ABOUT US

The Georgia Recorder is an independent, nonprofit news organization that is focused on connecting public policies to stories of the people and communities affected by them. We bring a fresh perspective to coverage of the state’s biggest issues from our office a few blocks from Georgia’s Gold Dome. Our perch might be near the Capitol in downtown Atlanta, but the communities we care about are found in all corners of Georgia, from the mountains of Blue Ridge to the flatlands of Bainbridge.

We’ll provide you with a steady mix of in-depth stories, blog posts and social media updates on the latest news and progressive commentary. We won’t accept advertising, erect paywalls or sell subscriptions. We view news as a vital community service and believe that government accountability and transparency are valued by all Georgians. We welcome other news outlets to republish our articles and photographs, all we ask in exchange is credit as the source.

Just a few years ago, news outlets across Georgia staffed their own capital bureaus and it was common for several reporters to cover the same legislative committee hearings, press conferences on the Capitol steps and other state policy news. Most traditional news organizations now lack the resources to do much more than chase the political outrage of the day. Meanwhile, proposals to shape Georgia’s approach to health care, public schools, community development and other essential ingredients for a good quality-of-life don’t receive the attention they warrant. The Georgia Recorder aims to remedy that.

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John McCosh

Editor-in-Chief

John McCosh is a seasoned writer and editor with decades of experience in journalism and government public affairs. His skills were forged in Georgia newsrooms, where he was a business and investigative reporter, editor and bureau chief. He expanded his experience during years in nonprofit and corporate communications roles. For more than a decade at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, McCosh investigated state and local government officials and operations. He also tracked regional growth and development with a focus on metro Atlanta’s population-related problems, including traffic congestion, air pollution and water quality. He first learned the power of public records to unlock information when he was a commercial real estate reporter at the Atlanta Business Chronicle. McCosh is a board member of the Georgia First Amendment Foundation and active in the Georgia State Signal Alumni Group, which advises student journalists.

Jill Nolin

Deputy Editor

Jill Nolin has spent nearly 15 years reporting on state and local government in four states, focusing on policy and political stories and tracking public spending. She has spent the last five years chasing stories in the halls of Georgia’s Gold Dome, earning recognition for her work showing the impact of rising opioid addiction on the state’s rural communities. Before that, Nolin was a city hall reporter at the Virginian-Pilot and the Montgomery Advertiser, where her work on an abandoned and neglected historic African American cemetery prompted city officials to take action. A south Alabama native, Nolin is a graduate of Troy University, where she studied journalism and English.

Stanley Dunlap

Senior Reporter

Stanley Dunlap has covered government and politics for news outlets in Georgia and Tennessee for the past decade. At The (Macon) Telegraph he told readers about Macon-Bibb County’s challenges implementing its recent consolidation, with a focus on ways the state Legislature determines the fate of local communities. He used open records requests to break a story of a $400 million pension sweetheart deal a county manager steered to a friendly consultant. The Georgia Associated Press Managing Editors named Stanley a finalist in 2018 for best deadline reporting for his story on the death of Gregg Allman and best beat reporting for explanatory articles on the 2018 Macon-Bibb County budget deliberations. The Tennessee Press Association honored him for his reporting on the disappearance of Holly Bobo, which became a sensational murder case that generated national headlines.Dunlap is a graduate of the University of Memphis.

Ross Williams

Reporter

Before joining the Georgia Recorder, Ross Williams covered local and state government for the Marietta Daily Journal. Williams' reporting took him from City Hall to homeless camps, from the offices of business executives to the living rooms of grieving parents. His work earned recognition from the Georgia Associated Press Media Editors and the Georgia Press Association, including beat reporting, business writing and non-deadline reporting. A native of Cobb County, Williams holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Atlanta's Oglethorpe University and a master’s in journalism from Northwestern University.

Jay Bookman

Columnist

Jay Bookman has covered Georgia and national politics for nearly 30 years for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, earning numerous national, regional and state journalism awards. He has been awarded the National Headliner Award and the Walker Stone Award for outstanding editorial writing, and is the only two-time winner of the Pulliam Fellowship granted by the Society of Professional Journalists. He is also the author of "Caught in the Current," published by St. Martin's Press.

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