The Legislative Gazette is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization with a mission of keeping New Yorkers informed about the politics, policy, and people of New York State government. The newspaper is published as an educational project under the auspices of the Digital Media and Journalism Department at the State University of New York, College at New Paltz.
What We Do – Our student journalists are trained to report the news objectively and fairly and to provide a forum for our readers, elected officials, issue advocates, and all concerned citizens to make their voices heard on the legislation that affects all New Yorkers.
Brief History – Since the first edition was published in 1978, The Gazette has provided in-depth coverage of state government as a public service to the people of New York. The Gazette transitioned from traditional weekly newsprint to a robust digital presence in 2015. Since then, we have reinvented our program by giving our students the tools necessary to excel in modern journalism. And while the tools for reporting and publishing continue to change, the Gazette’s commitment to on-the-ground reporting, quality writing, and objective coverage of state news has remained at the center of our educational mission and focus.
Our alumni have moved on to successful careers in the fields of journalism, politics, business, law, and advocacy. Graduates are working at news organizations such as Wall Street Journal, NY Daily News, NY Post, Albany Times Union, Schenectady Gazette, Hartford Courant, Oneonta Daily Star, Kingston Freeman, Poughkeepsie Journal, Times Herald-Record, and The Associated Press.
Some of the most notable alumni include two Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists Alex Storozynski and Roe D’Angelo; CEO of the Empire Justice Center Anne Erickson; Former Disney Group Publisher Mark Papia; the state Assembly’s Director of Speaker’s Correspondence Kevin Hogan; and writer and web developer Dan Kittay.
Publisher – Dr. Alan Chartock, the Gazette’s long-time publisher, proposed The Gazette internship program with Gerald Benjamin more than 40 years ago. Chartock recalls that the idea for the Gazette internship came in 1977, after he had spent a short time as publisher of the Fire Island Sun.
Chartock had a vision of replicating the work of Fire Island Sun with the political science and journalism students at SUNY New Paltz. Never before had a newspaper, especially one staffed by students, focused this closely on state politics in New York. Chartock, the president and CEO of Northeast Public Radio, can be heard hosting numerous programs on WAMC, and shares his political insights in the our “Publisher’s Corner” column every week.
Project Director – The Project Director is Gerald Benjamin, a long-time political science professor at SUNY New Paltz, author, director of the Benjamin Center and an expert on state and local government.
Editor – The Legislative Gazette’s first editor, Glenn Doty, served as a teacher and mentor for 23 years. His successor was John Bechtel in 2001. Bechtel departed from the Gazette in 2005. In 2006, former Gazette intern James Gormley was named editor and associate publisher. Gormley — who holds degrees in photography, journalism, public policy, and political communication — is a journalism professor at SUNY New Paltz, and works closely with students in our Albany newsroom to teach fair, objective, and thorough reporting as a public service to the people of New York State.
Financing – The Legislative Gazette is a nonprofit news organization that relies on advertising revenue, the State University of New York College at New Paltz, and generous grants from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Nicholas B. Ottaway Foundation, and others, to continue our mission of educating student journalists and providing objective news for New Yorkers.
