The 19th*: A Newsletter by and for Women

by Judy Murphy

While we in AAUW were celebrating the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution, a unique newsroom was being assembled that would report the news from an entirely new perspective.

The 19th* is a nonprofit news outlet covering the intersection of women, politics, and policy. The asterisk in the title is a visible reminder of those who have been omitted from our democracy. The expansion of the franchise continues today and The 19th* aims to capture this ongoing American story.

The news outlet was the vision of CEO Emily Ramshaw, who wanted to create news coverage for and by women. She is the mover and shaker who raised the funds for The 19th*.

A co-founder and  editor-at-large is Errin Haines, formerly the national writer on race and ethnicity at The Associated Press. She is an MSNBC contributor, has worked at The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and the Orlando Sentinel. 

Haines helped to bring national attention to the Breonna Taylor case when she spoke to the Taylor family and The 19th* ran the story, which was co-published by The Washington Post.

A unique feature of The 19th* is that the news outlet is willing to share its coverage with other news outlets at no cost–only that it be acknowledged as the source. 

The 19th* believes all issues are women’s issues and that since “Women are the majority of the electorate, we shouldn’t be talked about like a special-interest group anymore.” In an interview with Nieman Reports, Ms. Haines states, “ We also are a very intersectional newsroom that looks for the connections with other marginalized groups off the coasts to bring in.”

Bringing on staff women with solid reporting skills and diverse expertise has not been a problem, Ms. Haines told an interviewer from Neiman Reports: “Even in the midst of this pandemic, it was really important for us to prioritize the hiring of an LGBTQ reporter as part of our roster. We are committed to equity and to amplifying the voices of marginalized folks. We got a ton of applications for that job.”

Kate Sosin was hired for that position and wrote about the equality vote, which is a constituency that is even larger than the white evangelical vote in this country. Haines stated, “We’re talking about people who know and love someone who is LGBTQ. Because of that, that person is on their heart and mind when they go to the ballot box. Even if it is not an issue that is affecting them directly, because it affects somebody they love, they are now involved and invested in politics on behalf of that person, showing up politically for that person.”

Sosin also wrote about the issue of transgender voters and how they could be suppressed in this election because of voter ID. Sometimes their lived identity doesn’t match their paperwork. They could be turned away at the polls for that reason.

These are just two examples of the stories you will read in The 19th*. As a member of AAUW, with a goal of becoming antiracist and embracing diversity, I find reading The 19th* opens my mind to new perspectives with its thought-provoking articles.

To obtain a free subscription to The 19th* go to The 19thnews.org/newsletter.  You can opt for a daily news report or a once-a-week subscription that is delivered to your email on Fridays. On their website you can also read about their staff, their goals, a list of funders, and many other facts about The 19th*.