Reporters

Signal Akron is hiring reporters. We are looking for beat reporters for government, education, and public safety/health who will be a critical part of the Akron newsroom's coverage team and report directly to the editor-in-chief (EIC) and managing editor. Each will be responsible for daily multimedia- driven coverage that holds officials and policymakers accountable, along with enterprise stories that dig deep across issues important to Akronites.

Reporters' coverage will be impactful, proactive, rigorous, and responsive to the needs of Akron residents, particularly those in underserved or underrepresented communities. Reporters will help citizens understand how systems work so they will be empowered to participate and make informed decisions. Their work will center the voices of citizens and help ensure community input and priorities are integral to the news and information Signal Akron produces.

The Akron Newsroom

As a new startup, Signal Akron seeks to draw from the best in the industry to create new, innovative ways to center community information needs and produce impactful, award-winning journalism. It is the second in an anticipated statewide network of independent newsrooms from Signal Ohio.

Signal Ohio is a nonprofit organization that has raised more than $15 million so far to support a vision to give everyone in Ohio the local news and information they need, starting with a robust newsroom in Cleveland and now Akron. The Akron newsroom will produce high-quality accountability journalism while working directly with residents to produce and distribute community reporting, employing innovative models for local journalism that are directly responsive to local information needs. In addition to a team of editors and beat reporters, the newsroom will have community engagement expertise, multimedia production, and a local Documenters program, which will train and pay Akron residents to document local public meetings and participate in broader news gathering and distribution efforts.

Job Responsibilities & Priorities

Produce a steady stream of local accountability reporting that will serve Akron residents as a primary source of information they need to understand their officials and policymakers and empower them to hold these powerful people to account.
Deliver a combination of day-to-day coverage and ambitious, high-impact, and authoritative journalism that demonstrates Signal Akron's reporting will empower Akron's residents to make systems and processes work better for them.
Develop a voice for their coverage that is solutions-focused and inclusive of formats needed to make information accessible to all residents, including guides, explainers, and other service journalism that translates reporting from the newsroom into content that helps people take action.
Work collaboratively with other Signal Akron reporters to report on ongoing issues that cross disciplines. Work with our multimedia editor/producer and community/service reporter to make sure our content is visual and easy to understand for all our audiences.
Work with the EIC and managing editor to develop an editorial strategy for the beat and what will be prioritized. This will include producing content for our website, newsletters, social media, and other formats as part of the newsroom's overall mission.
Work within a daily newsroom operation that is deeply collaborative, relies on teamwork, and centers on a community reporting program that partners directly with residents to help inform coverage priorities.
Collaborate and learn with the Signal Akron Documenters; leverage the work of the Documenters, along with the newsroom's community gathering spaces to make reporting deeper and more grounded in community voices.