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Outlet profile

Rhode Island Current

U.S. center-left (nonprofit state news network)

Owned byOperated by States Newsroom, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in Washington, D.C. that runs a network of state-focused news sites. Rhode Island Current is one of its outlets. It has a local editor and staff, and States Newsroom owns the brand and oversees operations.
FundingPhilanthropic grants, individual donations, and foundation support, mostly channeled through States Newsroom. It takes no paid advertising and uses no paywall. States Newsroom grew out of an incubation by the Hopewell Fund, a nonprofit linked to Arabella Advisors (now Sunflower Services), which is tied to progressive causes. It has since become independent. Critics, including OpenSecrets and conservative groups, have faulted the network for not fully disclosing its donors. The network says its donors have no say in editorial decisions.
On the administrationbroadly critical

Background

Rhode Island Current launched on March 15, 2023, as the 33rd outlet in the States Newsroom network. It was led by veteran journalist Janine Weisman, and its launch was meant to add statehouse and policy coverage as local newspaper staffing shrank. States Newsroom began in 2017 to 2019 under the incubation of the Hopewell Fund, which was administered by Arabella Advisors, a firm linked to Democratic-aligned causes. It became an independent 501(c)(3) in 2019 and planned to put newsrooms in about 40 states. The outlet focuses on state government, health, the economy, energy, and the environment, and it publishes free, with other outlets able to republish its work. It has won regional press association awards, including Best Website in a New England press competition in 2025. Critics, including OpenSecrets and conservative watchdogs, have described the network as part of a left-leaning 'dark money' ecosystem because of its funding origins and limited donor disclosure. Supporters say it gives straight, fact-based reporting that fills a local news gap. Its coverage of the Trump administration since January 2025 emphasizes lawsuits, funding cuts, and policy effects on Rhode Islanders, which gives it a generally critical tone toward the administration alongside regular wire-style reporting.

Sources

  1. States Newsroom Launches Rhode Island Current
  2. About • Rhode Island Current
  3. Nonprofit news outlet set to launch in R.I. on March 15 (Providence Business News)
  4. States Newsroom (Wikipedia)
  5. Hopewell Fund (Wikipedia)
  6. States Newsroom (Newsroom Network) - Influence Watch
  7. Trump administration seeks to rescind approval for Revolution Wind • Rhode Island Current
  8. Embattled McKee highlights affordability, takes on Trump in 2026 State of State • Rhode Island Current

Profile compiled 2026-10-19; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.

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