Today we’d like to introduce you to Alaina Moore.
Hi Alaina, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Palmetto State Watch started with a simple but infuriating observation: South Carolina’s political class had grown comfortable operating in the dark, and no one was shining a light on it. My co-founder Janis Price and I were on the 2022 campaign trail when the frustration of researching corruption in real time pushed us to stop waiting for someone else to do something about it. We founded PSW in August 2022, building a team of volunteers from across the state who shared our belief that residents deserved real accountability journalism at the local and state level. In August 2024, we formalized that mission by founding the Palmetto State Watch Foundation, our 501(c)(3). What started as grassroots watchdog work has grown into a full investigative outlet covering campaign finance, election integrity, economic development, and legislative accountability, all focused on the level of government (county and state) where the real power in South Carolina actually lives.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not been a smooth road. Investigating and publishing the truth about what is going on in South Carolina comes with real consequences, and Janis and I have faced pressure and backlash in both our professional and personal lives as a result. We have even received financial offers to stop researching certain topics. The answer has always been no. In the early years, I worked four part time jobs to keep the vision alive and moving forward. None of it has been easy, but none of it has made us question whether the work is worth doing.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Palmetto State Watch Foundation specializes in investigative accountability journalism focused entirely on South Carolina state and local government. We cover campaign finance, election integrity, economic development deals, and legislative ethics, and we go where the evidence leads regardless of who it implicates.
We are probably best known for our years of investigative coverage into the South Carolina State Election Commission. We reported on misconduct there when virtually no one else would, and that sustained coverage contributed to the arrests of the agency’s Director and Deputy Director. That work took three years and a lot of pressure to stay quiet. We did not.
More recently, we released a series exposing litigation retention agreements between the Attorney General’s office and his former law partners and sitting legislators who collect fees from those agreements without proper disclosure. The response was immediate. Legislators rushed to amend their ethics filings and a bill was introduced to prevent similar arrangements from happening in the future.
We have also seen our investigative reporting stop bad deals before they happen. One of our articles on a massive incentive package being considered for a data center led a county council to pull back from approving it entirely.
That is the kind of impact we are after: real accountability that produces real consequences. What sets us apart is that we are not chasing clicks or trying to appeal to a national audience. We are embedded in this state, focused on this state, and we are not going anywhere.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
Starting PSW/PSWF was itself a major risk. I put my life on hold and worked low-income part time jobs for years to make this dream a reality. There was no guarantee it would work, no institutional backing, and no safety net.
There is also an inherent risk in the work itself. When you dedicate your life to exposing people with significant money and power who essentially run this state, the potential rewards are few and the potential consequences are real. We have felt that pressure firsthand.
What keeps us going is that this is not just a professional mission for us. It is a God-driven one. We have been called to do this work, and that conviction has carried us through moments where the practical calculus said to stop.
We are also entirely funded by grassroots donations, which is rare in this space and is itself a form of risk. That independence is everything to us, and we protect it even when it would be easier not to.
Pricing:
- $25 monthly donation club: get a subscription to PSWF to support our mission and make sure our content stays free to everyone!
- $100 monthly donation club: Get access to a monthly call summary about what PSWF is doing and what your donation was used for!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://palmettostatewatchfoundation.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/palmettostatewatch/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PalmettoStateWatch/
- Twitter: https://x.com/WatchPalmetto
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@palmettostatewatch
