Akron Beacon jOURNAL
As a self-governing unit in Local 1, we are 30 reporters and photographers telling the story of Greater Akron and Northeast Ohio.
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We have survived multiple sales of the newspaper, buyouts, layoffs and restructurings that severely depleted the size of our staff. Those of us who remain, though, are committed to providing quality journalism in the largest newsroom in Akron.
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When Gatehouse (now Gannett) bought the Beacon Journal in 2018, the contract our members had worked under for decades was thrown out and we were required to re-apply for our jobs.
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We worked under the terms of an interim agreement until February of this year when we approved a new contract that included the first across-the-board raises that our members had received in many years and step increases aimed at trying to keep our younger journalists. The contract also preserves our jurisdiction over news in the paper and on the website, though it permits the company to use content provided by other Gannett papers, our managers and correspondents in a limited manner.
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For transparency, we are providing a copy of our new contract on this site.
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We will continue to fight for the future of local journalism, local control and local coverage, and a sustainable business model built on integrity and honesty and not click bait or slick marketing. We hope our readers will join us in this fight by supporting us through online and print subscriptions and following us on social media.
Akron board members
Jennifer Pignolet
Unit Chair
Twitter: @JenPignolet
Tawney Beans
Derek Kreider
Stephanie Warsmith
Phil Masturzo
April Helms
Second Vice Chair
abjnewsguild
@gmail.com
emerging news desert
We are worried about an increasing news desert without local journalists to report on municipal news. Over the years, our core staff has shrunk as we lost talented journalists leaving for better-paying jobs. The news desert results in less oversight on local government wrong-doing. Additionally, people lose out on everyday coverage of things that are important in the community, because there are no reporters, photographers or editors to put it all together.
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Well trained, properly-paid and experienced journalists are the best equipped to cover local news and cannot be replaced by Facebook groups, bloggers and one-person operations. While such groups often expose news stories, teams of professional editors and reporters are best equipped to follow up and get the whole story.
Support Local journalism
1 / Subscribe to the Akron Beacon Journal
Subscribing to our paper provides you with not only award-winning local journalism, but it also supports dedicated reporters and photographers in your community.
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If you aren’t a subscriber yet, now is a great opportunity to do so and tell Gannett why you did — for journalists — and where you want your money to go — to the journalists bringing you the news. Subscribe here.
2 / Follow us on social media
Keep up with our unit's latest happenings on Facebook at Facebook.com/ABJNewspaperGuild.
3 / Read our reporters' stories
Many talented journalists and photojournalists, from seasoned veterans to fledglings, are producing content for the Beacon Journal. Please check out their work here.