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ELECTION 2026

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Local Journalism
in Service
of Ohio Communities

We’re here to make Ohio work better for Ohioans.

Signal Ohio is a nonprofit initiative formed by a coalition of Ohio-based organizations and the American Journalism Project. With newsrooms in Akron, Cleveland, the Statehouse, and Cincinnati coming later this year, we’re on a mission to provide local news for Ohio that is reflective of all our local communities, and anchored in their needs. Our journalism equips residents to be more civically engaged in the places where they live.

Local Newsrooms

Signal Ohio is a nonprofit statewide network of local newsrooms.

Why Local News

Local news is in crisis. Across the country, including here in Ohio, the commercial news industry has been on the decline, leading to the loss of nearly three-quarters of journalism jobs since 2005, leading to less accountability, more polarization, and more government waste. With the volume of original reporting in Ohio communities reduced to a small fraction of what it once was, nonprofit news offers a path forward

Support Signal

Join the movement to ensure all residents of Ohio have access to the unbiased local news and information they need.

Rita McNeil Danish announces she will step down as Signal Ohio CEO in January

CEO Rita McNeil Danish, who helped lead Signal Ohio through three extraordinary years of growth, has decided to step down, announcing that she will stay on as CEO through Jan. 17, the same date she started three years ago, and will continue as a consultant through the spring to assist with the launch of Signal Cincinnati. 

Signal Ohio welcomes scott cameron to signal statewide team

Signal Ohio is proud to announce that Scott Cameron will join the organization as Bureau Chief of Signal Statewide, beginning November 3.

Signal Akron empowers young learners at ALL IN AKRON backpack giveaway

Volunteers passed out about 1,700 backpacks to children who came through House Three Thirty. The kids also got school supplies, refreshments, and essential community resources at no cost.

Michael Indriolo

Signal Cleveland’s Michael Indriolo selected for the 2025 CatchLight Local Fellowship

Indriolo is one of 14 photojournalists to take part in the fellowship, which is made possible by a partnership between CatchLight and Report for America.

Signal Cleveland and The Marshall Project Win International Award for Data Visualization

Signal Ohio is thrilled to share that The Marshall Project and Signal Cleveland recently won the WAN-IFRA Digital Media Award for Best Data Visualization (Local/Small) for their work on the Cleveland Judge Guide.

Signal Ohio receives $250,000 from MacArthur Foundation

Grant is to support local journalism in service of Ohio communities using our deep community engagement model.

Signal Ohio launches Statewide News Bureau in Columbus

The Signal Ohio news bureau is dedicated to covering issues and policies at the Ohio Statehouse and how they affect all Ohioans.

Voter parking across from the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections on Euclid Avenue.

Signal awarded two community engagement grants from American Press Institute alongside the Knight Election Hub

Signal Akron and Signal Cleveland newsrooms were part of 31 local and community-based media across the country that were selected to participate.

Signal Ohio CEO takes part in panel discussion about the importance of journalism

Rita McNeil Danish took part in a conversation at the Columbus Metropolitan Club entitled “Real News, Fake News, and How Journalism Can Save Democracy.”

Signal Ohio selected to take part IN joint effort between AJP and JPMorganChase

Organization is one of eight nonprofit newsrooms selected nationwide.

Akron newsroom

As philanthropy spends big to fight news deserts, 3 frontline news outlets share what they need

These organizations are revolutionizing journalism at every level: how they are funded, how they write their stories and even how they find them.

Signal Cleveland’s good news: 2024 Ohio Excellence in Journalism awards

We are proud to announce that a number of Signal Cleveland reporters and Cleveland Documenters are winners of the 2024 Ohio Excellence in Journalism awards hosted by The Press Club of Cleveland.

Cleveland Documenters featured on ABC News

Documenters, like Kellie Morris — who represent every zip code in Cleveland — are helping reinvent local news.

“Those who control the narratives have significant influence on decisions, and therefore have impact on outcomes. A community-driven newsroom, operating at high journalistic standards, can serve as a vehicle for everyday people to develop the power to shape their own narratives.”

—Tim Tramble, President & CEO of Saint Luke’s Foundation

“Signal Ohio is our state’s most promising opportunity to serve communities and their residents with high-quality local news. Informed residents – essential for a healthy democracy – depend on newsrooms covering public affairs in all of our communities. The future of quality, local journalism depends on nonprofit organizations”

—Michael F. Curtin, Former Editor and Associate Publisher, Columbus Dispatch

“Over the past several years, we’ve seen a decline in civic engagement: people are not voting, people are not filling out the Census, people are not engaging…local journalism is so critical, because it brings attention to the diversity of stories that are out there, and it validates people’s experiences.”

—Victor Ruiz, Executive Director, Esperanza

“We are deeply passionate about the transformative potential of local journalism, and Signal Ohio represents a pioneering effort to revitalize community engagement and information access. By supporting Signal Ohio, we empower communities, amplify diverse voices, and lay the groundwork for a robust, independent news ecosystem that fosters civic participation and holds power accountable.”

—Sarabeth Berman, American Journalism Project

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