Our Story
Building a legacy of reliable journalism
From statehouse reporting to national coverage, the Franklin News Foundation has been a leader in citizen-focused journalism.
2009
Franklin Center Founded
The Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity launched news bureaus around the country through long-form journalism.
2016
Formation of Illinois News Network
John Tillman and media veteran Chris Krug build the Illinois News Network. Coming from the media publishing world, this leadership team saw an opportunity to fill a critical gap in mainstream media: concise, impactful taxpayer-centered news about statehouse and statewide issues delivered to local media outlets for free through a daily newswire service. This concept filled two needs by providing impactful, original straight news to local publishers when they needed it most and centering that content on issues often ignored by traditional news outlets.
2017
Leadership Transition
The Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity board steps down and hands leadership over to John Tillman, absorbing all Franklin brands.
2019
Rebranding and The Center Square Launch
The foundation is rebranded the Franklin News Foundation and launches The Center Square, rapidly scaling to coverage of all 50 states with a national news bureau in Washington, D.C., that provides clear, contextual insight into the decisions made in the nation’s capital and, more specifically, what these decisions mean to taxpayers in their home markets.
2021
America's Talking Network Launch
Franklin launched an innovative podcasting hub, the America’s Talking Network (ATN), featuring the work created at The Center Square, as well as other creators. ATN builds on Franklin’s expertise introducing and distributing audio news content through the Illinois Radio Network, which partners with 101 radio stations in the state.
2022
Acquisition and rebranding of Chalkboard News
Franklin acquires Chalkboard Review, a trusted, authoritative, and independent voice in K-12 education journalism; rebranding the site to Chalkboard News. This work is infused with the belief that everyone is an education stakeholder, and readers can be trusted to draw their own conclusions when they are presented with hard facts.
2023
Acquisition of Advanced Digital Media
Franklin acquires Advanced Digital Media, operators of Blue Room Stream, often called the “C-SPAN of Illinois.” This expansion adds livestreaming and videos of legislative hearings, news conferences and other government-related events, providing subscribers with instant access to see what their elected officials are up to.
2023
The Center Square Launches Voters’ Voice Poll
Franklin launches The Center Square Voters' Voice Poll, a comprehensive survey of more than 2,500 voters that uses an innovative approach to understanding the American electorate and their views on issues that matter to their daily lives. The poll, conducted quarterly, is among the most accurate because of its large sample size, also allowing Franklin to provide broader perspectives from sub-group analysis.
2023
The Center Square Radio Hour Debut
Franklin launches The Center Square Radio Hour composed of conversations with staff reporters about the top stories they broke or reported on throughout the week. For the audience, the show delivers news that they may not have previously read, seen, or heard.
An award-winning team
Our staff has received numerous awards from the nationally acclaimed Editor and Publisher, including being named among the top news-media organizations to watch.
Dan McCaleb
Alan Wooten
Christen Smith
