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In June 2022, Spotlight PA launched its first regional reporting bureau in State College, PA focusing on State College, Centre County, north-central Pennsylvania, and the Northern Tier.

As part of this initiative, Spotlight PA hired a team of four journalists dedicated to the community — a significant increase in local reporting resources — to continue delivering high-quality, nonpartisan investigative and public-service journalism.

All reporting will be made available at no cost to Spotlight PA’s more than 80 media partners — including the Centre Daily Times and others in the region — and to the public through spotlightpa.org/statecollege.

The bureau publishes via Spotlight PA’s extensive distribution network, elevating issues of regional importance to a statewide audience, while also fostering mutual understanding among all Pennsylvanians. 

The State College regional team is employed by Spotlight PA and receives organizational support from the statewide newsroom, including management and editing — thus avoiding the significant start-up costs associated with launching a brand-new, nonprofit news outlet. The Lenfest Institute supports Spotlight PA and the State College bureau. 

In advance of the newsroom’s launch, Spotlight PA conducted community listening sessions to determine the region’s most urgent information needs. Initial stories included a report water contamination in Benner Township, an investigation into Penn State’s handling of a sexual extortion case involving student athletes, and an in-depth look at Centre County’s salary data and use of taxpayer funds.  

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