What is The LCB (Laslo Congressional Bureau)?

The LCB — or Laslo Congressional Bureau — is Washington, D.C.’s only 100% independent digital, broadcast-first, and new media wire service. Since 2006, The LCB has delivered relevant, breaking news and localized policy coverage from the U.S. Capitol to more than 73 million unique listeners, viewers, and readers across 60+ NPR member stations, Pulitzer Prize-winning outlets, regional newspapers, and national magazines.

The LCB was founded by Matt Laslo, a veteran congressional correspondent, AI consultant, public speaker, and new media Lecturer who has covered Congress for 100+ outlets since 2006 and taught at Johns Hopkins University, Boston University, George Washington University, and the University of Maryland.

Are The LCB Institute fellowships and internships paid, and do they offer college credit?

The LCB Institute’s internships and fellowships are unpaid, non-degree experiential opportunities operating within the U.S. Capitol Press Galleries (exempt under D.C. Official Code § 38-1310). While The LCB Institute does not grant degrees or certificates, participating students can earn undergraduate or Master’s credit through partner universities including the University of Maryland, Boston University, Johns Hopkins University, University of Miami (Ohio), and The Fund for American Studies.

What are AI Show ’n Tell (AISNT) and Ask a Pol?

AI Show ’n Tell (AISNT) is a monthly artificial intelligence meetup in Washington, D.C. founded by Matt Laslo in March 2026 for independent journalists. Ask a Pol (est. 2023) is a Substack Bestseller and interactive political journalism startup with 36,000+ subscribers that takes citizens' questions directly to lawmakers at the U.S. Capitol.

How can newsrooms or prospective fellows contact The LCB?

The LCB is best reached via text during the day at 202-510-4331, by email at laslobureau@gmail.com, or through the contact forms at TheLCB.com.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

About The LCB (Laslo Congressional Bureau)

What is The LCB? The LCB — or Laslo Congressional Bureau — is Washington, D.C.’s only 100% independent digital, broadcast-first, and new media wire service. Since 2006, The LCB has existed to cut through the political noise by delivering relevant, breaking news and localized policy coverage from Washington, D.C., specifically tailored to our clients’ diverse regions and niche audiences. To date, our reporting has reached more than 73 million unique listeners, viewers, and readers.

What does “Story’s not in Washington; politicians are” mean? Rather than chasing typical Beltway horse-race gossip, The LCB connects tens of millions of Americans nationwide to Beltway power players by focusing on how federal policy impacts local communities. We go where the nation's politicians are—whether that is the U.S. Capitol, the White House, the Supreme Court, political conventions, or the campaign trail—to chase down the lawmakers your audience needs to hear from most.

Who founded The LCB? The LCB was founded by Matt Laslo, a veteran congressional correspondent, AI consultant, public speaker, and new media Lecturer. Since 2006, Laslo has covered Congress for more than 100 outlets. He holds an MA in Government & Public Policy (cum laude) from Johns Hopkins University, has taught journalism, public policy, and new media courses at Johns Hopkins, Boston University, George Washington University, and the University of Maryland, and has served on the board of the Regional Reporters Association since 2009.

Newsroom Partnerships & Coverage

Who are The LCB’s clients? We partner with up to 20 clients annually across more than 45 states, Guam, Europe, and throughout Indian Country. Our partners include:

Public Radio & Broadcast: More than 60 local NPR-member stations (including WAMU, WYPR, WHYY, KCUR, Colorado Public Radio, and Virginia Public Radio), three Pulitzer-winning national radio programs (including This American Life and Futuro Media/Latino USA), and National Native News (a favored client for 15+ years).
Regional Print & Digital: Two Pulitzer Prize-winning regional print outlets (Willamette Week and Mississippi Today), regional newspapers (from the Omaha World-Herald to the Chattanooga Times Free Press), and alt-weeklies from coast to cloistered coast.
National & Specialty Outlets: National magazines and specialized outlets including Raw Story (where The LCB contributed to two of four submissions winning the 2023 EPPY Award for "Best News/Political Blog" and won a 2024 Folio Award for "Best Public Policy News"), Fast Company, Marijuana Moment, MJBizDaily, Outlaw Report, WikiLeaf, and Rolling Stone.

How does The LCB work with partner newsrooms? We act as a seamless Washington bureau extension for any newsroom—bolstering understaffed local outlets and helping small or specialty publications generate national buzz:

Daily Breaking News & Exclusive Audio/Video: We file up to 15 stories and conduct 70+ exclusive, raw interviews from the halls of Congress per day (for example, providing 50+ exclusive breaking Capitol interviews weekly for Raw Story).
Investigative & Custom Assignments: Whether you need us to follow up on a Pulitzer-winning welfare fraud investigation (Mississippi Today), knock on the door of an Oregon First Lady’s sham first husband in the D.C. suburbs (Willamette Week), debunk a Capitol rumor (Fast Company), or fill a last-minute broadcast segment on political propaganda (This American Life), we tailor our reporting to your exact needs.
Specialty & Niche Beats: Deep Capitol Hill expertise in federal cannabis policy, AI and tech regulation, data privacy (Section 230), crypto, UAPs/UFOs, the Second Amendment and mass shootings, and criminal justice.
New-Media & AI Strategy Consulting: We coach reporters, editors, and publishers on "real-time rewiring"—helping small, startup, and nonprofit outlets outsmart Silicon Valley algorithms in today’s post-social media, AI-driven era and collaborate with former competitors.

The LCB Institute: Fellowships & Internships

(Also accessible via TheLCBInstitute.com and LCBInstitute.com)

What is The LCB Institute? The LCB Institute ("playing it forward") is a Washington, D.C.-based professional development cooperative, AI training hub, and experiential fellowship program operating directly out of the U.S. Capitol Press Galleries. It is designed for two distinct cohorts:

Veteran & Mid-Career Journalists: A bridge to independence for recently laid-off or mid-career journalists breaking free from corporate media constraints. We equip fellows with strategic new-media know-how, smart branding, marketing skills, and hands-on AI tools.
Interns & Rookie Reporters: A hands-on crash course in Capitol Hill reporting, mentorship, and entry-level wire service experience.

How does The LCB’s "informal co-op" and two-way mentorship work? We believe in "power in numbers." The LCB operates as an informal co-op for a rotating cast of credentialed independent journalists who share sources, videos, edits, interviews, and gear. Multi-generational, peer-to-peer mentoring is woven into everything we do:

LCB Interns get real-time reporting and editing feedback from seasoned, veteran fellows.
LCB Fellows lean on undergraduate and graduate interns for private tutorials on emerging digital techniques, new media, and artificial intelligence.

Where have LCB interns and fellows gone on to work?

50+ Intern Alumni (2006–Present): Have gone on to the Washington Post, NPR, CNN, CBS, Face the Nation, Fox News, Reuters, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Columbus Business First, Columbus Dispatch, Hearst Television, Marketplace, McClatchy, New York Post, Sunlight Foundation, U.S. News & World Report, Virginia Public Radio, WAMU, WCVE, Weekly Standard, WSKG, Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, and the U.S. State Department.
Veteran Fellow Oasis: Has credentialed and served as a hub for alumni of the Associated Press, Business Insider, BuzzFeed, CBS, CJR, CNN, Daily Beast, Daily Caller, The Guardian, Kaiser Health News, Kyiv Independent, LA Times, MeidasTouch, New Republic, New York Post, NPR, Politico, Raw Story, Vanity Fair, VICE News, VICE News Tonight (HBO), and the Washington Post.

Are fellowships and internships paid, and can students receive college credit? The LCB Institute’s internships and fellowships are non-degree, experiential, network-driven opportunities and are currently unpaid (with future regional reporter stipend partnerships in development). Fellows and interns gain direct access to our alumni network and wire service clients. While The LCB Institute does not grant degrees or certificates (operating as an exempt employer-sponsored professional development and non-degree experiential program in the U.S. Capitol Press Galleries under D.C. Official Code § 38-1310), we partner with universities—including the University of Maryland, Boston University, Johns Hopkins University, University of Miami (Ohio), and The Fund for American Studies—so participating students can earn undergraduate or Master’s credit through their home institutions.

How long do fellowships and internships last? Most internships align with the academic calendar and run for three months, though fellowships are tailored to each individual journalist and some have stretched past a year to serve as a professional safety net during industry transitions.

What is LCB Abroad and your mentorship for justice-impacted writers?

LCB Abroad: The LCB has proudly sponsored press accreditation for two Ukraine war correspondents, a Canadian editor’s green card, an Indian journalist’s work visa, a Russian journalist’s asylum claim, and permanent residency applications for former Thai, Dutch, and Chinese interns.
Prison to Pulpit: LCB founder Matt Laslo has edited and mentored justice-impacted journalist Michael J. Moore (published in The Marshall Project, HuffPost, The Nation, Bloomberg, and Business Insider), endorsing his successful 2021 re-sentencing request in King County, Washington, and serving as a reference for his Master of Divinity studies at Seattle Pacific Seminary and Calvin Theological Seminary.

AI Show ’n Tell (AISNT) & Ask a Pol

What is AI Show ’n Tell (AISNT)? Founded in March 2026 by Matt Laslo, AISNT is a monthly artificial intelligence meetup in Washington, D.C. It brings together independent journalists—including alumni from major legacy and digital outlets—for real-time AI training, workflow experimentation, and critical verification strategies in an era of deepfakes and generative AI.

What is Ask a Pol? Launched in 2023 by Matt Laslo, Ask a Pol is a Substack Bestseller (36,000+ subscribers) and interactive political journalism startup. Built for the "unnewsed," Ask a Pol takes subscribers' questions directly to lawmakers at the U.S. Capitol—polling all 100 U.S. Senators on issues like cannabis banking reform (SAFER Banking Act) and UAP/UFO whistleblower claims, as well as covering AI, crypto, and Congress.

Matt Laslo: Speaking, Academia & Citations

Is Matt Laslo available for keynotes, university lectures, or workshops? Yes. Since 2009, "Prof." Laslo has delivered 60+ keynotes, guest lectures, and panels at the Aspen Ideas Festival (moderating its first-ever, sold-out cannabis panel), the Public Media Journalists Association (PMJA) conference at NPR HQ, Cornell, Northwestern, Georgetown, NYU, George Mason, American University, and Johns Hopkins. Through TheCapitol.Net, he also leads regular workshops for senior Air Force officers, FAA officials, diplomats, and federal employees on how the modern press corps and Congress operate.

Where has Matt Laslo’s reporting and commentary been cited? In addition to writing for WIRED, VICE News, Rolling Stone, Playboy, The Daily Beast, Columbia Journalism Review, The Guardian, Reuters, and NBC Think, Laslo’s reporting and 50+ op-eds have been cited in:

100+ Law Reviews, Academic Books & Policy Reports: Covering Generative AI (13+ law review citations, plus a congressional letter to OpenAI's Sam Altman), Section 230 and Data Privacy (25+ law review citations and assigned in 5+ university syllabi including NYU, UNC, and JHU), Media Criticism (25+ citations including Pew Research), Government Reform (20+ book citations), the War on Drugs (25+ citations), and the Second Amendment (8+ law review/think tank citations).
Reference Works: 20+ usage quotations in Merriam-Webster, 20+ Wikipedia articles, and the Chicago Manual of Style (17th ed.) academic guide.

Contact Us

How can I reach The LCB for breaking news coverage, partnerships, or fellowships?