Michele's List
Building blocks in the emerging local news ecosystem

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Statistics
E-newsletter

  • Yes, multiple newsletters
E-newsletter subscribers

220
Revenue

  • $101,000 - $250,000
Primary revenue source(s)

  • Business services
  • Foundation grants
Ad products

  • Other(s)
Other products

Sponsorship for radio program
Paywall

  • No
Distribution

  • Publication by third parties
Total personnel/contributor FTE

10
Date of most recent publisher update

07/30/19
Last Publisher Update

  • 2019-07-30 20:00:41 UTC
Iowa Watch
Iowa
Iowa Watch

IowaWatch, part of the Iowa Center for Public Affairs Journalism, is an independent, non-partisan news source that produces and encourages explanatory and investigative journalism in Iowa through collaborative, multimedia reporting with Iowa news organizations. The Center also educates college students to do this kind of journalism at a high, professional level. We inform the public so that it can be armed with the knowledge necessary to play its role in a democracy.

Who is in charge?

Lyle Muller

Job title

Executive Director-Editor

City

Iowa City

State

Iowa

Zip code

52244-2178

Year launched

2010

Tax status

  • Nonprofit 501c3

Geographic scope

  • State

Other geographic focus

Midwest United States

Scope of coverage

  • Several related topics under a common umbrella (such as a group of topics that fall under the umbrella of government or politics)

Primary focus

  • In-depth investigative journalism

Topics of coverage

  • Environment
  • Government
  • Health & medicine
  • Politics
  • Other

Other content topics

Consumer and business affairs

Watchdog journalism?

  • Yes, it is the primary focus

Facebook link

https://www.facebook.com/IowaWatch

Site Twitter handle

@IowaWatch

Effective engagement practice

IowaWatch engages audiences best when it hosts personal visits with news consumers and through a weekly radio program that airs on 20 radio stations -- 20 of them in Iowa. We get a chance to introduce ourselves to new people at public events, learn what they think, arm them with information they can use and, sometimes, add to the list of those supporting our work financially. Building an audience this way takes time but the visits are enjoyable and we believe we have made impressions during them.

Revenue challenges

Maintaining reader momentum and drawing people to our website are a challenge. Up to a half million people see our news stories but in partner media with whom we share. Plus, we do not publish daily. The quality is good but frequency and where we are published are a challenge.

In the news

"Mental Health Care Providers In Flood-Stricken Rural Areas Short-handed But Expecting More Demand" http://www.iowawatch.org/2019/07/23/mental-health-care-providers-in-flood-stricken-rural-areas-short-handed-but-expecting-more-demand/

"Iowa Pesticide Bureau Workloads Grow But Not Inspection Staff Levels"
http://www.iowawatch.org/2019/03/06/iowa-pesticide-bureau-work-loads-grow-but-not-inspection-staff-levels/

"Residents Seek Answers About Health Risks Near Frac Sand Mines"
http://www.iowawatch.org/2019/03/21/frac-sand-mine-health/