Press Forward Southern Arizona, an initiative of the Community Foundation, is helping fund MuckRock’s Election Accountability Cohort to strengthen local newsrooms’ midterm election coverage.
Six newsrooms in competitive states will receive a year-long membership to the Sunlight Research Desk, where MuckRock will support community reporters with investigative resources to help them deeply cover pivotal races and their impact — such as in Arizona’s 6th Congressional District, which includes parts of Tucson and is considered one of the most competitive House races in the country.
The election cohort includes three newsrooms in Arizona. They will get access to hands-on research support, investigative consult calls, skills-building workshops, and real-time research support in addition to a premium MuckRock account for requesting and analyzing public documents.
“Local journalists already know the stories their communities need. They just don’t always have the time or resources to chase them,” said Brandi Swicegood, MuckRock’s chief editorial and programs officer. “We’re putting investigative support behind newsrooms covering some of the most consequential races in the country, so they can do the kind of accountability reporting that voters deserve heading into November.”
The Arizona newsrooms in the cohort include:
- Tucson-based investigative nonprofit Arizona Luminaria
- Arizona Agenda, which covers Arizona politics and government
- LOOKOUT, Arizona’s leading LGBTQ+ investigative newsroom
“LGBTQ+ Arizonans have a lot riding on 2026, from the statehouse to the ballot box,” said Jake Hylton, LOOKOUT’s executive director. “Partnering with MuckRock and the Sunlight Research Desk means we can do the slower, in-depth, document-driven reporting behind the races that will most shape our communities’ futures.”
The Sunlight Research Desk worked with Arizona Luminaria during the Congressional District 7 special election last year and helped them uncover that one of the candidates was running while on federal probation, and half of the candidates did not even live in the district.
Arizona Luminaria is also a grant recipient of CFSA’s Local News Initiative of Southern Arizona. The initiative has awarded $500,000 in grants directly to local outlets since 2024 and is working to continue that support.
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