About Us
The News Outlet is a collaboration between three public universities in Northeastern Ohio and professional media partners.
Founded and operated at Youngstown State University, The News Outlet seeks to give students valuable experience reporting and producing investigative and enterprise stories, producing valuable content and providing audiences with critical information they need in order to be informed and engaged through legacy media.
Interns from Youngstown State University, Kent State University and the University of Akron produce stories for regional and statewide media partners, including its two founding media partners, WYSU-FM Radio and The Vindicator (Youngstown). Other media partners include The Beacon Journal in Akron and Rubber City Radio.
The project began in Fall 2009 with a grant from The Raymond John Wean Foundation, support from WYSU-FM, The Vindicator and the YSU College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation has awarded the News Outlet two Community Information Challenge national grants.
The content the students produce is offered first to our media partners, but then available for use by any media organization. We require that the media organization use the student’s byline, TheNewsOutlet.org (hyperlinked to www.thenewsoutlet.org) and alert us when our content is being used.
The model is unique for numerous reasons:
- We engage our communities. Student interns attend neighborhood group and block watch meetings to listen to residents and to develop story ideas. Residents can then vote on which stories we pursue.
- We provide future journalists with rich experience. Students, faculty and professionals work together on story development. It’s part theoretical, part practical. Professionals come to The News Outlet office to work with students and students also travel to our media partners.
- We are exploring media collaboration and cooperation. Through The NewsOutlet.org, media outlets can share content and pool resources.
- We work in multiple platforms. Students routinely produce web videos, narrated slide shows and print and radio broadcast stories.
For more information about the news service, contact Tim Francisco at tfrancisco@thenewsoutlet.org or Alyssa Lenhoff at alenhoff@thenewsoutlet.org.
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