Reporter

Why come to work for Source Media?

Let’s be real. The local news business is a challenging line of work. The business model is transforming. Independent networks with deep roots in their communities are on the rise, offering an alternative to tired legacy operations. We know this is a true statement because over the past 12 years we’ve built a network of 3 local newsrooms which cover

Richland, Ashland and Knox counties. Soon our 4th location in Delaware, Ohio will come on line.

We're growing and we'd love for you to grow with us. We have three openings for reporters based in the charming small cities of Ashland, Shelby, and Mount Vernon, Ohio.

You might be the perfect reporter for us if you feel in your bones that trusted independent local journalism is a keystone to an informed, engaged and healthy community. You might be the right candidate if you love being on a great team and contributing to its success. Most of all, you either already love these places or you’re open to making a home there and joining our community.

Are you a young reporter right out of college looking for your first job? Are you a veteran journalist on the hunt for a reinvigorating second act? Or do you have a non-traditional background, but know you could be a great reporter because you’re curious, friendly, a good communicator and know North Central Ohio inside and out? Let’s have a look at what kind of company you’re joining.

• Trusted. 95% of 4,000+ survey respondents said they trusted our news reporting in 2024. Compare that to 28% for national mass media.
• Entrepreneurial. You’ll learn how to think through new initiatives. You’ll call some of your own shots. You’ll 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.
• A solutions mindset. We are going to teach you how to do Solutions Journalism at a very high level and you’ll practice it consistently.
• Engaged. We are a reader-driven newsroom, which means you’ll learn practical audience engagement from the ground up. You’ll answer reader questions and develop relationships with sources in a way you don’t learn in J‑school or traditional media.
• Professional development. We’re 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.

Source Media Properties is a great place to work and we punch way above our weight class. Let’s fact-check those claims

• One of only 14 newsrooms chosen from 200 applicants for catalytic expansion funding to help us grow into Delaware.
• LION Publishers national winner for community engagement journalism in 2025.
• 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’ Agend a 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.
• 2020’s racial reckoning turned into a groundbreaking collaboration with a Black-owned barbershop.
• And when it’s time to relax, how about a rock show in the newsroom?

We are looking for an innovative, entrepreneurial reporter who isn't afraid to break from the mold of a traditional newsroom. We’re a hybrid work…