Outlet profile

Straight Arrow News (SAN)

U.S. center

Owned byPrivately owned by Joe Ricketts, billionaire founder of TD Ameritrade, through Straight Arrow News LLC (Delaware-incorporated, headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska). Ricketts serves as CEO.

FundingSelf-funded by founder Joe Ricketts. Primary revenue strategy is advertising (programmatic and direct-sold); branded content and events are secondary. Subscriptions are under development for 2026. No outside investors or state funding.

On the administrationmostly neutral

Background

Straight Arrow News launched in June 2021 after Joe Ricketts — billionaire founder of TD Ameritrade and a longtime Republican donor — grew frustrated with what he viewed as partisan media coverage during the 2020 presidential election cycle. Ricketts funds the outlet personally and acts as CEO; the newsroom is based in Omaha, Nebraska, and operates through a Delaware LLC. The outlet's stated editorial mission is to present news 'without opinion or bias,' curating fact-based summaries and separating them from clearly labeled opinion content. Before SAN's founding, in 2019, Ricketts drew controversy when leaked emails showed him sharing racist jokes and anti-Muslim conspiracy theories; he apologized publicly, but the episode remains part of his public record. SAN received a perfect 100/100 credibility score from NewsGuard and has earned AllSides' Balance Certification — awarded to fewer than 1% of news outlets — for three straight years as of 2025, with an editorial-review score of nearly dead center (−0.03). Media Bias/Fact Check rates it 'Least Biased' with 'Mostly Factual' reporting. After relaunching its app in late 2024, SAN reported a 531% surge in page views between September 2024 and February 2025 and began building out an advertising-led revenue model, with subscription tiers planned for 2026.

Sources

Profile compiled 2026-07-20; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.

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