Gothamist

U.S. center-left (New York City local news, public-media nonprofit)

Background

Gothamist was founded in 2003 by Jake Dobkin and Jen Chung as a blog and grew into a network of city sites (LAist, DCist and others). It was known for a quirky, irreverent voice and for covering city life, politics and transit. In March 2017, billionaire Joe Ricketts, who owned DNAinfo, bought the network. In November 2017, a week after Gothamist staff voted to unionize with the Writers Guild of America, East, Ricketts shut down both DNAinfo and Gothamist. Critics, including many journalists, called the closure retaliation against the union. In February 2018, New York Public Radio (with KPCC and WAMU buying LAist and DCist) acquired the sites, and Gothamist relaunched in April 2018 as a nonprofit, public-media newsroom. It has since been more of a conventional news operation, with investigative and accountability reporting on city government, courts, housing and transit, and some of its content is shared with WNYC radio. It does not take an overt partisan position. Its editorial choices and coverage of immigration enforcement, public-media funding and federal policy tend to reflect a liberal-leaning, New York–centered perspective. Its parent organization is directly affected by federal funding fights over public media, which readers may want to keep in mind.

Sources

1. Gothamist - Wikipedia
2. WNYC, Two Other Public Radio Stations Acquire Gothamist and Sister Sites
3. Ricketts Shuts Down Local News Sites DNAInfo And Gothamist In Wake Of Union Vote (Forbes)
4. Operating In The Red, NY Public Radio Receives $8.9 Million PPP Loan - Gothamist
5. Gothamist - Influence Watch

Profile compiled 2026-10-11; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.

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