| Publisher | Frank Parlato, Jr. |
|---|---|
| Editor | Mike Hudson |
| Founded | 2000 |
| Headquarters | 1625 Buffalo Avenue, Ste 2A, Niagara Falls, New York 14303 |
| Circulation | 22,500 |
| Official website | Niagara Falls Reporter |
The Niagara Falls Reporter is a weekly newspaper published in Niagara Falls, New York. It was launched on June 28, 2000, by veteran journalist Mike Hudson, who had previously worked for newspapers in Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York City. Hudson had also worked at the Niagara Gazette but was fired due to his radical point of view.
With a circulation of 22,500, the paper has managed to thrive during a generally dismal period for the newspaper industry. Its tabloid format, long form investigative reporting and free distribution have all been factors in this success.
The Reporter played a central role in the Laborers Local 91 story, in which the entire corrupt leadership of the Niagara Falls union pleaded or were found guilty on numerous federal charges of extortion and racketeering. The case resulted in Hudson being the only journalist subpoenaed to testify in the trials.
The paper also uncovered the evidence that began a federal investigation that led to the federal indictment of former Niagara Falls Mayor Vince Anello on charges of public corruption.
The Reporter published a series of articles commencing in late 2008 through 2010 on the twin leases that the Maid of the Mist boats operated by Lewiston NY businessman James Glynn had with the Niagara Parks Commission (NPC) in Ontario and the New York State Parks. The Reporter was first to publish the terms of the leases, and broke a story that the NPC secretly reduced the rent while excluding other bidders.
The Minister of Tourism for the Province of Ontario ordered the Maid of the Mist lease out to bid for the first time in the history of the Niagara Parks in late 2009.
The city council of Niagara Falls voted to endorse the Niagara Falls Reporter as the weekly newspaper of the city council for purposes of publishing information the council wishes the public to be informed about as well as any other matters the council wishes to be printed or published in 2011.
Since its launch, the paper's reporting on a wide variety of topics has been cited or linked to by The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and The Washington Post, along with magazines like Editor & Publisher and the Columbia Journalism Review, and Web outlets including Salon and Wikipedia.
Hudson has also written four books, Niagara Falls Confidential, Mob Boss, "Jetsam," and Diary of a Punk (the latter is a memoir of his years as the leader of the 1970s Cleveland, Ohio-based punk rock band The Pagans).