Welcome to Compass—news, insights and analysis of Knoxville government, politics and business delivered to you in a subscription-only newsletter and website. Co-founders Scott Barker and Jesse Fox Mayshark are veteran reporters who know the players, the histories and the major issues shaping the future of Knoxville and Knox County.
If you're looking for local news reported with context and depth, and you're tired of being bombarded with pop-up ads on websites owned by out-of-town media companies, Compass is for you! We cover city and county governments, the Knox County school system, business and development trends, the University of Tennessee and other related areas. We also track the local impact of issues at the state and federal levels, from health care to immigration to education.
We promise fresh content on the website every weekday, and a weekday email delivered straight to your inbox with links to new stories and a roundup of other news and events.
Day in and day out, Compass will guide you and let you know who’s doing what and why.
WANT TO GIVE A GIFT?
You can purchase a gift subscription. Just write us for information at info@compassknox.com.
If you would prefer to pay by check, contact us at info@compassknox.com.
Guides who know the territory
Compass is Scott Barker and Jesse Fox Mayshark, two long-time journalists with a love of Knoxville and deep knowledge of our community’s politics and personalities. Between the two, they have nearly 50 years of experience in journalism and government. Scott was a local government reporter and then the editorial page editor for the Knoxville News Sentinel. Jesse also worked as a reporter at the News-Sentinel, before serving as editor of Metro Pulse and working as a staff editor at The New York Times. For the past six and a half years, he has worked for Mayor Madeline Rogero as her Communications Director and a member of her cabinet.
What your subscription includes
What you won’t find
Opinion pieces. We give you the facts and context so you can make up your own mind.
National news. We focus on stories directly connected to East Tennessee.
Sports, weather and entertainment. Knoxville already has plenty of sources for those.
Advertisements. No auto-play videos or pop-up ads.
Thank you for visiting compass!
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with journalism that matters.