IVN Editorial Board
Independent Voter News (IVN) has entered into a collaborative partnership with the Latino News Network (LNN) and The Fulcrum, bringing together three outlets whose editorial missions converge on a shared conviction: that American democracy is best served by journalism that reaches the people most often left out of the conversation.
IVN has been called liberal, conservative, progressive, libertarian, socialist, and anarchist, usually depending on which article a reader happened to disagree with. The label that fits best is none of them.
IVN is an open platform for journalists bound not by ideology but by a simple etiquette: civil dialogue, honest inquiry, and the foundational belief that the right to vote derives from citizenship, not party affiliation, and that every voter deserves a voice that matters.
It has developed a depth of expertise in election reform, working with journalists, researchers, and policy analysts who cover nonpartisan reform, voter data, and election law.
IVN Editorial Board
“To this day, IVN remains one of the only open platforms that was built by and for independent-minded voters,” said Shawn Griffiths, Editor-in-Chief of IVN.
“For nearly two decades, we have delivered news and information that goes beyond the two-sided narrative voters are inundated with and speaks to the frustrations voters have with the nation’s hyper-polarized political system. We look forward to working with The Fulcrum and LNN on the mutual goal of reaching and informing voters who feel left out of the process.”
The Fulcrum, a project of the Bridge Alliance Education Fund, was built as a platform where political insiders and outsiders alike can be informed, engage, and act on repairing democratic institutions. Its founding funders include the Hewlett Foundation, Arnold Ventures, Craig Newmark Philanthropies, and the Unite America Institute, among others.
LNN was founded in 2012 by Diane Alverio, a retired journalist and former president of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ), to address the near‑total absence of English‑language news serving Hispanic and Latino communities in Connecticut.
What began as a single state‑based outlet has grown, under the leadership of Hugo Balta and Adriana Balta Naranjo, into a network of nine local and national multiplatform news sites dedicated to community‑centered journalism.
Balta also serves as Executive Editor of The Fulcrum, where he leads solutions‑journalism and DEI initiatives. A veteran of multimedia journalism with leadership roles at NBC, Telemundo, CBS, ESPN, and The Chicago Reporter, he is the only journalist to have served twice as president of the NAHJ and was inducted into its Hall of Fame in 2016.
“Partnering with IVN strengthens our shared commitment to voter‑first journalism," said Balta.
"Together, we’re expanding access to trusted, community‑centered reporting that rises above partisanship and reflects the full diversity of our democracy.”
The collaboration will center on shared content, cross-platform distribution, and a broader commitment to the kind of journalism that treats voters, all voters, as the constituency that matters most.