The Springfield Daily Citizen is a nonprofit, independent, online news outlet in Springfield, Missouri. We are powered by a small, hard-working team united by the common goal of bringing to our readers unbiased coverage of the local news that affects each of us. We believe good journalism brings issues to light, but great journalism brings communities together.
A key commitment is regular in-depth reports that delve into issues people care most about. This includes a broad range of subjects — the economy, education, government, health, recreation, arts and culture — and other topics identified through local efforts such as the biennial Community Focus Report for Springfield and Greene County.
The 2021 Focus Report cited concerns about the decline of locally-owned media in our community, and the negative impact of misinformation and divisive discourse. Unlike traditional for-profit media, which are cutting staff, coverage and publication schedules, we can report the stories our community wants to read, without artificial budget constraints driven by corporate interests.
The Daily Citizen works for the community. It is run by local people and supported by local people and organizations. Our journalists are committed to telling the community’s stories in a nonpartisan, factual manner.
Download our latest annual report — high-resolution PDF (about 5 MB) or low-resolution PDF (about 3 MB).
Our mission
The mission of the Springfield Daily Citizen is to inform our community and be a catalyst for good.
Our vision
The vision of the Springfield Daily Citizen is to reinvent local news in Metro Springfield by telling the stories of our community, bringing issues to light, encouraging discourse and inspiring citizens to take action.
Our pledge
We pledge to:
- Reinvent local news by telling the stories of our community.
- Remain independent, impartial, fair, and unbiased in our reporting.
- Inspire the citizens of metro Springfield to take action on the issues that are important to them.
- Help our readers connect to their community and discover the best of the Ozarks — arts, culture, food, and the great outdoors.
Digital-only news source
You will find the Daily Citizen only online — through your desktop computer, laptop, tablet or smartphone. Most people will sign up for a daily email newsletter to get updates and direct weblinks to the latest news and other features. You also will be able to follow us on social media, particularly Facebook and Twitter.
Create your own “app”
You can create your own “app”-like link for your smartphone or tablet by following the instructions.
Restrictions on republishing content
Content on this website may not be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the Springfield Daily Citizen or the partner organization that produced the content. Permission may be granted for staff-produced content in certain circumstances where it clearly furthers the public-service mission of the Daily Citizen. Requests may be sent to info@sgfcitizen.org
Our people
Contributing writers, photographers and content creators
Work with us – job and internship opportunities
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Our structure
The Springfield Daily Citizen incorporated in the state of Missouri in August 2021 as a nonprofit, public benefit corporation. It is organized exclusively for charitable, literary, scientific and educational purposes.
On May 4, 2022, we received notice that the Internal Revenue Service had approved our application for 501(c)(3) nonprofit status, retroactive to Aug. 20, 2021. (Access a copy of our notification letter.)
The Daily Citizen collaborates with, but is independent of, Missouri State University, tying into MSU’s statewide public affairs mission. In October 2021, MSU’s Board of Governors unanimously approved a facility use agreement, providing the Daily Citizen with office space and a host of related services. The Daily Citizen is housed in MSU’s Freudenberger House.
The Daily Citizen has separately reached a collaboration agreement with KSMU Ozarks Public Radio, and also provides internship opportunities for MSU students.
Missouri State has no control or involvement in Daily Citizen newsroom activities or editorial decisions. All works created, published, posted or disseminated by the Daily Citizen do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of Missouri State University.
Our funding
The Daily Citizen is an independent nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that is primarily funded through donations from individuals and businesses. Additional revenue is obtained through grants, events and other activities. As a matter of policy, funders exercise no control over the Daily Citizen’s editorial decisions.
Like other nonprofits, we need to make just enough money to sustain – and hopefully expand – our operations. Our current annual budget is roughly $1 million.
We have a five-year plan to reach sustainability. A start-up fundraising campaign is underway — link here to more information and a pledge form. Initial gifts and pledges provide us with confidence we will have the funding to maintain or grow our current operations. In the long run, we are looking at a mix of revenue sources:
- Subscriptions paid by people who find value in our content.
- Partnerships from local organizations and businesses, who get some advertising in return.
- Continuing donations from local people who want to support our mission.
- Grants, events and other activities
See our 2021 Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990)
Learn more about our funders and read our donor and financial transparency policy
We are grateful to the Community Foundation of the Ozarks for providing a fiscal sponsorship of the Daily Citizen while we waited for IRS approval of our nonprofit status. We continue to partner with CFO, and while tax-deductible donations may now be made directly to the Daily Citizen, gifts also may still be made to the Springfield Daily Citizen Fund at CFO.
The Daily Citizen is a member of two national organizations that provide support to nonprofit and small news organiations. We are members of:
- Institute for Nonprofit News, a network of more than 400 nonprofit newsrooms dedicated to providing independent, nonpartisan news coverage as a public service. Read the INN membership standards here.
- Local Independent Online News (LION) Publishers, a professional journalism association for independent news publishers with 400+ members across the U.S. and Canada.
Our standards and practices
Corrections and clarifications
Restrictions on use of unnamed sources
User agreement and privacy policy
Get in touch
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or LinkedIn
Subscribe to our email newsletters
Work with us
Daily Citizen job opportunities
Pitch guidelines for freelancers