parent organization actively lobbies the North Carolina General Assembly and takes defined positions on coastal policy, Coastal Review's beat and framing naturally align with environmentalist concerns. Since 2025, it has reported extensively and critically on the Trump administration's rollback of wetlands protections, EPA vehicle emission standards, PFAS drinking-water rules, NOAA staffing cuts, and offshore wind energy buyouts. Funding comes from private foundations, individual and organizational donations, and backing from the NCCF itself, with no advertising revenue model.

Sources

Profile compiled 2026-07-13; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.

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