North State Journal
U.S. right
Background
The North State Journal launched in 2016 as what it billed as North Carolina's only statewide newspaper, founded by Neal Robbins and headquartered in Raleigh. Robbins spent roughly a decade working for Republican U.S. Sen. Richard Burr before serving in the administration of GOP Gov. Pat McCrory; opinion editor Drew Elliott and several business-side staffers also came out of the McCrory years. These Republican ties drew early scrutiny, and Robbins' refusal to name his startup investors prompted critical coverage from outlets including the Columbia Journalism Review and the Raleigh News & Observer. Robbins maintained that outside investors provided only startup capital and that he retains full editorial control, and he has described the paper's aim as objective statewide news coverage. In practice, the paper's opinion section has consistently championed conservative themes — free markets, limited government, individual liberty — distinguishing it from the center-left editorial pages of established North Carolina papers. In May 2023, North State Media acquired the Chatham News + Record, expanding the company's county-level footprint; by that point the paper had local editions in six counties: Chatham, Forsyth, Hoke, Moore, Randolph, and Stanly. In September 2023, North State Media purchased McClatchy's Charlotte printing plant for $4.65 million, signaling continued growth ambitions in a consolidating state media market.
Sources
- North State Journal — Wikipedia
- A plan for a new statewide paper has some observers asking: 'Is this for real?' — Columbia Journalism Review
- Chatham News + Record sold to North State Media — Editor & Publisher
- Chatham News + Record sold to North State Media — North State Journal
- Yesterday, the Chatham News + Record quietly announced that they had been sold to Pat McCrory's statewide newspaper — Triangle Blog Blog
Profile compiled 2026-07-27; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.