| Type | Online newspaper |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Danny Stusser |
| Editor | Wyatt Haupt, Jr.[1] |
| Staff writers | 17 (2024) |
| Operating budget | $340,000 (2025) |
| Founded | May 2020 (2020-05) |
| Political alignment | Independent,non-partisan |
| Language | English |
| City | Tumwater, Washington |
| Country | United States |
| Circulation | 8,500 (daily) (as of 2025)[1] |
| Website | www |
The Journal of Olympia, Lacey & Tumwater, referred to asThe JOLT and also known under the acronym,JOLT, is anon-profit digital news publication and organization that covers theOlympia,Lacey, andTumwater metropolitan area. The news site, which focuses on regional issues, particularly government concerns andpublic hearings, first began operations in May 2020.
TheJournal of Olympia, Lacey & Tumwater (JOLT), also known as "The JOLT", is a non-profit,online newspaper and organization that began in May 2020. The digital publication was founded by its publisher, Danny Stusser.[2] The news site originally began as a small business, converting tonon-profit status in September 2021.The JOLT was granted a501(c)(3) public-charity designation in March 2023.[1][a]
Stusser's idea forThe JOLT came from a concern over the dwindling local coverage of theLacey, Olympia, andTumwater region, as well as the lack of in-house staffing atThe Olympian, the main news organization in the county. Stusser, who had drawn up a business model for a local news site in 2011, had previously operated a restaurant news publication known asCoffee News. Due to a sudden lack of distribution caused by the shutdowns of dining establishments during the early onset of theCOVID-19 pandemic, the venture was shuttered.[1]
The model forThe JOLT since its inception was to focus on "civic reporting", providing articles about various government meetings at the city and county levels as well aspublic hearings and school district news. The journal also reports on various topics, referred to as "service journalism", which includes articles on businesses, infrastructure, and weather in the local area. Approximately 95% ofThe JOLT's content is considered to be original reporting with local journalists at the outlet providing up to 40 original news articles per week.[1]
Due to the journal's non-profit status, as well as Stusser's original business model for the publication,The JOLT is required to be an independent,non-partisan news organization and cannot promote nor endorse political candidates.[1]
The news organization is overseen by aboard of directors and is considered as "community owned".[1]
As of 2024[update], the staff atThe JOLT consisted of a total of 17 staff members, only two of which were considered to be full-time employees. Six journalists of the outlet were based in thePhilippines.[2]
The JOLT is a free publication.[1] It received a $100,000 grant in 2024 fromPress Forward, a group created to help fund local news sources. As of 2024[update], the journal reported expenses for the year at $200,000. The non-profit, in 2025, reported an annual operational budget of $340,000.[2] Additional funding comes from donors and donorship programs.[1]
A daily newsletter, known asThe Daily JOLT, was reported to reach 8,500 readers each weekday by 2025.[1]
In 2024,The JOLT'sphotojournalism article,Homelessness in Olympia by JM Simpson and Stusser, was named a finalist for theInstitute for Nonprofit News Nonprofit News Awards.[3] The story won the award in the Micro Division of the Insight Award for Visual Journalism category.[4]