Press Releases

Courier Newsroom Announces Acquisition of Iowa Starting Line, New Vice President of Editorial (6/28/21)

NEW YORK, NY – June 28, 2021 – Courier Newsroom — a civic media company dedicated to bolstering local newsrooms across the country reporting on the issues most important to building more informed and engaged communities — today announced the acquisition of Iowa Starting Line. The publication has gained accolades both nationally and locally for its in-depth reporting and analysis of the Iowa Caucus and local news. 

Iowa Starting Line joins as the ninth newsroom in the Courier Newsroom network. Its founder, Patrick Rynard, announced the move in a post earlier this morning.

“The Iowa Starting Line team is very excited to announce that we are joining Courier Newsroom,” wrote Rynard. “Our core mission will be much the same, but with a new audience in mind. The goal will be to get fact-based information about Iowa news, politics, and government in front of the type of Iowans who don’t subscribe to their local newspaper or watch the evening news, delivering it to them in the places where they spend their time — online. We will attempt to regularly pierce the social media bubbles that many Iowans find themselves trapped in these days.”

This announcement comes as the company has promoted Regina Mahone to the role of vice president of editorial. Mahone will serve as the editorial lead and manager of all nine of Courier’s newsrooms, overseeing day-to-day pitch to production and ensuring that all content is consistent in quality and aligns with the company’s commitment to human-focused storytelling.  

Before joining Courier Newsroom in early 2020, Mahone served as vice president and managing editor at Rewire News and has worked in editorial and news for over 15 years. Lindsay Schrupp, who served as Courier’s head of editorial since 2019, will transition to a senior advisory role with the organization. 

“At Courier, we believe quality, local journalism is essential to sustaining a healthy democracy and countering the rise of misinformation,” said Courier Newsroom’s new vice president of editorial, Regina Mahone. “We are thrilled to welcome Pat and his team at the Iowa Starting Line into the network to help them provide Iowans typically left behind by traditional media with the information they need to engage in their communities and gain a stronger understanding of the democratic process.”

In addition, Courier Newsroom announced Madeleine Ellis is joining the team as chief operating officer. Before joining Courier Newsroom, Ellis served as director of digital campaigns at Planned Parenthood, and brings 15 years of experience building and managing teams and large-scale campaigns at the intersection of technology, media, and advocacy.

Courier Newsroom is also pleased to announce a number of internal promotions:

  • Colin Jones has been promoted to Vice President of Brand Strategy. 
  • Patrick Kreitlow will take the role of Regional Editorial Director, replacing Regina Mahone. For nearly two years, Kreitlow has served as Managing Editor of UpNorthNews, Courier’s Wisconsin newsroom.
  • Jonathon Sadowski has been promoted to replace Pat Kreitlow as Managing Editor of UpNorthNews.
  • Shanice O’Brien has been promoted to Human Resources and DEI Manager. 

“Whether in our coverage at Dogwood in Virginia, The Copper Courier in Arizona, Floricua in Florida, or at our other publications, we strive to center the voices from the communities our teams are serving and highlight the impacts of local and federal action or inaction,” said Mahone. “But it’s more than that: By serving people often isolated from traditional media, we are building something that has never been done before, and we are doing it while moving journalism forward to a more just future. This opportunity is one we don’t take lightly.”

About Courier Newsroom

COURIER is a national news organization dedicated to helping Americans better understand what’s happening in our local and national governments. How? We unpack the policy decisions made by our leaders and talk directly to the people being affected by them across the country. We believe that the nation’s most complex issues should be accessible to everyone and strive to lift up the too-often untold stories happening in communities across the country.  

The managing editor of each site, in addition to Courier Newsroom’s top editor, has sole discretion and control over the editorial process. Earlier this year, ACRONYM divested all ownership stake in Courier Newsroom, a public benefit corporation that ACRONYM helped to incubate in 2019.

###

Contact

[email protected]