State News Central is published by Walter Prescott and edited by Dorothy Carpenter. The senior editorial staff work from state capitals and major cities across the country.
Walter is the publisher of State News Central, working from Jefferson City, Missouri. His background is in media and business operations, and he holds responsibility for the publication's overall direction, financial sustainability, and the independence of the editorial operation from the commercial side of the site. He leaves the day-to-day editorial decisions to the newsroom and writes an occasional column on the business of journalism.
Dorothy leads the newsroom from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Her career spans more than fifteen years in editorial leadership at regional and national publications, with a background that includes reporting on state government, the state courts, and the policy fights that shape American civic life. She sets the standards for what runs on the site, oversees the corrections record, and is the final authority on questions of what State News Central will and will not publish.
Alan manages the day-to-day operations of the newsroom from Lansing, Michigan. He came to the publication after twelve years at a Great Lakes-region daily, where he rose from statehouse reporter to assistant managing editor with stops on the politics and copy desks. He is responsible for the editorial calendar, story assignments, and the flow of publication across the desks.
Janet runs the business and economy desk from Olympia, Washington. Her reporting career includes more than a decade covering state economic policy, business, and labor at regional daily newspapers and a national business publication. She is the editor most likely to reach for the underlying numbers on a story and the one who insists on distinguishing what a company has actually announced from what its press release wants readers to think it announced.
Phillip oversees the publication's standards program from Topeka, Kansas. He handles fact-checking on sensitive material, manages the corrections record, and serves as the point of contact for readers and named subjects who identify errors in published pieces. His background is on copy desks and in fact-checking at regional daily newspapers, and he is the in-house authority on the publication's stylebook.
Stephanie edits the features section from Tallahassee, Florida. Her career includes more than a decade of feature writing and editing at national publications and regional newspapers, with a particular interest in community stories, regional culture, and the everyday civic life of American places. She is the editor who reaches for the narrative angle on a story that could otherwise run straight, and she is responsible for a substantial share of the long-form work published on the site.
State News Central welcomes contributions from writers, experts, and practitioners with original reporting or informed perspective. Pitch us an idea — our editors read every submission.
