Web-only statehouse media, some secretive, raise questions about who is paying for the news

As traditional media outlets scale back staff and coverage of state governments, organizations of all shapes and sizes are filling the gap. Lucy Morgan, the legendary statehouse correspondent for the St. Petersburg Times, reports on the growth of Web-only reporting, especially in the Florida capital of Tallahassee, where the Times and The Miami Herald now have a combined bureau to save money.

In some states officials have denied press credentials to groups that do not disclose their ownership or those that represent left- or right-wing groups, but in Florida the Capitol Police issue credentials to individuals after confirming the name of each employer and doing a criminal records check. There are no formal rules defining who can be a journalist.

Morgan reports that a couple of the better-financed Web operations have moved into the Florida Press Center, taking offices once occupied by newspapers that cut staff or eliminated bureaus. Sunshine State News , which has set up shop in the Herald's old suite, seems to appeal more to business-oriented readers than mainstream publications. It refuses to disclose the names of its investors. Managing Editor John Wark says they want to maintain a "firewall'' between the owners and the reporters.

"Some find the secrecy surrounding Sunshine troubling in an industry with a long tradition of identifying those who provide the news," Morgan writes. Generally, readers, listeners and viewers can better evaluate the news if they know who pays for it. "All of us who respect the craft of journalism should be alarmed and wary,'' John Iarussi, one owner of LobbyTools, another online information business expanding into Web news coverage, told Morgan. (Read more)