Laura Belin, an openly liberal journalist in Iowa, has faced repeated exclusion from Republican officials and is now being bypassed by Democrats in favor of friendly internet influencers. For two decades, she has published investigative journalism on Bleeding Heartland and Substack, citing public records and inside sources. Despite her work being cited by major outlets like The Washington Post and Politico, she has been denied credentials, shut out of briefings, and excluded from press rows.
Her open donations to Democratic candidates—permitted by some outlets but discouraged by others—have been used to question her objectivity. Belin argues that access is essential to reporting and that her exclusion reflects a broader shift in journalism, where biased podcasters and Substack writers gain influence while traditional reporters are sidelined. She maintains she writes skeptical pieces about Democrats too and covers the news as she believes it should be covered.
Source: New York Times Business · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing