Ashland Source Staff Reporter

Job Description

Job Description

Salary: $40,000

Why come to work here?

Lets be real. There are bigger newsrooms. There are fancier cities. But if you want to grow in your journalism career in a welcoming place to live, you will be hard-pressed to find a better opportunity. Heres what we mean.

• Trusted. 95% of 4,000+ survey respondents said they trusted our news reporting in 2024. Compare that to 31% for national mass media.
• Welcoming. Can you think of anything more welcoming than a community that loves local news so much they fully funded an RFA position before the reporter even moved in? Thats us.
• Entrepreneurial. Youll learn how to think through new initiatives. Youll call some of your own shots. Youll be in a safe place to think big and fail fast. Everyone around you will have your back.
• Community focused. You will learn all about how memberships and subscriptions support our reporting and make it possible.
• Solutions Journalism. We are going to teach you how to do Solutions Journalism at a very high level and youll practice it consistently.
• Community engagement. We are a reader-driven newsroom, which means youll learn practical audience engagement from the ground up. Youll answer reader questions and develop relationships with sources in a way you dont learn in J-school or traditional media.
• Professional development. Were relentless about helping our staff get better and improve through professional development opportunities.
• Connected. We count the Knight Foundation, the Solutions Journalism Network, Hearken, the Meta Journalism Project, the Google News Initiative, LION Publishers, the Medill School of Journalism, Poynter, The Lenfest Institute, the American Press Institute, the Sulzberger Fellowship at Columbia University, the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism, Report for America, the NYC Media Lab, the Associated Press, and many more among our friends and partners.

Bottom line: Source Media Properties is a great place to work and we punch way above our weight class. Lets fact-check those claims

• Ambitious solutions-oriented enterprise reporting on a changing workforce, veterans issues, affordable housing, flooding, the Intel expansion in Ohio and gun violence has drawn local and national support.
• Source Media was one of only 200 newsrooms to be a 2024-25 Press Forward open call grantee
• Launched successful reimagining of our membership program in 2024, adding 1,000 new members in a year.
• Our 2024 Impact Report and members tell our story.
• Deep audience listening results in Citizens Agenda for local political coverage.
• Newsroom Partnerships and memberships add up to $250k support for local reporters.
• A story on infant mortality turned into a community baby shower.
• 2020s racial reckoning turned into a groundbreaking collaboration with a Black-owned barbershop.
• And when its time to relax, how about a rock show in the newsroom?

Job Description

We are looking for an innovative, entrepreneurial reporter who isn't afraid to break from the mold of a traditional newsroom. Were a hybrid work environment with some expected in-office time. Successful candidates will make a home in North Central Ohio to best become part of the community, respond to news as quickly as possible, and engage with our readers.

We expect this reporter to pick their spots when it comes to working with a Solutions Journalism mindset, as this is a key part of what we do. We also utilize Open Source, a reader-involvement tool that solicits questions from readers that we expect to be another consistent component of the position.

Our team at all three sites works together to frequently share content, ideas and resources. Our small network of sites will combine for approximately 10 million page views this year and 400k visitors per month.

Qualifications and Responsibilities

• A college graduate with strong writing, reporting and interviewing skills
• Basic knowledge of photography, audio and video production
• A well-rounded individual who can cover a city council or school board meeting, or take a camera to a Friday night high school football game
• Ability to work under tight deadlines in a fluid schedule.
• Write accurate, clear and well-reported stories while facing daily deadlines
• Identify and pitch stories on various subjects
• Write and update stories on the news of the day
• Work with other reporters on various assignments
• Collaborate with other departments for various assignments
• Occasional travel and work on nights, weekends and holidays

Its possible that a great candidate wont check all of these boxes. If thats you, dont hesitate to apply and tell us about yourself and why your background makes you a great fit.

Culture

The culture here is collaborative and entrepreneurial, and you need to know that going in. This isn't a giant newspaper and we don't act that way. If you want a 200-foot tall wall between the newsroom and the revenue team, we are not the place for you. We never compromise our ethics, but are realistic about the position the business of local news finds itself in, and we -- all of us -- are committed to fixing it. Our team works together frequently to support membership efforts, organize events, meet with readers, and create content. Our standards are high and we work our tails off, but we have fun while we do it.

We are non-partisan, in case you were wondering. Were not interested in being a part of the hate economy that has done so much damage to our industry and democracy. That said, to quote the incredible ad writers at the Texas Tribune, non-partisan is not non-thinking. We call B.S. when B.S. needs to be called.

Location

Our vibrant offices are located in a growing downtown section of Mansfield, within walking distance of an emerging scene encompassing bars, live music venues, restaurants and the best coffee shop and bakery in town.

Salary & Benefits

• $40,000 with full benefits package detailed below
• 401k program with a 100% employer match.
• 3 weeks paid vacation.
• Up to 2 weeks PTO in addition to vacation.
• A generous technology and cell phone stipend.
• Downtown office in a vibrant co-working space with free parking.
• A company-wide hybrid work environment.
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance.
• An HSA with an employer contribution.
• Paid parental leave.
• Employer-paid emotional and mental health support / counseling.
• 8 paid holidays, including MLK day and Juneteenth.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging

We believe that the best organizations reflect the communities they serve, and were continually taking steps to make that a reality at Source Media Properties. People who love it here have a passion for community, love local media, are accountable for their actions, can accept and give constructive feedback (well teach you how), and want to work as a team to achieve great things.

What this means is we value all people and approach our differences with curiosity and respect.

Our company is filled with successful people who grew up on farms, in the suburbs and in cities. We vote Democrat, Republican, and who knows what else. We worship as differently as we vote. Some of us have kids, others dont. Some of us are married, others are single. Our newsroom is filled with degreed journalists and also English majors. We graduated from public schools, private schools, and maybe never went to college. Weve got vegetarians and omnivores at the company cookout. Some of us own guns, and others have never held one.

If youve been reading this description and it feels like this is a diverse workplace which treats people fairly and tries to include all kinds of people, you can find belonging at Source Media Properties.

We cant wait to meet you.