Conservatives consistently harp on a too-liberal mainstream media. While some complain, others try to do something about it. The largest right-wing media outlets have solid name recognition. However, many of those cover just national politics, while some state-specific right-wing news outlets produce interesting work.
Recently, I’ve tried to find more state-specific conservative news outlets; I haven’t searched every state yet, but have enjoyed the Idaho Tribune and Alpha News in Minnesota, as well as the NH Journal and The Tennessee Star (and its affiliates). These sites do similar work to my writing for a small conservative news outlet in Massachusetts called NewBostonPost, although they have larger followings.
One major takeaway from reading these news outlets is they’re trying to forge a path that provides right-wingers with a viable alternative to the liberal media. Additionally, many large metro areas also have a center-right newspaper, and these papers are often unsatisfactory for conservative readers.
These center-right papers may cover some fiscal issues of interest to conservatives, giving press to state-level think tanks—but a clear path often exists to their right. That’s the path these outlets take. Abortion, gender, books, and sex education are some of the areas where conservative media outlets stand out. Given my experience in Massachusetts, it makes sense. The center-right paper in our state, The Boston Herald, can’t satisfy conservatives on these issues.
Its editorial board has no stance on abortion. Also, it endorsed An Act Relative to Healthy Youth a couple of years ago; the bill would change the state’s recommended sex-ed framework to include woke and vulgar content. It’d replace the state's curriculum framework developed in the 1990s. Plus, The Herald refers to Katherine Clark’s recently-arrested son as her daughter—because he identifies as a girl.
If one reads a center-right paper like The Herald, they won’t find in-depth stories about issues of interest to social conservatives. Yet, they’re easy to find in the Alpha News or Idaho Tribune. Some recent story headlines from the Idaho Tribune include: "GRAPHIC: Bombshell Report Shows Eighth Grade Students in Moscow, Idaho Shown Disgusting Video Produced by Trojan Condoms," "SHOCKING: Inside The IDHW’s Mandatory Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Training For Foster And Adoptive Parents," and "Supreme Court UPHOLDS Idaho’s Abortion Ban: Killing Children Is Not Allowed In Idaho—Conservatives Rejoice While Democrats Plan Revenge". And some recent Alpha News story headlines include: "A Planned Parenthood CEO is also voting on abortion legislation," "NIH spends millions on equity, LGBT issues instead of researching cures," and "DFL legislators want menstrual products in boys’ bathrooms."
Except for the Idaho Supreme Court decision, these aren’t topics you’ll find in the mainstream media. The conservative media can explain why people are upset about specific books, explain what schools are teaching about gender and race, offer an in-depth look at abortion news, and not care if establishment politicians like them or not. Reading these news outlets also tells me what I can do better. For example, many reported on the political donations made by disgraced crypto huckster Sam Bankman-Fried. I bet my readers would’ve liked to know that former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney was one of the few Republicans who Bankman-Fried gave money. And that Congressman Jake Auchincloss has no plans to donate the money he received to charity or surrender it so those who Bankman-Fried scammed can recoup some money.
As long as the mainstream media continues hiring primarily liberal journalists and maintains its liberal biases, people will try to crack into this conservative media market. I hope these news operations succeed.