This is a very happy, grateful day in our newsroom. Why? This is the day we get to announce that a record number of individuals and organizations have chosen to step forward and become Newsroom Partners in 2021.
It is also the day we publicly thank them for their support.
In 2013, when the Source was founded, our goal was to develop a news operation in service to its community. Four and a half years later, when we launched our corporate and individual membership programs, the goal became a news operation sustained by the community it had grown to serve.
That’s fancy talk for, “Friend, you’ve got to make the case that trusted independent local journalism is worthy of financial support.”
Our decisions, our social media posts, and our published stories have to stand up as useful information and reporting. Community members must see an accurate reflection of themselves in our journalism. Readers have to trust us to tell them the truth, even if they don’t like the headline.
That’s what makes this day so special to us. We’re grateful to announce that our individual members and corporate Newsroom Partners have committed more than $240,000 to the work of the Source newsrooms in Mansfield, Ashland, and Mount Vernon in 2021. Every dollar of membership and corporate support power our reporting team.
Earning your support every day is serious business for our newsroom. The generosity of our Newsroom Partners, along with more than 1,000 individual members tells us that our experimental, solutions-focused newsroom is delivering on those promises.
We are humbled by the support of our members and partners and simply cannot thank you enough. You have taken civic responsibility and engagement to a unique level. Our team will work every day to honor your commitment to local news, no matter what form it takes.
Thank you to each of our 2021 Newsroom Partners and individual members for being in the game with us, playing for a better community.
Foundation | $25,000
Platinum | $10,000
W.O.B. Accountants and Advisors
Anonymous
Gold | $5,000
The District 5 Area Agency on Aging
Silver | $2,500
Ashland County Community Foundation
Kleshinski, Morrison & Morris, CPA
Rand and Mary Smith
Bronze | $1,000
Charris Consulting
Drs. Heringhaus General Dentistry
Kenyon College: Office of Community Partnerships
Mansfield Engineered Components
Mike and Carol Chambers
New Directions Employee Assistance Program & Counseling Center
North End Community Improvement Collaborative
Richland Area Chamber and Economic Development
The Ohio State University at Mansfield
Village Point Ice Cream Parlor
Anonymous
A Newsroom Partnership is financial support for the independent local journalism produced by our reporters and editors. It associates an organization’s brand with rigorous, trusted reporting that seeks to make our community a better place to live and work. Newsroom Partnerships provide a way for employers to invite their team into a news ecosystem trusted 34 times more than national media. 100% of Newsroom Partner funding is dedicated to reporting and editing budgets.
Through their support, Newsroom Partners will trigger more than $16,000 in donated advertising to area non-profits in 2021.
Newsroom Partners do not approve, read, edit, or otherwise influence the reporting of our newsroom. They understand that they will not like every headline. They trust, however, that our reporting is independent and fair and that we will always keep the good of our community at the center of our coverage. Newsroom Partners sometimes provide expertise, wisdom, or connections to subject-matter experts that our newsroom may not know about, which we take care to disclose in our reporting.
You can read more about Newsroom Partnerships here.