Truthout

Truthout is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, progressive news organization in the United States that operates a web site and distributes a daily newsletter. Registered in September 2001, Truthout publishes original political news articles, opinion pieces, video reports and artwork. According to its web site, "As an organization, Truthout works to broaden and diversify the political discussion by introducing independent voices and focusing on undercovered issues and unconventional thinking."

Truthout has featured content from writers Paul Krugman, Dahr Jamail, Henry Giroux, Jason Leopold, Bill Moyers, Andy Worthington, Kathy Kelly, Norman Solomon, William Rivers Pitt, Kelpie Wilson, Ken Morris, Dean Baker and Richard Silverstein. The organization has reported extensively on the torture policies of the Bush administration, the health care debate, veterans' issues, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the labor movement, prison reform and election politics.

Safety issues at BP
60 Minutes cited a report published at Truthout as a source for their episode on May 16, 2010 about the BP oil spill and the whistleblower who was warning about a possible blowout at another BP deepwater drilling site. Digital Journal wrote up the story. CNN's Randi Kaye in an article cited a report by Truthout as the first article on Mark Kovak's inside knowledge about the safety concerns at the Prudhoe Bay, Alaska BP oil field. On July 8, 2010 Kim Murphy, a reporter for The Los Angeles Times cited Truthout's investigation into neglect and cost-cutting practices at Alyeska Pipeline in her report on the resignation of Alyeska's CEO. On July 14, 2010 the United States House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure held a hearing in the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials. The hearing titled "The Safety of Hazardous Liquid Pipelines (Part 2): Integrity Management," cited an investigative report by Truthout as a document for the committee's investigation.

Veterans' issues
Truthout has closely followed issues affecting Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. Coverage has especially focused on veteran health care and post-traumatic stress disorder. An ongoing Truthout investigation has claimed widespread neglect within the Veterans Health Administration of veterans with PTSD.

In the press
Bill Moyers linked to and talked about a Truthout op-ed by Truthout board member Henry Giroux on Bill Moyers Journal during the September 4, 2009 episode.

Controversies
On May 13, 2006, after Jason Leopold posted on Truthout that Karl Rove had been indicted by the grand jury investigating the Plame affair, Rove spokesman Mark Corallo denied the story, calling it "a complete fabrication". Truthout defended the story, saying on 15 May they had two sources "who were explicit about the information" published, and confirmed on 25 May that they had "three independent sources confirming that attorneys for Karl Rove were handed an indictment" on the night of 12 May. The grand jury concluded with no indictment of Rove.

In his memoir, Courage and Consequence, Karl Rove addressed the Leopold article. Rove writes that Leopold is a "nut with Internet access" and that "thirty-five reporters called [Robert] Luskin or Corallo to ask about the Truthout report." According to Rove, "Fitzgerald got a kick out of the fictitious account and e-mailed Luskin to see how he felt after such a long day."

Personnel
Truthout's Board of Directors includes McMaster University Professor and educational theorist Henry A. Giroux.

Truthout's Board of Advisors has included Dean Baker, Robert Reich and the late Howard Zinn.

On August 27, 2009, a member of Truthout's board of directors signed a recognition statement by the organization of The Newspaper Guild/CWA, allowing employed writers for the site to unionize with the Newspaper Guild/CWA as their preferred bargaining representative. The site also held what it called the first-ever "virtual card check", whereby paid writers faxed PDFs of their individual signatures to members of the site's organizing committee (who were based in New York, Sacramento, Los Angeles and Chicago respectively) in order to verify their unionizing authorization cards and establish a bargaining unit of the writers. Writers Maya Schenwar and Matt Renner stated in their article on the event that the organization was "the first online-only news site to successfully unionize".