CINCINNATI – Building on its already robust national politics coverage, millennial focused over-the-top video news service Newsy has established a Washington, D.C., office, placing it right at the center of power to cover the 2016 presidential campaigns and to focus more resources on covering the issues affecting younger Americans.
“Most reporting coming out of D.C. feels disconnected, even irrelevant to Americans under 35,” said Christina Hartman, vice president of news. “As creators of news by and for the next generation of leaders, we’re delivering stories that matter to young people on the digital platforms they’re using.”
Zach Toombs, director of news, will lead the D.C. team out of the Scripps Washington Bureau, also under parent company The E.W. Scripps Company (NYSE: SSP). Coverage will span issues that millennial voters have said they care about, including income inequality, energy, immigration, poverty and student loan debt.
“The reporters and producers who will be joining our team in D.C. will give viewers the opportunity to hear what those inside the beltway are doing to address our problems,” said Toombs.
The expansion to D.C. adds to Newsy’s national footprint: In addition to its headquarters in Columbia, Mo., Newsy has teams in Chicago, New York and Cincinnati. Newsy is hiring across its locations, including multi-media journalist roles in D.C. and Chicago.
As Newsy’s team grows, so does its distribution across over-the-top and online platforms. In recent months, Newsy has launched on seven OTT platforms, including Apple TV, which named it a “Best App of 2015” for Apple TV.
Uncovering campaign finance with “Buying Democracy”
The increased focus on D.C.-based political reporting comes at the same time as the award-winning Newsy team launches “Buying Democracy,” an interactive video experience that invites viewers to explore the links between big-money donors and candidates in 2016’s race for the White House.
“Buying Democracy” visualizes the connections between candidates and their donors through graphics-focused storytelling that uncovers how these relationships can change the course of elections. The data will be updated as new campaign finance data becomes available.
“Buying Democracy” is live at Newsy.com/buyingdemocracy. Follow the conversation on social media at #buyingdemocracy and by following “NewsyVideos” on Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram.
About Newsy
Newsy is a millennial-focused digital video news service that provides “news with the why,” built to inform and engage by delivering today’s top stories across platforms. Its content is available in on-demand and linear formats on overthetop (OTT) services including Apple TV, Watchable from Comcast, Pluto TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV and Google Chromecast; connected television including Xumo; on mobile for iOS, Android and Kindle Fire; and at newsy.com.
Media contact:
Kari Wethington, The E.W. Scripps Company, 513-977-3763, [email protected]