About Cardinal & Pine

Cardinal & Pine

Cardinal & Pine is a North Carolina-focused progressive news site — part of Courier Newsroom, the national network of state-based publications owned by the progressive media company Courier. Named for North Carolina's state bird (the cardinal) and state tree (the longleaf pine), the site covers the people, policies, and decisions shaping life across the Tar Heel State from a pro-democracy, progressive perspective. Operating at cardinalpine.com, the outlet publishes free, fact-based reporting — no paywall — on the General Assembly, elections, education, healthcare, the economy, and culture, alongside signature franchises like the "3 Things Happening in NC" weekly guide and "Good News Friday." As a self-described "pro-democracy news outlet that has clear beliefs," Cardinal & Pine exemplifies Courier's model: professional journalists producing progressive local news for swing-state audiences.

Courier Newsroom: The Parent Network

Cardinal & Pine is owned and operated by Courier Newsroom, the progressive media company founded in 2019 by Democratic operative Tara McGowan. Courier operates a network of state-based outlets in politically competitive states — including UpNorthNews (Wisconsin), the Copper Courier (Arizona), The 'Gander (Michigan), The Keystone (Pennsylvania), and others — expanding to 20 states in 2025. The network is backed by progressive donors, reportedly including $15 million from the Soros family's Fund for Policy Reform in 2023. Courier describes its publications as providing "factual, local reporting" from a "transparently progressive" perspective. Critics, including the Columbia Journalism Review — which called the model "money from interested parties who seek a particular political outcome" — argue the operation blurs journalism with political persuasion. Cardinal & Pine sits squarely within this contested model.

The Name: Cardinal and Pine

The site's name honors North Carolina's state symbols: the northern cardinal, the state bird, and the longleaf pine, the state tree — both icons of Carolina identity. The branding signals rootedness: this is a publication for North Carolinians, about North Carolina, named for the things that make the state distinctive. In a media landscape where national outlets parachute in for elections and leave, the name promises permanence and local belonging. It's also a subtle differentiator from the think-tank-affiliated conservative press (like the John Locke Foundation's Carolina Journal): Cardinal & Pine claims the state's natural symbols for the progressive cause.

Coverage: North Carolina News With a Progressive Lens

Cardinal & Pine covers the full range of North Carolina news: the Republican-controlled General Assembly, the governor's office, congressional races, education (from Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board drama to UNC controversies), healthcare, the economy, and the environment — including western North Carolina's recovery from Hurricane Helene. The site's framing is explicitly progressive: GOP lawmakers "freak out" about gas prices before elections; Republican candidates' records are scrutinized; Democratic perspectives are centered. But the reporting is fact-based and detailed — legislative vote counts, budget figures, on-the-record quotes — giving the progressive framing a foundation of verifiable information. The site also aggregates wire content from the Associated Press and partners like NC Newsline.

Signature Franchises

Cardinal & Pine's signature formats include "3 Things Happening in NC" — a weekly guide to the people, storylines, and events driving the week's news — and "Good News Friday," highlighting positive developments. The site published a detailed statement of its 2024 election coverage principles: focusing on what candidates would do for voters' daily lives rather than horse-race punditry, amplifying community voices, and covering "with candor" positions that undermine public schools or reproductive rights. This transparency about perspective — "a pro-democracy news outlet that has clear beliefs" — is central to the brand: readers know where the outlet stands.

Business Model: Free, Donor-Supported

Cardinal & Pine is free to readers — "you'll never hit a paywall here" — supported by donations from readers and by Courier Newsroom's broader funding. "Every day, our team works to provide North Carolinians with free, fact-based reporting about the issues, policies, and decisions shaping life across the state," the site tells potential donors. "We believe everyone deserves access to trustworthy local news — not just those who can afford a subscription." The newsletter signup drives audience growth, while the free-access model maximizes reach among the persuadable voters Courier's funders want to influence. Whether donor-funded progressive news can sustain itself as journalism — or functions primarily as political communication — remains the central question about the model.

Covering the 2024 Elections

Cardinal & Pine approached the 2024 elections with published principles: focus on what candidates would do for voters' daily lives rather than horse-race punditry, amplify community voices, and cover "with candor" positions that undermine public schools or reproductive rights. This voter-service approach — explaining stakes rather than handicapping races — reflected the outlet's pro-democracy identity. In North Carolina, where a handful of votes can decide statewide races, the site's election coverage aimed to inform the persuadable voters at the heart of Courier's strategy. Transparent about its perspective, rigorous about its facts: that was the pitch.

Helene Recovery Coverage

When Hurricane Helene devastated western North Carolina, Cardinal & Pine covered the recovery with sustained attention — including the legislature's recovery committee deliberations and the long road back for mountain communities. The coverage exemplified the outlet's state-focused mission: the national media moved on, but North Carolina's paper of progressive record stayed. For the communities rebuilding, and for the policymakers allocating relief, the site's attention mattered. Disasters test local news; Cardinal & Pine showed up.

Good News Friday

Amid the hard news, Cardinal & Pine's "Good News Friday" offers a weekly respite: positive developments across North Carolina, from Blue Ridge Parkway reopenings to community triumphs. The franchise reflects the outlet's understanding that engagement requires more than outrage — readers need reasons for hope, too. In the progressive media ecosystem, where alarm is the default register, "Good News Friday" is a deliberate editorial choice: the news can be bad without the journalism being bleak.

Why Cardinal & Pine Matters

Cardinal & Pine matters because North Carolina — the nation's premier swing state — deserves journalism that covers it with depth and honesty, whatever one's view of the outlet's progressive perspective. Its free access, voter-focused election coverage, and sustained attention to stories like Helene recovery serve North Carolinians poorly served by retreating mainstream media. The partisan-local-news debate will continue; meanwhile, Cardinal & Pine publishes.

The Courier Model in North Carolina

Cardinal & Pine applies the Courier Newsroom playbook to America's premier swing state: professional journalists, progressive perspective, free access, and franchises like "3 Things Happening in NC" and "Good News Friday" designed for shareability. The model's funders — including the Soros family's reported $15 million — are betting that trusted-feeling local news can move persuadable voters more effectively than advertising. The Columbia Journalism Review's skepticism shadows the operation, as it does every Courier outlet. Cardinal & Pine's answer is transparency: a self-described "pro-democracy news outlet that has clear beliefs," practicing journalism in the open about its perspective.

Cardinal & Pine Today

Today, Cardinal & Pine continues to publish at cardinalpine.com — free, progressive, pro-democracy news for North Carolina, as part of the Courier Newsroom network. From its launch as Courier's Tar Heel outlet to its current role covering one of America's most closely contested states, the site has embodied the new realities of partisan local news: professionally reported, transparently opinionated, and aimed at the voters who decide elections. Its official website is https://cardinalpine.com.