Independent. Regional. Relentless.
The Bay News Media Network is a national, reader-powered investigative journalism alliance built on a simple premise: the stories that shape America are happening far away from the coastal newsrooms that dominate national coverage.
From the Great Lakes to the Gulf, from the Northeast corridor to the Pacific Coast, we follow public institutions at every level — courts, law enforcement, CPS and child welfare agencies, school systems, election boards, county governments, and state-level power structures. When they fail, we investigate. When they mislead, we expose. And when they do their jobs well, we report that too.
Each Bay News site serves as both a regional watchdog and a national reporting desk, ensuring that corruption, misconduct, and systemic failures cannot hide behind local borders.
Together, the network covers all 50 states.
Our Mission
The Bay News Media Network exists to:
- Investigate institutions that impact ordinary families.
Courts, CPS, police departments, prosecutors, school districts, and state agencies all wield enormous power with limited oversight. We make their decisions visible. - Create regional transparency where national media does not look.
Local failures become national crises when ignored. We expose those failures early. - Provide serious, independent journalism that puts readers first.
No corporate ownership structures. No political gatekeepers. No institutional blind spots.
Our work is guided by one principle: Accountability begins in the places most people overlook.
Our Network
The Bay News Media Network consists of seven regional investigative newsrooms:
1. Wisconsin Bay News (WIBayNews)
The Midwest hub. Covering Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota.
2. New York Bay News (NYBayNews)
Covering New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and the full New England region.
3. Maryland Bay News (MDBayNews)
Covering Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C.
4. Virginia Bay News (VABayNews)
Covering Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Appalachian oversight.
5. Florida Bay News (FLBayNews)
Covering Florida, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, and the Gulf East corridor.
6. Texas Bay News (TXBayNews)
Covering Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Kansas, Missouri, New Mexico, and the Southern Plains.
7. California Bay News (CABayNews)
The Pacific and Mountain West hub. Covering California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Nevada, Colorado, Utah, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Alaska, Hawaii, North Dakota, and South Dakota (if assigned here instead).
Together these regions form the only independent investigative network with full national coverage, regional specialization, and deep accountability reporting.
What We Cover
Across all Bay News sites, our investigative focus includes:
- Judicial misconduct and court oversight
- CPS and child welfare failures
- Family court systems and parental rights
- Law enforcement transparency
- Prosecutorial decisions and charging patterns
- School system governance
- State budgets, contracts, and agencies
- Public records, FOIA/CPRA compliance, and transparency scoring
- Election integrity and administrative oversight
- Civil rights, disability rights, and due-process cases
Each site contributes to regional and national investigative projects, combining local reporting with multi-state data and long-form analysis.
National Projects
The Bay News Media Network also produces large-scale investigative series, including:
- The Family Court Transparency Project
- CPS and Foster Care Accountability Tracker
- Police and Prosecutorial Misconduct Index
- Public Records Compliance Ledger
- Judicial Discipline Watch
- Midwest Regional Transparency Index
- Gulf Coast Government Oversight Report
- Pacific States Court Performance Review
These projects integrate documents, FOIA/CPRA responses, court filings, data sets, interviews, and collaborative reporting across all seven Bay News outlets.
Our Independence
We are funded by readers, supporters, and small donors who believe in investigative journalism that isn’t controlled by political machines or corporate interests. Every investigation is guided by the same commitment:
Truth over narrative. Facts over power. Transparency over secrecy.
We do not bend to the left or the right. We follow the documents, the evidence, and the lived experiences of people affected by public systems.
Submit a Tip
If you have documents, case files, FOIA results, audio, video, or knowledge of government or agency misconduct, you can contact us:
All submissions are confidential.
Wisconsin Bay News 