Our mission
We’re on a mission to ensure all residents of Greater Cleveland have the local news and information they need and want.
What is Signal Cleveland?
Launched in November 2022, Signal Cleveland is the inaugural newsroom in the Signal Ohio network of independent, community-led, nonprofit newsrooms. Signal Ohio is one of the largest local nonprofit news startups in the country, with another newsroom launching soon in Akron, a staff of 19 and more than $13 million raised so far. Signal Ohio is backed by a coalition of Ohio organizations, community leaders and the American Journalism Project.
At Signal Cleveland, we produce authoritative, trustworthy daily journalism across a range of topics, including government, economy, education, health, and safety and resilience. We’re also home to Cleveland Documenters, a group of about 700 Greater Cleveland residents who represent almost every ZIP code in the county. They are trained and paid to cover public meetings.
Together, we are a primary source of information for residents who may not otherwise have access to trusted local journalism, and we’re available online, via email, and on social platforms. Our website has explainers and guides to help residents navigate life in Cleveland, and it serves as a growing civic tool for our city. We also hold community gatherings and trainings, and we’re present every day in Cleveland communities.
We’re here to earn your trust
Our values are what set us apart. They help ground us, and guide us back to center when we inevitably make mistakes, and they help us learn from those mistakes. Most importantly, they keep us accountable to Greater Clevelanders:
- Move at a pace that respects community. We are accountable to community questions and interests and operate first with a respect for community, not an arbitrary deadline.
- Flip the traditional news/civic information dynamic. Instead of civic information trickling out of the news of the day, we start with providing civic information and tools. Reporting flows from gathering and distributing that information.
- Hold and nurture accessible, informal community gathering spaces where everyone has a voice and power is shared. In these spaces, people are able to step into civic life in a way that feels safe, fun and productive.
NEWS FOR PEOPLE, NOT FOR PROFIT.
Signal Cleveland works for and with Clevelanders to publish a new kind of local news, but we need your help to do it.
Meet the Signal Cleveland team (we’re your neighbors!)
Learn more about us and read our individual mission statements below.
Doug Breehl-Pitorak
Documenters Assignment Editor (he/him)
I help nurture and sustain a space for shared civic learning by supporting Documenters so that the work of covering local government meetings is understandable–and enjoyable. That includes de-jargoning agendas and breaking down government procedures.
Stephanie Casanova
Criminal Justice Reporter (she/her)
I write about the criminal legal system, explaining the complexities and shedding light on injustices/inequities in the system and centering the experiences of justice-involved individuals, both victims and people who go through the criminal legal system and their families. I highlight ways in which Cleveland residents are working on the ground to reduce crime to make their communities safer.
Nick Castele
Government Reporter (he/him)
I follow how decisions made at Cleveland City Hall and Cuyahoga County headquarters ripple into the neighborhoods. I keep an eye on the power brokers and political organizers who shape our local government. I am a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University with more than a decade of experience covering politics and government in Northeast Ohio.
Lawrence Daniel Caswell
Managing Editor, Documenters (he/they)
I steward the Documenters community. That includes holding and maintaining space to raise up Documenters work and questions. It also includes creating easy on-ramps to civic life and deeper civic participation via the exchange of civic information, knowledge and skills.
Rachel Dissell
Community and Special Projects Editor (she/her)
I foster civic and accountability reporting that is inspired by and responsive to community questions, curiosity and demand so Clevelanders have the opportunities they deserve to understand and participate in local democracy and build power.
Najee Hall
Community Reporter (he/him)
I work to gain the trust of Cleveland residents through direct community engagement and storytelling. My goal is to amplify and celebrate the residents and stakeholders who contribute to the success of city neighborhoods. I’m hoping to erase the negative stigma that has been cast on some neighborhoods throughout the years.
Audio Producer (she/her)
I create audio stories meant to engage and inform people in a way that pushes beyond media stereotypes. I aim to build trust between local media and the community, striving to teach people “how” to think about life in Cleveland, not “what” to think. More by Gennifer Harding-Gosnell
Jeff Haynes
Multimedia Director (he/him)
I create content that is understandable, approachable, entertaining, creative, and often educational. The content always keeps Northeast Ohio residents in mind, explaining gatekeeping jargon, not relying on it.
Mary Ellen Huesken
Copy Editor (she/her)
I hunt typos in stories and emails coming from Signal Cleveland, Signal Akron and Documenters in both cities so that our news and information is as clear and accurate as possible. By doing so, I help people build their writing skills and help Clevelanders and Akronites have access to information that makes their lives easier.
Dakotah Kennedy
Service Journalism Reporter (she/her)
I am dedicated to untangling bureaucracy so Clevelanders can have the information (and the power) they want. I spent 10 years on the frontlines of direct service working with youth and system-impacted communities before receiving my degree in media advocacy at Northeastern University.
Frank W. Lewis
Associate Editor and Director of the Editors’ Bureau (he/him)
Important stories are hiding everywhere, and my favorite part of journalism has always been the collaboration, working with colleagues to find the patterns in the information we’re constantly gathering. I don’t care whose name appears in the byline; the work is its own reward. As Batman said to Commissioner Gordon in “The Dark Knight,” “I’m whatever Gotham needs me to be.”
Helen Maynard
Managing Editor, Community + Collaborative Media (she/her)
I look for innovative ways to center news on community interests so more Clevelanders can have positive, direct interactions with journalists. I seek out different opinions, support emerging journalists, and teach community writing and story development so people can tell their own stories, build their own power and make the change they want to see.
Jim McKiernan
Audience Editor (he/him)
I bring an entrepreneurial spirit to building a new model for local news. My goal is to bring stories to people where they are, providing them a positive and collaborative experience that builds trust so they have relevant information to navigate life in Cleveland.
Lila Mills
Editor-in-Chief (she/her)
I lead and support the Signal Cleveland team as we work to flip the traditional news model to better listen to and learn from Greater Clevelanders so that the news and information we publish more accurately reflects the community.
Kellie Morris
Community Listener (she/her)
I am a Cleveland Documenter and a member of Signal Cleveland’s Community Listening Team dedicated to listening to community members and creating a new public record.
Amy Morona
Higher Education Reporter (she/her)
I look at who is getting to and through Cleveland’s three biggest colleges, along with what challenges and supports they encounter along the way. How that happens — and how universities wield their power during that process — impacts all of the city’s residents as well as our collective future. I am a first-generation college graduate reporting for Signal Cleveland in partnership with the national nonprofit news organization Open Campus.
Mark Naymik
Managing Editor, News (he/him)
I assist a team of storytellers as they pursue original enterprise and investigative stories that capture untold narratives about people and policies. I use my decades of experience in print, digital and broadcast media to help Signal staff build skills to present stories in useful and interesting ways.
Lila Parker
Community Listener (she/her)
I am a member of the Signal Community Listening Team focused on hearing from youth in Cleveland. I am a graduate of the Ohio Center for Broadcasting and have done public relations for Cleveland Lead Advocates for Safe Housing (CLASH).
Olivera Perkins
Economics Reporter (she/her)
Economics is often thought of as a lofty topic, but it shouldn’t be. My goal is to offer a street-level view of economics. My focus is on how the economy affects the lives of Greater Clevelanders. My areas of coverage include jobs, housing, entrepreneurship, unions, wealth inequality and pocketbook issues such as inflation.
Audience Manager (she/her)
I want to make what Signal Cleveland publishes accessible, engaging, and easy to understand. Using simple social media posts, videos and newsletters, I work to break complicated news stories into bite-sized chunks that invite Clevelanders to learn more from our reporters’ full stories. More by Camille Renner
Marvetta Rutherford
Community Listener (she/her)
I am an active Cleveland Documenter, a member of the Community Listening Team and also a champion for better public transit.
Documenters Community Coordinator (she/her)
I support the Documenters learning community and work to ensure their voices and curiosity lead our work. I create spaces where Documenters can connect with each other and dive deeper into shared questions and interests. I also weave Documenters coverage into Signal Cleveland reporting through articles that seek to highlight Documenters work and answer their questions. More by Anastazia Vanisko
April Urban
Director, Research + Impact (she/her)
I strive to bring transparency to local civic data by focusing on information that the community wants to see but that isn’t accessible. I aim to interpret data about communities for those communities, not for the gaze of outsiders. I also help Signal Cleveland gather and use feedback from staff and the community on how well we are carrying out our mission.
Candice Wilder
Health Reporter (she/her)
With the help of your questions and expertise, I want to understand how Clevelanders get their health and wellness needs met. I focus on women’s health and lead poisoning.
Community Listener
I was born and raised in Central, am a Cleveland Documenter and have written for The Land and FreshWater Cleveland. I am a member of the Central Community Listening Team. More by La Queta Worley
Our News Partners
