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The news, with the spin made visible.
Outlet profile

Louisiana Illuminator

U.S. left

Owned byStates Newsroom (national nonprofit state-news network)
FundingPhilanthropic grants and reader donations; no advertising. Originally fiscally sponsored by the Hopewell Fund, a progressive nonprofit in the Arabella Advisors network; States Newsroom became an independent 501(c)(3) in 2019. Major donors to States Newsroom have included progressive foundations such as the Wyss Foundation.
On the administrationbroadly critical

Background

The Louisiana Illuminator launched in June 2020 as the 16th outlet in the States Newsroom network, which had itself been incubated as a project of the Hopewell Fund—a nonprofit run by the progressive Arabella Advisors consulting network—before becoming an independent 501(c)(3) in 2019. The outlet was founded under veteran journalist Jarvis DeBerry, a former Times-Picayune reporter and member of the team that won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for Hurricane Katrina coverage; Greg LaRose later became editor. From the start, its stated mission has been to report on how decisions made in Baton Rouge affect everyday Louisianians, particularly those who are poor or otherwise marginalized—a framing that shapes its story selection. Media Bias/Fact Check rates it 'Left' with high factual reporting, and AllSides rates it 'Lean Left'; the outlet describes itself as nonpartisan, but independent analysts do not accept that label at face value. Funding has come from progressive-leaning foundations, including the Wyss Foundation, which donated $1 million to States Newsroom in 2021, drawing scrutiny from media watchdog NewsGuard. The Louisiana Illuminator is a member of the Institute for Nonprofit News (INN) and in 2024 was accepted into the Local Media Association's Lab for Journalism Funding, reflecting ongoing efforts to diversify revenue. Content is shared across the States Newsroom affiliate network, meaning its reporting can appear in outlets in other states.

Sources

  1. States Newsroom Launches Louisiana Illuminator
  2. About Page • Louisiana Illuminator
  3. Louisiana Illuminator – Bias and Credibility - Media Bias/Fact Check
  4. Louisiana Illuminator Media Bias | AllSides
  5. Louisiana Illuminator - Influence Watch
  6. States Newsroom - Wikipedia
  7. Hopewell Fund - Wikipedia
  8. 'Louisiana Illuminator' Launches - MediaPost
  9. Louisiana Illuminator accepted in Local Media Association's Lab for Journalism Funding

Profile compiled 2026-07-03; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.

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