About

We investigate the forces shaping your community and hold power to account, empowering you to weigh in.

St. Joe Current is an independent, nonprofit newsroom covering South Bend, St. Joseph County, and beyond. We believe that you have the right to know what’s happening in your community. We’re here to make sure you hear about it. We report on local government, public money, and the development decisions that get made, all too often, when nobody’s reporting it. Our investigative unit, The Disclosure, publishes document-driven, clearly written articles. We’re owned locally, not by a corporation somewhere else.

Our Mission

Your Community Watchdog
We report on the important questions being weighed in our community, from data centers to school funding to development projects. Not everyone has time to sit through every board meeting, or the resources to follow up on leaders’ promises. We keep local institutions accountable and make sure you have a say in the decisions that get made in your hometown.

Connecting the Dots
We don’t just report on isolated events, but give you the full picture of what led up to them and the forces at play. We provide critical context to make sense of public statements and claims that, all too often, are complicated, underreported and, sadly, sometimes just misleading.

Slow and Steady, Not Stuck in the News Cycle
Responsible, careful investigations take time. We don’t chase daily stories for instant clicks. We’re built to follow the bigger, deeper, and more complex stories that nobody else will take on (for as long as we have to), which is why we’ll often publish stories in an ongoing series.

Locally Rooted
Finally, we remain locally owned and committed to our community. Sure, we will cover the shortcomings in leadership and vision. But we will also recognize in our reporting many of the great stories of neighbors, teammates and citizens that carry the community on their shoulders. Accountability (when called for) and appreciation (when earned) are the twin guiding values of St. Joe Current.