About 640 million acres—roughly 28 percent of the United States—are held by federal agencies such as the Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Reclamation and the Forest Service. Those lands underpin large parts of the economy and are central to heated political battles, yet no major outlet previously maintained a dedicated public-lands desk. Last week, former Outside editor in chief Chris Keyes launched RE:PUBLIC, a nonprofit newsroom devoted exclusively to reporting on public lands.
RE:PUBLIC’s stated mission is focused reporting on the management, policy and politics surrounding public lands. Keyes outlined a first-year budget of $500,000 to hire an editorial director and a Washington, D.C.–based reporter, create a podcast and social channels, commission about a dozen investigative features, and begin building a data team, regional reporters and an annual print publication.
Why start now? Keyes points to mounting threats to public lands — from policy rollbacks and proposed land sales to growing management disputes — combined with a sharp contraction in local and national journalism. He cites a decline of roughly three-quarters in U.S. newsroom staffing compared with two decades ago, and argues that many national desks are overwhelmed and rarely prioritize public-lands coverage.
After leaving Outside in February 2025, Keyes spent April drafting RE:PUBLIC’s plan. He modeled the operation on existing nonprofit, single-topic newsrooms like the Texas Tribune, believing a dedicated national outlet can build audience and impact. RE:PUBLIC is fiscally sponsored by the Institute for Nonprofit News (INN) while its separate 501(c)(3) application proceeds; under INN rules it will disclose donors who give more than $5,000.
For year one, fundraising will prioritize individual donors and foundations: individuals for quicker support, foundations for longer-term backing. Keyes says he will approach outdoor-industry brands later, after the newsroom establishes financial independence, and intends to separate fundraising from editorial leadership to protect newsroom independence.
RE:PUBLIC is not positioning itself as an advocacy group. Keyes describes it as a journalistic organization that will scrutinize policy proposals — including land sales pitched as housing solutions — rather than reflexively defending every acre. He acknowledges two guiding beliefs: that climate change is real and human-caused, and that recreation and conservation voices need more influence in management decisions. He also views public-lands issues as unusually bipartisan in public opinion, even if the supporting coalition is fragmented.
Editorially, RE:PUBLIC aims for depth over volume. In year one it plans to publish 10–12 feature-length investigative pieces instead of a steady stream of short items, and to use narrative reporting that examines multiple perspectives before drawing conclusions. Coverage will span national and regional stories, supported by a planned data team and regional reporting hires.
Keyes also recognizes practical limits: early budgets underfund photography and may misallocate story fees, and many funders prefer local or regional projects, pressuring the outlet to define a geographic focus. Based in the West, RE:PUBLIC argues that most public-land conflicts occur there and seeks to amplify Western perspectives often overlooked by East Coast media.
The target audience is nonpartisan: conservation-minded readers, outdoor recreationists and policymakers. Keyes notes the outdoor economy is large but fragmented and could be more influential if it spoke with greater coherence.
RE:PUBLIC launches into a contested policy environment with modest ambitions: build a sustainable nonprofit newsroom that delivers investigative, narrative-driven coverage to inform how public lands are used and protected. Fundraising and hiring are already underway, and for now the mandate is simple — cover public lands, and nothing else.