“Governor Newsom is essentially paying for good press with your tax dollars.”
That’s what independent journalist Nick Shirley told the Daily Signal when asked about Gov. Gavin Newsom’s new grant program for California newsrooms.
Newsom announced a new initiative that will award grants of up to $250,000 to eligible California news organizations producing what the state describes as “fact-based reporting.”
The funding comes through the California Civic Media Program, “a public-private partnership with Google investing directly in California’s news organizations that produce original, fact-based journalism.”
But critics argue the program raises a fundamental question: Should politicians have any role in deciding which news organizations receive taxpayer-backed funding?
Those concerns are amplified by Newsom’s treatment of journalists whose reporting has exposed alleged government failures.
Earlier this year, Shirley helped expose more than $170 million in alleged California hospice fraud and previously drew national attention for uncovering daycare fraud in Minnesota.
Rather than praising those investigations, Newsom publicly mocked Shirley on social media.
Critics argue that contrast is difficult to ignore: a governor who publicly ridicules an investigative journalist while simultaneously launching a taxpayer-supported program to fund other news organizations.
Will Swaim, president of the California Policy Center, told the Daily Signal that government funding fundamentally changes the role of the press. Swaim, who has worked in publishing since 1990, said he has never accepted government funding for his publications.
“I hardly know where to start with the recklessness of Newsom’s work here. With the fact that Google agreed to match Newsom’s taxpayer subsidy of sympathetic news organizations only to avoid Newsom’s threat of far greater sanctions against the tech firm?”
Swaim was referring to last year’s deal between California and Google. The agreement came after months of negotiations over legislation that would have required Google to pay news publishers for their content. Instead, Newsom reached a deal in which both the state and Google agreed to contribute millions of dollars to help fund California news organizations.
Swaim also argued that accepting government funding undermines journalistic independence.
“No news organization accepting government money is actually a legitimate ‘news’ organization—it’s become part of government communications.”
He also questioned whether taxpayers should be required to finance media organizations at all.
“It is not the business of the people of California to be required to fund political speech, even when that ‘speech’ comes from supposed ‘news’ organizations.”
The Daily Signal reached out to Gov. Newsom’s press office for comment, but has received no response.
Beyond the funding itself, critics have also questioned who will ultimately decide which news organizations receive taxpayer-backed grants.
According to the program’s website, the applications are independently administered by the James B. McClatchy Foundation.
However, the foundation’s own website raises questions for some observers about whether the grant process will be politically neutral.
On its homepage, the foundation features a statement titled “Standing United for Immigrant Justice and Dignity,” declaring, “Together, we condemn the recent ICE raids and the systemic violations of civil and constitutional rights targeting immigrant families,” and calling on civic leaders, institutions, and allies across California to “reject complicity.”
Not exactly the nonpartisan grant administrator you’d hope for.
The first round of grant recipients will be announced in the fall of 2026. Until then, Californians will have to wait and see whether journalists like Nick Shirley—who built their reputations by exposing government failures—would have the same opportunity to receive taxpayer-backed funding as the news organizations ultimately selected.
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[ H/T The Daily Signal ]
