Raymond Baccari
Editor-in-Chief
The Rhode Island Current is a brand-new nonpartisan news outlet in Rhode Island. Rhode Island Current is a Rhode Island affiliate of States Newsroom.
States Newsroom is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit funded via grants readers’ donations. This organization is national and has 33 total outlets that are also nonprofits throughout the country. Each outlet focuses on covering government and public policy from their respective state’s legislative bodies.
Currently, there are four people on the Current’s staff. Janine L. Weisman is the outlet’s editor-in-chief. Weisman worked for The Newport Daily News for over 25 years, was editor of Newport Mercury and is an alumna of Rhode Island College.
“We are thrilled to expand to the Ocean State with Janine and the strong team of reporters she has brought together,” Chris Fitzsimon, director and publisher of States Newsroom said in a statement. “The Rhode Island Current will produce vital journalism that helps Rhode Islanders understand what is happening on Smith Hill and how it affects their daily lives.”
Kevin G. Andrade, who reports on topics such as education and housing and human services, is the outlet’s senior reporter. Andrade is a RIC alumnus as well as fluent in Portuguese and Spanish. Before joining the Current, Andrade was a reporter for both The Standard Times and Providence Journal.
The team also has two reporters: Nancy Lavin and Christopher Shea. Shea reports on topics such as transportation, politics and court cases. Shea is also fluent in Spanish and prior to joining the Current, he was an editor for Dartmouth Week.
Lavin was most recently a reporter for Providence Business News. Before that, Lavin was a staff writer for FairVote as well as a reporter for Frederick News-Post and The Westerly Sun. For the Current, Lavin reports on topics such as politics and energy. Lavin is a graduate of the University of Rhode Island, but also has ties to RIC. Lavin’s father worked for RIC as a director of counseling for 35 years.
The Current will also not have any advertisements on their website. None of their content will be put behind a paywall. Those interested in subscribing to the Current to receive their up-to-date stories can do so by signing up for their newsletter.