Our mission
We’re on a mission to ensure all residents of Greater Cleveland have the local news and information they need and want.
What is Signal Cleveland?
Launched in November 2022, Signal Cleveland is the inaugural newsroom in the Signal Ohio network of independent, community-led, nonprofit newsrooms. Signal Ohio is one of the largest local nonprofit news startups in the country, with newsrooms in Akron, a statewide bureau in Columbus and another newsroom coming in Cincinnati later this year. Signal Ohio is backed by a coalition of Ohio organizations, community leaders and the American Journalism Project.
At Signal Cleveland, we produce authoritative, trustworthy daily journalism across a range of topics, including government, economy, education, health, and safety and resilience. We’re also home to Cleveland Documenters, a group of about 950 Greater Cleveland residents who represent almost every ZIP code in the county. They are trained and paid to cover public meetings.
Together, we are a primary source of information for residents who may not otherwise have access to trusted local journalism, and we’re available online, via email, and on social platforms. Our website has explainers and guides to help residents navigate life in Cleveland, and it serves as a growing civic tool for our city. We also hold community gatherings and trainings, and we’re present every day in Cleveland communities.
We’re here to earn your trust
Our values are what set us apart. They help ground us, and guide us back to center when we inevitably make mistakes, and they help us learn from those mistakes. Most importantly, they keep us accountable to Greater Clevelanders:
- Move at a pace that respects community. We are accountable to community questions and interests and operate first with a respect for community, not an arbitrary deadline.
- Flip the traditional news/civic information dynamic. Instead of civic information trickling out of the news of the day, we start with providing civic information and tools. Reporting flows from gathering and distributing that information.
- Hold and nurture accessible, informal community gathering spaces where everyone has a voice and power is shared. In these spaces, people are able to step into civic life in a way that feels safe, fun and productive.
NEWS FOR PEOPLE, NOT FOR PROFIT.
Signal Cleveland works for and with Clevelanders to publish a new kind of local news, but we need your help to do it.
Make a tax-deductible donation today!
Meet the Signal Cleveland team (we’re your neighbors!)
(Jump to the Statewide team)
Learn more about us and read our individual mission statements below.
Documenters Assignment Editor (he/him)
I help nurture and sustain a space for shared civic learning by supporting Documenters so that the work of covering local government meetings is understandable–and enjoyable. That includes de-jargoning agendas and breaking down government procedures. More by Doug Breehl-Pitorak
Government Reporter
I follow how decisions made at Cleveland City Hall and Cuyahoga County headquarters ripple into the neighborhoods. I keep an eye on the power brokers and political organizers who shape our government. I am a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University and have covered politics and government in Northeast Ohio since 2012. More by Nick Castele
Documenters Program Director (he/they)
I steward the Documenters community. That includes holding and maintaining space to raise up Documenters work and questions. It also includes creating easy on-ramps to civic life and deeper civic participation via the exchange of civic information, knowledge and skills. More by Lawrence Daniel Caswell
Health Reporter (she/her)
I aim to cover a broad array of factors influencing Clevelanders’ health, from the traditional healthcare systems to issues like housing and the environment. As a recent transplant from my home state of Kansas, I hope to learn the ins-and-outs of the city’s complex health systems – and break them down for readers as I do. More by Celia Hack
Community Reporter (he/him)
I work to gain the trust of Cleveland residents through direct community engagement and storytelling. My goal is to amplify and celebrate the residents and stakeholders who contribute to the success of city neighborhoods. I’m hoping to erase the negative stigma that has been cast on some neighborhoods throughout the years. More by Najee Hall
K-12 Education and Youth Reporter (he/him)
As a local visual journalist, I see my purpose in building relationships as much as reporting news. I’ve made my most impactful work only after pouring myself into my community. More by Michael Indriolo
Service Journalism Reporter (she/her)
I am dedicated to untangling bureaucracy so Clevelanders can have the information (and the power) they want. I spent 10 years on the frontlines of direct service working with youth and system-impacted communities before receiving my degree in media advocacy at Northeastern University. More by Dakotah Kennedy
Associate Editor and Director of the Editors’ Bureau (he/him)
Important stories are hiding everywhere, and my favorite part of journalism has always been the collaboration, working with colleagues to find the patterns in the information we’re constantly gathering. I don’t care whose name appears in the byline; the work is its own reward. As Batman said to Commissioner Gordon in “The Dark Knight,” “I’m whatever Gotham needs me to be.” More by Frank W. Lewis
Community Journalism Director (she/her)
I look for innovative ways to center news on community interests so more Clevelanders can have positive, direct interactions with journalists. I seek out different opinions, support emerging journalists, and teach community writing and story development so people can tell their own stories, build their own power and make the change they want to see. More by Helen Maynard
Jim McKiernan
Audience Editor (he/him)
I bring an entrepreneurial spirit to building a new model for local news. My goal is to bring stories to people where they are, providing them a positive and collaborative experience that builds trust so they have relevant information to navigate life in Cleveland.
Editor-in-Chief (she/her)
I lead and support the Signal Cleveland team as we work to flip the traditional news model to better listen to and learn from Greater Clevelanders so that the news and information we publish more accurately reflects the community. More by Lila Mills
Managing Editor (she/her)
I foster civic and accountability reporting that is inspired by and responsive to community questions, curiosity and demand so Clevelanders have the opportunities they deserve to understand and participate in local democracy and build power. More by Rachel Dissell
Economics Reporter (she/her)
Economics is often thought of as a lofty topic, but it shouldn’t be. My goal is to offer a street-level view of economics. My focus is on how the economy affects the lives of Greater Clevelanders. My areas of coverage include jobs, housing, entrepreneurship, unions, wealth inequality and pocketbook issues such as inflation. More by Olivera Perkins
Contributors
Audio Producer (she/her)
I create audio stories meant to engage and inform people in a way that pushes beyond media stereotypes. I aim to build trust between local media and the community, striving to teach people “how” to think about life in Cleveland, not “what” to think. More by Gennifer Harding-Gosnell
Copy Editor (she/her)
I hunt typos in stories and emails coming from Signal Cleveland, Signal Akron and Documenters in both cities so that our news and information is as clear and accurate as possible. By doing so, I help people build their writing skills and help Clevelanders and Akronites have access to information that makes their lives easier. More by Mary Ellen Crowley Huesken
Signal Statewide team
Higher Education Reporter
I look at who is getting to and through Ohio’s colleges, along with what challenges and supports they encounter along the way. How that happens — and how universities wield their power during that process — impacts all Ohio residents as well as our collective future. I am a first-generation college graduate reporting for Signal in partnership with the national nonprofit news organization Open Campus. More by Amy Morona
Signal Statewide Bureau Chief/Editor-At-Large
I assist a team of storytellers as they pursue original enterprise and investigative stories that capture untold narratives about people and policies. I use my decades of experience in print, digital and broadcast media to help Signal staff build skills to present stories in useful and interesting ways. More by Mark Naymik
State Government and Politics Reporter
I follow state government and politics from Columbus. I seek to explain why politicians do what they do and how their decisions affect everyday Ohioans. I want to close the gap between what state leaders know and what voters know. I also enjoy trying to help people see things from a different perspective. I graduated in 2008 from Otterbein University in Westerville with a journalism degree, and have covered politics and government in Ohio since then. More by Andrew Tobias
Our News Partners
