# InDepthNH.org Site Story-Type Analysis

**Date:** August 13, 2026  
**Analyst:** Aaron R. Davis / Shepherd  
**Output:** `~/Desktop/INDNH/editorial/site_story_analysis.md`  
**Method:** Live site scrape via WP REST API and jina.ai fallback, plus existing workspace notes.

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## 1. Executive summary

InDepthNH.org is a small nonprofit watchdog site with a **hybrid content model**: a lean core of staff/part-time reporters doing original statehouse, courts, and investigative work; a large roster of **featured columnists** producing regular opinion and place-based pieces; and a **limited syndicated/AP wire feed** for national-context stories. The site is WordPress-based and publishes 3–6 items per day during active weeks. Categories are broad and sometimes inconsistently applied (e.g., a White House press secretary story filed under Business & Economy).

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## 2. Story mix by category

| Category | What it carries | Typical bylines | Examples from Aug. 11–12, 2026 |
|:---------|:----------------|:----------------|:--------------------------------|
| **Politics** | Statehouse, legislature, governor, Executive Council, congressional races, campaign finance, voting | Garry Rayno, Paula Tracy, Damien Fisher, Zach Laird, Road to the Capitol | “GOP, Dem State Senators Call for Audit of UNH”; “Goodlander Speaks at Concord Rotary” |
| **Courts & Corrections** | Court proceedings, Laurie List (dishonest police), YDC abuse, incarceration | Nancy West, Damien Fisher | (implied from site nav and tags) |
| **Environment & Science** | Pollution, climate, energy, natural resources, coastal issues | Aaron R. Davis | “Judge Orders Review of Manchester’s Water Treatment Plant Permit” |
| **Business & Economy** | State revenue/budget, labor, taxes, development, national economy wire | Garry Rayno, Aaron R. Davis, AP | “NH’s Karoline Leavitt Leaving as White House Press Secretary” (miscategorized); “Inflation slows but prices remain elevated…” (AP) |
| **Health & Mental Health** | Medicaid, mental health, maternity care, hospital access | Paula Tracy | “Councilors Liot Hill and Stevens Concerned About Women Facing Maternity ‘Deserts’ in Rural NH” |
| **Education** | UNH/system issues, school funding, K-12 policy, student issues | Zach Laird | “GOP, Dem State Senators Call for Audit of UNH” |
| **News** | Uncategorized daily news, breaking briefs, AP wire | AP, Road to the Capitol, staff | “AP Decision Notes: Vermont primary”; candidate canvassing stories |
| **People & Places** | Profiles, local history, community stories | Katharine Webster, John Harrigan, Beverly Stoddart | (implied from nav/series) |
| **Arts and Entertainment** | Books, arts, reviews | Monica Drahonovsky | “Monica Reads” series |
| **Editorial Cartoons** | Mike Marland cartoons, freelance illustrators | Mike Marland, Elijah Fisher | “Picking Poisons” |

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## 3. Sourcing patterns

### Original reporting (estimated 50–60% of content)
- **Statehouse coverage**: Garry Rayno (House, by YouTube and contacts in New London), Paula Tracy (Senate, in-person at State House, photographer).
- **Courts/crime**: Damien Fisher, Nancy West, Paula Tracy (travel to arraignments in North Country).
- **Investigations and accountability**: Nancy West, Aaron R. Davis, Katharine Webster.
- **Columns/series**: Regular featured columnists.

### Syndicated / wire content (estimated 10–15%)
- Associated Press national/state stories.
- Candidate campaign press releases reprinted with light framing (e.g., “Road to the Capitol” byline).

### Op-eds / columns / commentary (estimated 20–25%)
- “Distant Dome” — Garry Rayno on state government.
- “Active with the Activists” — Arnie Alpert.
- “View from Above the Notches” — John Harrigan.
- “Joyful Musings” — Susan Dromey Heeter.
- “Why Should You Care NH” — Bob Charest.
- “Power to the People” — D. Maurice Kreis.
- “Monica Reads” — Monica Drahonovsky.
- “Not for Nothing” — Jen Hollidge.
- “Straight Talk” — unidentified rotating.
- “The Gay Agenda” — unidentified.

### Reprints / contributor pieces
- Some stories appear to be from freelancers or partner outlets with shared bylines.

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## 4. Featured columnists and series

From site navigation (Aug. 12, 2026):

| Series / Column | Author | Focus |
|:----------------|:-------|:------|
| A NH Life | Beverly Stoddart | Profiles, personal histories |
| Active with the Activists | Arnie Alpert | Activism, social movements |
| Straight Talk | — | Politics/commentary |
| The View from Rattlesnake Ridge | Wayne D. King | Rural/place-based commentary |
| Joyful Musings | Susan Dromey Heeter | Lifestyle/culture |
| View from Above the Notches | John Harrigan | North Country, outdoors, public lands |
| Distant Dome | Garry Rayno | Statehouse, budget, politics |
| The Gay Agenda | — | LGBTQ+ issues |
| Why Should You Care NH | Bob Charest | Civic engagement, voter education |
| Radio Free New Hampshire | Michael Davidow | Politics/media commentary |
| Monica Reads | Monica West | Book reviews |
| Power to the People | D. Maurice Kreis | Utility/energy consumer issues |
| Mike Marland Cartoons | Mike Marland | Editorial cartoons |

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## 5. Geographic coverage patterns

- **Concord / State House**: Heavy; this is the core beat.
- **Manchester / Nashua / Southern NH**: Strong on courts, environment, health.
- **Seacoast**: Environment, development, energy (offshore wind, ports).
- **North Country / White Mountains**: Paula Tracy covers arraignments and rural issues; John Harrigan column.
- **Dartmouth/Upper Valley**: Some coverage via columns and candidate stories.
- **Keene/Monadnock Region**: Lighter; could be expanded.

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## 6. Press-release / source list suggestions by beat

Based on what the site actually publishes, here are the public bodies and organizations InDepthNH should be on mailing lists for:

### Statehouse / Politics
- **Governor’s Office** — press releases, executive orders, appointments: `governor.nh.gov/media-center`
- **NH House of Representatives** — session calendars, committee schedules, bill summaries
- **NH Senate** — session calendars, press releases
- **Executive Council** — meeting notices, votes on contracts/appointments
- **Secretary of State Elections Division** — election law changes, voter guides, registration deadlines
- **Ballotpedia New Hampshire** — candidate trackers, ballot measures
- **NH Democratic Party / NH Republican Party** — statements, events
- **Common Cause New Hampshire** — voting rights, redistricting
- **Open Democracy NH** — voting rights, election reform

### Courts / Corrections / Criminal Justice
- **NH Judicial Branch** — court calendars, administrative orders, rule changes
- **NH Department of Corrections** — press releases, inmate incidents, contract announcements
- **County jails** (Strafford, Hillsborough, Merrimack, Rockingham) — incident reports, jail conditions
- **NH Attorney General’s Office** — criminal charges, investigations, legal opinions
- **County attorneys** — major cases, charging decisions
- **Public Defender / NH ACLU Smart Justice** — criminal-justice reform
- **Disability Rights Center – NH** — institutional conditions

### Environment / Science / Energy
- **NHDES** — water quality, air quality, waste, PFAS, wetlands, dams
- **NH Fish and Game** — wildlife, fisheries, land management
- **NH Office of Strategic Initiatives / Energy Division** — energy policy, climate plans
- **EPA Region 1** — permits, enforcement, Superfund
- **U.S. Forest Service (White Mountain National Forest)** — federal land issues
- **NH Coastal Adaptation Workgroup / PREP** — estuary, eelgrass, coastal resilience
- **Conservation Law Foundation (NH/ME)** — environmental litigation
- **Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests** — land conservation
- **NH Sierra Club, NH Audubon** — conservation advocacy
- **Local watershed associations** (e.g., Great Bay Estuarine Research Reserve, Piscataqua Region Estuaries Partnership)

### Health / Mental Health
- **NH Department of Health and Human Services** — Medicaid, public health, mental health
- **NH Hospital / state psychiatric facilities** — incidents, capacity
- **NH Department of Corrections Division of Medical and Forensic Services** — prison health
- **Mental Health Center of Greater Manchester / Riverbend Community Mental Health** — local service gaps
- **NAMI New Hampshire** — mental health advocacy
- **Planned Parenthood of Northern New England / ACLU-NH Reproductive Freedom** — reproductive health

### Education
- **NH Department of Education** — school funding, EFA, certification
- **University System of New Hampshire** — Board of Trustees, tuition, audits
- **UNH, Dartmouth, Keene State, SNHU, Plymouth State** — public affairs / media relations
- **NEA-NH / AFT-NH** — teacher unions, education policy
- **Reaching Higher NH** — education funding, policy analysis

### Business / Economy / Labor
- **NH Department of Business and Economic Affairs** — economic development
- **NH Department of Labor** — wage and hour, unemployment, workplace safety
- **NH Department of Revenue Administration** — revenue reports, tax amnesty
- **NH Business and Industry Association** — business advocacy
- **AFL-CIO New Hampshire / SEIU** — labor unions
- **U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Northeast Region** — jobs data

### Local Government / Right-to-Know
- **NH Municipal Association** — local government policy, RSA changes
- **NH Right to Know Coalition / NFOIC** — transparency, FOIA
- **Local city/town manager associations** — municipal news

### National wire / context
- **Associated Press New England** — national-context NH stories
- **Stateline / Pew Charitable Trusts** — state policy comparisons

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## 7. Content gaps and opportunities

| Gap | Why it matters | InDepthNH angle |
|:----|:---------------|:----------------|
| **Strafford and Hillsborough county jails** | User mentioned Nancy wants a check on these; no recent coverage visible | Conditions, deaths, staffing, budgets |
| **State procurement and Executive Council contracts** | Political patronage, transparency | Follow contracts over $10K |
| **PFAS / water pollution outside Merrimack** | Eelgrass/microplastics investigation paused; PFAS litigation active | Regional PFAS mapping, utility testing |
| **Housing and homelessness** | Major NH issue, only lightly covered by columnists | Data-driven coverage of zoning, shelters, eviction filings |
| **Rural healthcare closures / maternity deserts** | Paula Tracy touched it; could be a series | Map closures, interview providers |
| **Mental health system capacity** | NH Hospital, Secure Psychiatric Unit | Capacity, wait times, deaths in custody |
| **Public defender crisis / court backlogs** | Courts beat | Case delays, indigent defense funding |
| **Election administration / voter access** | Current lawsuit over student IDs; SOS quiet | Service journalism + accountability |
| **Climate adaptation / municipal resilience** | Environment beat | Flood maps, infrastructure spending |
| **Education Freedom Accounts / school choice spending** | Education beat | Public money, accountability |

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## 8. Notes on categorization and CMS

- Categories are broad and sometimes miscategorized (e.g., Karoline Leavitt story under Business & Economy).
- Tags are more specific and useful for tracking beats (Donald Trump, Chris Pappas, YDC, etc.).
- Featured columns live under `/series/` URLs and often have dedicated author pages.
- The site uses the **Largo** WordPress theme (Project Largo network), common among INN member outlets.

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## 9. Sources used

- WP REST API users endpoint: `https://indepthnh.org/wp-json/wp/v2/users?per_page=100`
- Site navigation and category pages via jina.ai
- User-provided workspace notes: `~/Desktop/INDNH/Nancy workflow`, `~/Desktop/INDNH/notes/Coverage options`
- Live site home page and recent posts, Aug. 11–12, 2026

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*Last updated: 2026-08-13*