Welcome to The Modesto Focus! If you’ve landed on this site it means you care about local news, fact-based journalism and community connection.
As a nonprofit, nonpartisan newsroom dedicated to covering Modesto and Stanislaus County, we strive to deliver essential and exclusive reporting that adds to the Valley’s media landscape.
Our goal is to provide readers with journalism that deepens their understanding and connection to the community. As local news has been decimated across the country and more media companies are consolidated under private equity ownership, the quality and quantity of reporting has diminished along with the number of local reporters.
We will prioritize Modesto and Stanislaus news as well as provide pertinent content from partner organizations to share stories that impact the region.
Our focus to start includes coverage of local government, with Garth Stapley’s role as accountability reporter. Watchdog journalism is a foundational tenet of local journalism and we take it seriously.
We are also in hiring a reporter to cover bilingual communities, which is critical in a diverse and multiethnic region like the San Joaquin Valley.
Here is a lightning round of things we are and aren’t going to do as The Modesto Focus:
- We AREN’T covering traditional breaking news, unless there are compelling public safety or accountability issues involved. So no car crashes, house fires, random crimes, etc. We are not a daily news source. Modesto has already has news sources providing that information.
- We ARE going to cover only local news and how laws and policies passed at the city, county, state and federal levels affect Valley residents. We will also highlight the exceptional and extraordinary about our city and region.
- We AREN’T going to charge anyone to read our articles or have a paywall. We believe access to high-quality local news is essential. Our site will always be free and available in both English and Spanish.
- We ARE going to provide all of our articles for free to other local news organizations to use. Many regional publishers from the Turlock Journal to The Stockton Record already use our work regularly, and we hope to expand those partnerships. That includes appearing on CapRadio, the region’s NPR station, to discuss stories and our work.
- We AREN’T going to have an editorial board. We’re not here to give you our opinions, but we are here to lend you our expertise and experience in the region.
- We ARE using an advisory board of community members to give us recommendations and help inform our coverage. We will also publish community columnists.
- We AREN’T going to feed you clickbait or intentionally vague headlines that try to trick you into reading. We are not here to waste your time or insult your intelligence for the sake of your attention. Also, if you can find the information yourself in a couple minutes with a quick search, it’s not a story for us.
- We ARE going to need your help in spreading the word. Tell people about us and sign up for our free newsletter. Follow our social channels on Instagram and Facebook. Talk about us to your family, friends and neighbors. If you find our work valuable, please consider donating so our journalism can be sustained.
This is a “soft launch” as we continue to make changes to create the best new site we can for you. We are also planning an official launch later this fall.
So please take some time to explore our articles and if you have any suggestions, questions or news tips, please reach out at contactus@cvlocaljournalism.org.
We hope you like what you see and share our belief in the power of local news to help support and strengthen our Valley.