Signal Ohio Raises Over $5M to Launch Second Newsroom in Akron
Signal, a nonprofit news organization with a mission to make local news and information accessible to all Ohioans, has launched a search for an Akron Editor in Chief with plans to launch the newsroom later this year
Media inquiries: press@localnewsforohio.org
AKRON, Ohio – Feb. 22, 2021 – Nonprofit news organization Signal Ohio today announced it has secured funding to launch a 11-person newsroom serving Akron communities with independent, public service journalism.
With support from the Akron Community Foundation, GAR Foundation, Goodyear, the Greater Akron Chamber, Huntington Bank, the John S. And James L. Knight Foundation, United Way of Summit & Medina, the University of Akron Foundation and Welty Building Construction, Signal Akron will be part of a statewide network of independent newsrooms across the state. The organization has kicked off a search for an Akron Editor in Chief and Community Journalism Director, and is expected to begin publishing later this year, increasing the volume of independent, original reporting in Akron and supporting the efforts of existing local outlets to make critical information available to all who need it. All openings will be posted at http://localnewsforohio.org/jobs.
Signal Akron will have a 9-person editorial team producing high-quality journalism in numerous formats and across multiple platforms, and will be free to access. It will cover topics related to government, public safety, economy, health and education, as well as local arts and culture on a daily basis, centering community voices and letting residents help set coverage priorities. It will also feature a Documenters program, part of the award-winning Documenters Network by City Bureau, which trains and pays residents to cover public meetings.
Signal Ohio’s community-centered values and mission to make quality, unbiased information accessible to all residents of the state, are becoming a reality as we launch Signal Akron. However, it is the Akron community who deserves the recognition for their energy and efforts to develop a strong coalition in support of the Signal Akron newsroom.
Signal, which launched an 18-person newsroom in Cleveland last year, has formed a search committee including local and national journalism experts, who will lead the hiring process for the first two roles of the newsroom. Committee members include Debra Adams Simmons, vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion for National Geographic Media and board member of Signal Ohio, Mizell Stewart III, former executive at Gannett / USA TODAY Network and Rita McNeil Danish, CEO of Signal Ohio. The search committee will invite Akron residents to participate in the hiring process.
“The launch of a nonprofit newsroom in Akron provides a great opportunity to tap some of the outstanding journalistic talent and innovation in the region. Akron has a fantastic pool of news professionals who are equipped to meet the moment,” said Adams Simmons, who was formerly editor of the Akron Beacon Journal. “Bolstering local news might be the most important social impact investment the philanthropic community has ever made here. More reporters on the ground will strengthen the local news ecosystem and help meet the information needs of Akron’s residents. At a time when local media outlets around the country are significantly diminished or shutting down, trust in media has eroded, and the news industry is fighting for survival, this investment is a significant boost for the Akron community.”
As part of its promise to remain dedicated to public service journalism for local communities, Signal announced an Akron advisory board that will provide guidance and input in line with the values and vision of Signal Akron, and serve as a sounding board for newsroom leadership. The growing advisory board so far includes Adams Simmons, Bill Considine, former president and CEO of Akron Children’s Hospital, and Laura Duda, senior vice president and chief communications officer of Goodyear.
The announcement follows a Northeast Ohio information needs assessment conducted by the American Journalism Project, through which residents said they did not feel they have enough relevant, and accessible information about their communities and the decisions that impact their daily lives. In total, Signal Ohio has raised more than $13 million for local news in Ohio so far.
“Akron has needed more local news sources for a long time, but the crisis has become more severe in the past few years,” said Jim Brady, vice president of journalism at Knight. “With the American Journalism Project’s support and investment from Akron’s philanthropic community, we are proud to have Signal Akron enhance and partner with the existing Akron media ecosystem.”
“Our communities in Akron deserve a newsroom as vibrant and diverse as our city,” said Christine Amer Mayer, president of GAR Foundation. “We’re building this growing coalition to support local news in Akron because quality local journalism is vital to the future of our city and key to strengthening the social fabric that holds our community together.”
About Signal Ohio
Signal Ohio, formerly known as the Ohio Local News Initiative, is a network of independent, community-led, nonprofit newsrooms backed by a coalition of Ohio organizations, community leaders and the American Journalism Project. It’s one of the largest local nonprofit news startups in the country, with a newsroom in Cleveland and one upcoming in Akron, a staff of 19 and more than $13 million raised so far. It receives support from a broad coalition of local and national philanthropies, organizations, and individuals for its mission to ensure every resident of Ohio has the local news and information they need.