Roll Call

U.S. center

Background

Roll Call was founded in 1955 by Sid Yudain, a former congressional press secretary, as a weekly tabloid covering the personalities and operations of Capitol Hill — the startup cost was $90. For decades it served as a trade paper for the Hill community, emphasizing inside-the-building dynamics rather than legislation itself. The Economist Group acquired Roll Call in 1993 and later purchased Congressional Quarterly (CQ); the two publications merged in 2009 to form CQ Roll Call, billed as the largest newsroom devoted entirely to Congress. Under Economist Group ownership the combined outlet experienced several rounds of layoffs between 2011 and 2014 despite being profitable, as the parent sought higher margins. In 2018 FiscalNote, Inc. acquired CQ Roll Call for $180 million, with The Economist Group retaining roughly an 18% equity stake in FiscalNote. FiscalNote went public on the NYSE in 2022 but has since faced serious financial strain, including a steep stock-price decline and a roughly 25% workforce reduction by 2024–2025. Through these ownership changes Roll Call has maintained a reputation for straight congressional reporting, earning center ratings from multiple independent bias trackers, though its editorials have shown a slight left-of-center tilt.

Sources

1. Roll Call - Wikipedia
2. Roll Call - Bias and Credibility - Media Bias/Fact Check
3. Roll Call Media Bias | AllSides
4. Roll Call Bias and Reliability | Ad Fontes Media
5. FiscalNote Finalizes $180 Million Acquisition of CQ Roll Call
6. CQ Roll Call owner goes public on the NYSE - WTOP News
7. History of CQ Roll Call
8. Roll Call Was Once Capitol Hill's Newspaper of Record - Washingtonian

Profile compiled 2026-06-25; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.

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