Kent-ravenna
record-courier
The Record-Courier has provided Portage County with local news since 1830. In July 2021, seven journalists signed a letter announcing their intention to organize a union, a decision made after three years of working behind the scenes to organize with Local 1 of the NewsGuild-CWA.
Their employer, Gannett, refused to voluntarily recognize the union, and challenged their filing in a hearing before the National Labor Relations Board.
​
On March 3, seven months after the NLRB hearing, Iva Choe, regional director of the NLRB in Cleveland, ruled in favor of the newsroom staff members and their petition. Ballots were mailed to the staff on March 15, and the five remaining journalists voted unanimously to organize, with ballots counted in a virtual hearing on April 6, 2022.
The three journalists who remain at the Record-Courier - two news reporters and a sports reporter - have joined forces with the existing union at the Akron Beacon-Journal, a move designed to gain leverage and bargaining power for the smaller staff. Both newsrooms ratified a contract in February, which was a first contract for the Record-Courier.
Kent-Ravenna
board members
Diane Smith
Jonah Levin-Rosenblum
Jeff Saunders
emerging news desert
We are worried about an increasing news desert without local journalists to report on municipal news. We have lost half a dozen journalists from the Record-Courier since 2020 due to buyouts, resignations and internal moves within the company. When people leave, they’re rarely replaced. 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.
​
With only three journalists on our staff (one sports writer and two news writers) we find it difficult to give Portage County the news it deserves. In addition, we have no local editors of our own, relying on other newspapers in the region for editorial oversight and photography.
​
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 Kent-Ravenna Record Courier
Subscribing to our paper provides you with not only award-winning local journalism, but it also supports dedicated reporters in your community.
​
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 Twitter @RCNewsguild or Facebook at Facebook.com/PortageNewsGuild.
3 / Read our reporters' stories
Many talented journalists are producing content for the Record Courier. Please check out their work here.