The Fresno Bee is the primary news source for the central San Joaquin Valley, covering a six-county area. The fast-growing Valley region, anchored by Fresno as its largest city, is the top agricultural economy in the world. Centrally located, Fresno is the only city in the nation that serves as a gateway to three national parks: Yosemite, Kings Canyon, and Sequoia. McClatchy Media, The Bee’s parent company, also operates Vida en el Valle, a bilingual digital news site, created to provide news of importance to the Latino community of the central San Joaquín Valley.

In 2020, McClatchy transitioned to private ownership when it was acquired by Chatham Asset Management. The Chatham acquisition marked the beginning of a new era of opportunity for McClatchy, strengthening the Company's financial position and enabling it to build on its 150-plus year history of independent, community-focused journalism by investing in local newsrooms.