INN newsrooms covering rural communities during the 2026 midterms will now have access to investigative research support that has long been out of reach for many small or local outlets.
MuckRock and the Institute for Nonprofit News’ Rural News Network are partnering to provide RNN member newsrooms access to a support program designed to strengthen 2026 midterm election coverage at small and rural news organizations across the country.
RNN member newsrooms will receive access to the Sunlight Research Desk, a specialized investigative support service, along with MuckRock’s public records request platform and its DocumentCloud tools for analyzing, annotating and publishing primary source documents.
“With the elections around the corner, this partnership helps bring high-quality research support within reach, so rural journalists can dig into the money, the players and what it all means for their communities,” said Alana Rocha, director of collaborative and rural initiatives at INN.
Under the partnership, Sunlight Research Desk will provide the following benefits to RNN newsrooms:
- Hands-on, one-on-one research support for newsrooms: The Sunlight team will provide direct support through tailored consultation calls and research support to help reporters dig into a candidate’s background, follow the money, verify documents and more.
- Small-group workshops to build skills and confidence: Rural journalists will come together for interactive trainings focused on how to investigate candidates and elections more effectively. These sessions walk through real examples, show you where to find key information and give you time to ask questions — so you can apply what you learn to your own coverage.
- Premium access to MuckRock’s investigative tools for filing public records requests and analyzing primary source documents.
“Every voter, no matter where they live, deserves access to deeply reported, fact-based journalism. We’re incredibly excited to partner with the Rural News Network to help rural newsrooms provide exactly that as they cover the 2026 midterms,” said Brandi Swicegood, MuckRock’s chief editorial and programs officer.
The Sunlight Research Desk will work directly with reporters on research, investigations and data tasks so that newsrooms can focus on the local reporting that matters. Newsrooms will also get access to a members-only Slack channel and office hours for faster, real-time help when deadlines are tight.
The program starts April 15 and runs through Nov. 30, providing newsrooms with support throughout the election cycle. RNN members can find out more by joining one of four informational sessions in April and May. To learn more about how the Sunlight Research Desk supports newsrooms, contact Brandi Swicegood at brandi@muckrock.com.
About MuckRock
MuckRock Foundation is a nonprofit, collaborative news site that brings together journalists, researchers and the public to request, analyze and share government information. A project of MuckRock, Sunlight Research Desk is a team of researchers and journalists on a mission to support local newsrooms by expanding their capacity for investigative journalism.
About The Rural News Network
The Rural News Network is a project of the Institute for Nonprofit News, uniting 95 of its more than 500 members in a collaboration focused on rural journalism.
