The News Outlet

The News Outlet of Youngstown, Ohio provides a teaching newsroom environment on a modest scale. It is a collaboration among 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.

Discussion questions at three levels:

Flashlight: From the web site, what community appears to be the focus of the content? Do the students try to cover all the local news, or do they specialize in particular topics? Which ones?

Spotlight: Some say only large schools can participate in “teaching hospital” activities. Does the News Outlet prove the opposite? If so, how? If it is more of a “teaching clinic” than a hospital, do you still think that has value?

Searchlight: Read this piece: “Why we need a better conversation about the future of journalism education.” Imagine you were the News Outlet’s leaders, arguing for increased funding from the university. How would you frame the argument?