Honolulu Civil Beat - American Journalism Project

Honolulu Civil Beat is a local, nonprofit news organization with a mission to cultivate an informed body of citizens, all striving to make Hawaiʻi a better place to live. It is the sole Hawaiʻi news outlet dedicated to consistent, in-depth investigative and watchdog journalism, analysis and commentary.

Civil Beat launched in Honolulu in 2010 and has since expanded gradually to cover all of Hawaiʻi, with reporters based on all the major islands. Its core reporting beats cover the issues that matter most to the people of Hawaiʻi, including climate change, economic inequality, education, food security and agriculture, government accountability, housing, and Native Hawaiian issues.

In 2024, Civil Beat was named a Pulitzer Prize Finalist in Breaking News for our coverage of the Maui fires – the first time a Hawaiʻi news outlet has been honored by the Pulitzers. The outlet also won prestigious awards from the Online News Association, the Asian American Journalists Association, National Headliners and the Institute for Nonprofit News, among others.

Support from the American Journalism Project will allow Civil Beat to expand to better serve all of Hawaiʻi by addressing growing information gaps around the state. The newsroom will dramatically increase its coverage of three key, underserved rural regions — Kauaʻi County, Maui County and Hawaiʻi County — relying on community input every step of the way. By building a hub-and-spoke model, Civil Beat will ensure neighbor island readers fully benefit from the deep resources and expertise of its Honolulu-based newsroom as well as from embedded journalists with local connections.

Leaders

Amy Pyle

Executive Editor-In-Chief

Amy Pyle became Civil Beat’s top leader in September 2024 after running teams focused on investigations and enterprise for nearly two decades, most recently as managing editor for investigations and storytelling at USA TODAY. Previously, Amy held leadership positions at several other renowned news organizations, including as the editor-in-chief at Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting and as assistant managing editor for projects and investigations at The Sacramento Bee. She also served in various roles at the Los Angeles Times, including guiding coverage of the Northridge Earthquake from the parking lot of the quake-damaged San Fernando Valley newsroom, contributing to the package that won a staff Pulitzer Prize.
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Ben Nishimoto

Vice President of Operations and Philanthropy

Ben Nishimoto is the vice president of operations and philanthropy for Honolulu Civil Beat, responsible for executing revenue, audience, and operating strategies for our statewide newsroom. Under his operational leadership, Civil Beat has increased its operational budget, staff size and audience, while exceeding overall fundraising goals in each of the past 9 fiscal years. Prior to Civil Beat, Ben was the vice president of advancement at PBS Hawaiʻi, where he played a leadership role in the station's capital campaign while also overseeing annual fund strategies. He is born and raised in Hawaiʻi.
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