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There’s a gap in national news
Okay, a few gaps.
From facts to accessibility, the national news isn’t meeting the moment. Let’s change that.
Hi. We’re the National Tab.
We’ve got some bold ideas about how national news should be done in the United States, and we’re not too shy to tell you:
- News must be accessible.
- News won’t be behind a paywall.
- Every news story must be available in multiple formats.
- News must be covered by reporters local to where the news happens — not just those stationed in Washington D.C. and New York City.
- News needs to meet you where you’re at.
Original national news coverage
News that accessible from the start
Each news story is produced in multiple formats so however you need to get your news, we’ve got you. Each news stories will include:
- A written article
— with an audio version of the written article read by a human — not AI; - A video news segment
— with closed captions,
— and with audio descriptions; - A simplified language version of the article in the standard of Easy English
— with an audio version read by a human.
We do this to be inclusive of a wide news audience, and we build it to be as accessible as possible from the start.
One of the best parts of having so many versions of the same piece of news is that it is ready to be deployed to different types of social media.
More than half of American adults are getting their news from social media, so let’s meet them where they are. Real news on video media. Audio on audio media. And so on.
We know this means hiring lots of reporters, photojournalists, video journalists, sign language interpreters, editors of all kinds — and even voice talent who can record those articles for the best possible audio.
All news is local — even national news
But we also believe that the national news doesn’t just happen in Washington, D.C., or New York City.
We think it happens in your schools and in your parks and playgrounds. We think it happens on farms and on the streets of your city or town.
To best capture the national news and to be accessible to more reporters and other staff, we have designed our newsroom a little differently.
- Staff will work remotely.
— We believe news happens in the field, so that’s where reporters should be. Editing and writing can be completed from wherever a team member is most comfortable — a home office, a co-working space, or anywhere they have a secure internet connection. - We will station reporting teams in every state.
— This helps us connect the dots of what is happening nationally to what is happening in the cities and towns of America. - Teams work flexible hours and work when the news happens, not a set 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. schedule.
— This helps reporters and others on the team work around both news and their own lives, including health, family, and other issues that make a traditional schedule difficult for many people.
Ready to help us build?
What will it cost to fully staff the National Tab?
We’d like to pay journalists a living wage — $90 thousand annually for a full-time journalist and $45 thousand annually for a part-time journalist.
Calculate that we need full-time journalists in every state and to cover U.S. territories, with part-time journalists to work weekends, fill-in on sick-time, vacations, and to supplement additional work such as in U.S. territories.
We also need to hire American Sign Language interpreters, editors, and other staff.
That comes to about $5 million a year to operate. That’s why we’re raising seed funding.
Support the National Tab by making a donation to Equal Access Public Media.
Need more ways to donate, such as through an employee donation program or DAF? Are you looking for grant information? Check out all the support options.
Equal Access Public Media and all of its projects, including the National Tab, are fiscally sponsored by the Alternative Newsweekly Foundation, a 501(c)(3) public charity that backs journalism projects like this one. It’s EIN is 30-0100369. All contributions are handled and accounted for by the Alternative Newsweekly Foundation.
Learn more about the National Tab
About the National Tab
Even before the National Tab had a name or website, it was in the works.
This project was part of the original plan for Equal Access Public Media — a way to show how a national news outlet can be built and run accessibility-first while still producing original, high quality factual content.
The name came from the a few places:
- the old tabloid-sized paper special section inserts in local newspapers, also known as a tab;
- the use of the tab key to navigate a website as an alternative to a mouse;
- and the tabs on a web browser.
Everywhere we looked — the file folders on our desk, the computer screen, the keyboard — we saw the tab staring us in the face. So we quickly realized, this was the National Tab.
About EAPM
Equal Access Public Media was founded in Nov. 2023 by editor and reporter Stacy Kess.
EAPM is a media nonprofit dedicated to making journalism more accessible to inside and out to people with disabilities, chronic illnesses, who are veterans, and who are caregivers. The projects launched by EAPM focus on making news more accessible to audiences and newsrooms more accessible to journalists who have often found it hard to find and maintain jobs.
Now as chief of editorial, Kess oversees the day-to-day projects, ideas, and implementation at EAPM, including the Style and Accessibility Guide.
Kess works side-by-side with chief of operations E. Simone Jenerson, who manages resources, processes, and people across the different areas of EAPM.
Kess and Jenerson believe EAPM can transform news from a public good that reaches some to a public good that reaches most, if not all.
EAPM is fiscally sponsored by the Alternative Newseekly Foundation. ANF supplies 501(c)(3) status and documentation for grant applications executed by the EAPM, provides oversight to fulfill grant requirements. ANF also receives and accounts donations on behalf of EAPM.
About ANF
Founded in 2002 by the Association of Alternative Newsmedia (AAN Publishers), the Alternative Newsweekly Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity dedicated to the promotion and support of independent journalism
ANF collaborates with the Black Press (National Newspaper Publishers Association, NNPA), the National Association of Hispanic Publications (NAHP), and AAN Publishers to advance the mission behind the Fund For Equity In Local News, a sponsored project of ANF that supports more than 400 Black and Latino-owned news outlets, local alternative publications, and online news sites.
ANF continues to work side by side with AAN to support the core principles of the alternative press: Speaking truth to power, telling stories that would otherwise go untold, and giving voice to those who would otherwise go unheard.