An online journalism startup and the nation's oldest investigative news nonprofit are considering a merger. The two California nonprofits announced Tuesday that their boards signed a memorandum of understanding to hand over management of The Bay Citizen to The Center for Investigative Reporting within 30 days.
The San Francisco-based Bay Citizen was founded in 2009 by financier and philanthropist Warren Hellman to boost local news coverage. Hellman died in December from complications of leukemia and many two of its top editors and the CEO publisher recently departed.
Founded in 1977, the Berkeley-based Center for Investigative Reporting added a new venture in 2009 called California Watch, which covers public interest topics. Former San Francisco Chronicle Editor-At-Large Phil Bronstein, who leads the center's board of directors, will become executive chairman of the new entity.