Improper spending rises at election time

March 1, 2020

CLICK HERE to view Ohio Auditor Keith Faber’s video about the dos and don’ts of using public money in campaigning The number of public complaints to the Ohio Auditor’s Office about tax money being improperly spent on campaign or election issues routinely increases around this time of year, according to Ohio Auditor Keith Faber. Those complaints typically address things like school districts or government entities using public money or resources to promote tax levy campaigns. This is such an important issue, and one that I think often is misunderstood or even widely accepted ...

Opioid crisis is a campaign issue again

February 23, 2020

Most people can tell it is election season by the sudden uptick in campaign advertising and, of course, all the candidate signs popping up in yards and intersections. I, however, have a different signal. Each spring and fall, our downtown Warren office becomes home to a parade of political candidates coming to meet with a panel of newspaper employees including reporters and members of our editorial board for interviews in which candidate share goals, plans and ideas. As has been the case over the past few years, again last week some incumbents and challengers discussed the opioid ...

Six months down and eager for more

February 16, 2020

In two weeks, we will hit the six-month anniversary of taking over publication of The Vindicator — and what a wonderful, yet crazy, six months it has been! Earlier this month I had the opportunity to be part of a panel discussion at the Ohio News Media Association’s annual conference in Columbus where we were asked to talk about the endeavor of taking over The Vindicator. We were invited to tell our story as part of a two-day gathering of statewide journalists and industry leaders. Our panel was made up of our newspaper’s General Manager Ted Snyder and our corporate Regional ...

Ohio bill will further protect free speech

February 9, 2020

Lively public debate and dialogue about community issues are a big part of our democratic process. Residents must be able to discuss issues, and journalists must be able to report on them — each without fear of landing in court facing accusations of libel or defamation. Yet, sadly, there are people who sue both journalists and other citizens for defamation and libel even when there is nothing false about statements that are clearly opinion. In these cases, the plaintiff often knows he or she will eventually lose, yet still files the civil suit as a simple tactic to silence or slow ...

Hints on how to get your news published

February 2, 2020

I had the pleasure last week of participating in our first two of several upcoming “Meet The Vindicator” events, where many of us who bring you your daily newspaper headed out into the community to meet with our new readers in Mahoning County. The meetings were informative, not only for the readers (I hope), but also for me and the other Vindicator managers because of the opportunity to hear your thoughts, concerns and ideas. And of course, it challenges us to meet your requests. One question I heard a few times last week was what is the best way for organizations — ...

Veteran newsman showcased fairness, balance

January 26, 2020

Frequently I have used this space to protest what I perceive as a growing divide and increasing lack of balance in news reporting by the national media today. Sadly, consumers of news lost one of the great ones in journalism last week — one who always could be counted on to report with fairness and absolute balance. These days, he was one of the few. Jim Lehrer, longtime host of the nightly “PBS NewsHour” died Thursday at the age of 85. A consummate newsman, Lehrer often was known, and at times even poked fun of, for his solemn and serious nature — quite a contrast ...