California Watch, a project of the Center for Investigative Reporting, is the latest recipient of Knight Foundation money to go live.
The nonprofit news site boasts an admirably bold mission statement that makes them sound like a team of caped, crusading journalism superheroes determined to put Clark Kent to shame:
California Watch, a nonprofit and independent investigative reporting team, exposes injustice, waste, mismanagement, wrongdoing, questionable practices, and corruption so that those responsible can be held to account and so the public can be armed with the information needed to debate solutions and spark change.
So far, it looks like they can back up their bluster. The California Watch homepage currently features substantive stories on campaign finance trickery, dirty tap water, rare birth defect clusters, and mismanaged Homeland Security grants, among others.
Take that, dirty-dealing public officials! Here’s to Truth, Justice and the American Way.
Alexandra Fenwick is an assistant editor at CJR.